The new lee 200 gr 358 - terminal ballistics

[quilbilly]

I just did my first terminal ballistics test of the new Lee 200 gr. 358 RNFL-GC boolit. The test was at 40 yards and the muzzle velocity was 1630 fps. The medium is compressed, soaked phone books which is more solid than any North American critter but makes an excellent medium to track a wound path from beginning to end. Penetration for all three shots was 20-1/2 inches with tumbling beginning at about 16 inches. This result is a lot more penetration than I expected (15") and double that of a 358 cal.160 gr. SWC-GC going 200 fps faster at the muzzle.
My new alloy for this boolit is obviously too hard because there was no expansion but that will be an easy fix.
As an aside, I also tested Lee 451- 200 RNFP-PB (boolits drop at 215 gr) at 20 yards and an MV of 1030 in the same media. Those boolits penetrated 8 inches.

[Outpost75]

FWIW, in my .35 hunting rifles, both .357 Magnum and .35/.30-30 I use 1:30 tin lead and plainbased bullets, NO GC, from 200-260 grains, at velocities from 1300-1450 fps and have no issues with expansion, penetration, killing power, accuracy or leading. You are over-thinking the objective!

[quilbilly]

My objective has been to be more comfortable using a very lightweight carbine as a mountain biking bear rifle. The rifle is a T/C carbine in 357 Max. I have not been comfortable with the lighter 160 gr boolits (SWC's) due to lack of penetration plus higher velocities (above 1850) caused so much vibration (not recoil) that they were unpleasant to shoot. This new boolit (for Lee anyway) gives me the penetration I want without the extra vibration at the minimal cost of a Lee mold. When time allows my next search will be to find a plain base lower velocity lightweight 358 boolit for fun shooting that has the same point of aim at 50 yards as the 200 gr boolit at 100.