Yes, the ultimate 357 defense load DOES exist!

[shotstring]

I ran across a couple of photos of the 357 bullet I was working on as both a superb penetrating round as well as one that expands better than anything else available at the time (mid 80's). I don't recommend anyone trying to make this round as all the parts and dimensions are extremely critical, but as you can see, it works rather well. The large clay block was around 20 to 24 inches square if I remember right. It was shot at 25 yards. The bullet is a swaged 148 hbwc with a stainless steel core. During an earlier post, this design came up and someone thought I may have been spinning yarns.....nope, this is it.


http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z113/vickimoonbeam/DefenseBulletExpansion.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z113/vickimoonbeam/DefenseBulletResults.jpg

[44man]

Might go to jail for using an armor piercing boolit. Would it go through a vest?

[shotstring]

Yes, it would go through a level 3 vest and still expand close to what you see in the clay. It would also go through the largest bone or a steel tire rim and still expand. But the law stated that a bullet was illegal if it was DESIGNED to penetrate a vest, which this one was not. Simply a by-product of the expansion design. Just the same, was glad to put this item on the scrap heap as it seemed like a law-suit just waiting to happen with today's laws.

[44man]

I do see a need for it by the cops in LA! :bigsmyl2:

[armoredman]

Interesting. If you could get the same result with a copper core, that would not be listed as AP.

[Ricochet]

I'm pretty sure Tennessee's law prohibits bullets with a plastic coating and a nonlead core, except for solid plastic bullets. If they ever outlaw bullets with a steel core surrounded by lead, there goes most of the Eastern European milsurp stuff.

[shotstring]

The plan was to get custom cores made of different materials later, but we never got to that point. I sure learned how little I actually understood about bullet performance with testing this little gem. The plunger system idea was originally supposed to work to make 38's expand out of a 2" bbl, but it didn't work well, which was puzzleing. It seemed that you needed to meet a certain velocity threshold for the mechanism to work the way it should and it took 357 velocities to achieve that.

[Bret4207]

Little known fact that most "street" vests will fail to stop anything heavier than the officers carry gun and duty ammo. Plain ol 30-30SP or even some 22 mag ammo from a rifle will penetrate. Some will stop a knife (Thank God, that was a close one!) and most will stop a good deal of motor vehicle injury. Thats that main reason I wear mine, car accidents.

[twotrees]

Really Don't sweat, moisture of any type ruin's the stopping ability of Kevlar.

We ran some test at Ga Tech (Get to shoot and get paided to do it sometimes) and standard 9MM FMJ goes right through, if it's damp.

The Dutch have come out with a new fiber and the Seals will be the first to get the new vests. They are trying to replace 3 vests(47Lbs) with one in the 20+ Lb range ( trying to stop up AK 47/74 rounds at 20 yards). The new fiber isn't affected by water of any type, but cost 5X as much.

Till then wear the balistic plates, when things might go "bump" in the night.

Be safe and as the old saying goes "Don't give the Ba**ards and even break"

New body and vehicle armor is in the works, at R&D level right now, should make all who stand in Harm's way, safer.

TwoTrees