Do you hunt with HPs?

[Larry Gibson]

This deer was shot with a 35-200-FN HP'd with the Forster HP tool. Cartridge was 35 Rem, rifle a rebarreled M91 Argentine, velcodity was 2150 fps and the range to the deer was 90 yards +/-. Deer staggered sideways and collapsed. as can be seen not much more meat damage, actually ate it all. Penetration was through and through. Photo's show entrance and exit.

Larry Gibson

[softpoint]

I am going to try this boolit this next season, big hp, but with 1/2" of solid behind the hollow point. Buckshot just did this one for me. It was a 500 grain RCBS that cast 520 grains out of my alloy. Now it is 470 grains. I need to run it about 1400-1450 out of my 45/70. Wondering what would be the best powder...

[jblee10]

I think that might work on deer, ha, ha.

[michael30.06]

Pushed fast enough that will work on anything.
Wonder if I should get a HP mold for my 500 S&W

[JJC]

I am going to try this boolit this next season, big hp, but with 1/2" of solid behind the hollow point. Buckshot just did this one for me. It was a 500 grain RCBS that cast 520 grains out of my alloy. Now it is 470 grains. I need to run it about 1400-1450 out of my 45/70. Wondering what would be the best powder...

Try Varget, 46 gr works for me in a Marlin with a 500 gr NOE, 1640 fps. I don't remember where I took the data from (Lyman 49th?). I wrote it down at the store, but I have 45 gr as 16,700 cup.

[softpoint]

Try Varget, 46 gr works for me in a Marlin with a 500 gr NOE, 1640 fps. I don't remember where I took the data from (Lyman 49th?). I wrote it down at the store, but I have 45 gr as 16,700 cup.

Can't get that much Varget behind this boolit and still have it feed in my Marlin. Couldn't get a suitable amount of AA2495 in there either. I have a few loaded today with AA2015, I have had pretty good luck with other 45/70 loads with this powder, and may be able to reach the velocity I want. If not, I guess it will be 4198, or a pistol powder. This boolit is 1.3 inches long, and about .875 is inside the case. The hollow point as I have the pin set right now is .700 deep.

[Fenring]

Yeah that might just work on deer.....

[softpoint]

Yeah that might just work on deer.....

Pretty sure it will. But big hogs and maybe a Nilgai are on the list too.

[pmer]

I'm not that worried about hollow points for deer hunting. I'd sooner try it in a 45 ACP but haven't done that either.

I want to say that it's a solution to a problem that don't exist but don't dare to because of the thought and skill needed to make good HPs.

Would it be better to say it's a suggestion to a situation that might come up?

[BABore]

I am going to try this boolit this next season, big hp, but with 1/2" of solid behind the hollow point. Buckshot just did this one for me. It was a 500 grain RCBS that cast 520 grains out of my alloy. Now it is 470 grains. I need to run it about 1400-1450 out of my 45/70. Wondering what would be the best powder...

Based on your OAL figured from post #46, I'm assuming your shooting this in a Marlin 1895. Try H335 with a Federal 210M match primer. This load does does special things with heavy boolits in Marlins and Rugers. Start around 44 grs with 46 being max.Quiz Crustyoldcoot on it as well. He's using it with a 465 gr GC boolit. H322 with the same primer will get a little more speed, but is not as accurate. 44 grs would be about max with H322. Faster powders may be tempting, but are better suited for lighter boolits in the 45-70.

Your heavy weight HP boolit is what I prefer for the 45-70. The nose can blow right off and you still have a very substantial shank for penetration. If impact velocity at extended range is insufficient for expansion, you still have a good meplat to back you up.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Seems a little light to me!


CDOC

[softpoint]

Based on your OAL figured from post #46, I'm assuming your shooting this in a Marlin 1895. Try H335 with a Federal 210M match primer. This load does does special things with heavy boolits in Marlins and Rugers. Start around 44 grs with 46 being max.Quiz Crustyoldcoot on it as well. He's using it with a 465 gr GC boolit. H322 with the same primer will get a little more speed, but is not as accurate. 44 grs would be about max with H322. Faster powders may be tempting, but are better suited for lighter boolits in the 45-70.

Your heavy weight HP boolit is what I prefer for the 45-70. The nose can blow right off and you still have a very substantial shank for penetration. If impact velocity at extended range is insufficient for expansion, you still have a good meplat to back you up.

I have both those powders, H335 and H322. I loaded 5 rounds with 40 gr. AA2015 and shot them this afternoon out of a GBL 1895 with ghost ring sights, 50 yards, 1 1/4 inches, for 5. With those sights on that gun, that is about the best I can do anyway. Was drizzling rain or I'd have set up the chrono. I have scoped 45/70's as well, but want to develop a load for this little gun right now. All I am looking for is about 1450 or so fps. Then I want to incrementally soften my alloy and do a bit of testing . Maybe my neighbor down the road will let me get up on a stepladder and shoot into his swimming pool...
And your correct, while the HP may not expand under certain conditions, or range, it can't hurt anything either.

[41mag]

Well as I hav mentioned in many post I am fairly new to all of this casting stuff. All I have to compare my boolits to is a long history of j-word HP which I have shot since I started out hand gunning. As I read through the post here it has seemed that most are shooting rifles with the occasional 460 or something thrown in.

Myself I am a long range type of hunter with my rifles and as such I have developed most of my loads for specific purposes and places that I hunt. I primarily only shoot hogs, but if the proper deer walks out I may be inclined to square off on him. I doubt that I will get into casting for my rifles in the near future, but I do have 3 grandsons who would benifit fomr the added light weight shooting experience.

That said I hunt with my revolvers on a regular basis. As most here from Texas do, I have hogs running across my little piece of real estate and I take them when ever I can. Just about every time I head through the gate I have something strapped to my side. I originally got into casting to feed the appetite of my 454 and loved the experience. I have now purchased several MP molds for my 41, 44, and 45 Colt, all based on the Keith style boolits. I got the whole pin assortment that was offered with them as I figured I might as well have the whole package and work for something rather than be left wishing I had gotten the other set.

This said I have poured up hundreds of them in each caliber and shot them into my little 6 gallon bucket trap at 50yds. The soft sandy loam dirt I use inside packs really well and at least stops them before they exit the bottom of the buckets. I have for the most part simply been using Iso Core alloy and found it is a bit brittle for the majority of loads in that I have lost the noses on most boolits I have recovered. While this is in no means an example of what they will do on a feral hog, I still would rather them hold the nose and simply roll back.

My testing as crude as it is has led me to blend up some softer alloy which is according to the calculator a 1.5/1.5/97 and I am hopeful that this will allow the bullets a bit more elasticity. My goal isn't so much saving any meat as there is always plenty to get, but more to dump the hog on its nose right now. I don't like chasing them and I like it even less when they chase me. Most of our shots range between arms lenght and 100yds. At the further distances I don't mind the boolits simply staying together and punching a caliber sized hole, but up close I want them to deliver maximum impact and energy. Since most of my loads are running below 1200fps I think I am headed the right direction with my alloy. I am working with the smaller of the pins which came with my molds as I know there is such as thing as over expansion, and I am not looking for that. I am looking for somewhat controlled expansion. If the nose rolls back to or past the bottom of the cavity and then breaks off somewhere inside or almost through a decent sized hog I will be happy as it will deliver one heck of a punch. However most of the noses I have recovered were only inches inside the bucket lids. This tells me they are rolling right back and tearing off almost immediately. With the lid only being 1/16" thick, this isn't going to go far on a broadside shot to a 200# hog.

I would however appreciate any input form those of you who do use handguns and HP's. I finially have enough materials to play with different alloys and can work from soft to hard. However I know that harder isn't better. Worst case I can always simply put in the blank pins and cast the standard SWC, but I really like those evil looking holes in the ends of them.

[Fenring]

As far as boolit testing goes, while dirt / paper / gelatin etc will compare boolits to one another fired into those media, I've yet to come across an animal made of a homogenous mass of anything, let alone a homogenous mass of dirt / paper or gelatin.

There's no substitute for testing boolits in the field on critters IMO.

[Larry Gibson]

41Mag

[I][Since most of my loads are running below 1200fps /I]

Suggest you leave the antimony out and try 30-1, 20-1 and 16-1 lead - tin alloys. They will work best for that lessor velocity and will better resist the sloughing off of the expansion petals.

Larry Gibson

[crabo]

Maybe my neighbor down the road will let me get up on a stepladder and shoot into his swimming pool...
.

Better shoot into the deep end!

[Jim]

Don't need to do either. Hit the water at a 45 degree angle. It won't skip and will stop before it gets to the bottom, assuming the pool is 4 ft. deep or so.

[softpoint]

Don't need to do either. Hit the water at a 45 degree angle. It won't skip and will stop before it gets to the bottom, assuming the pool is 4 ft. deep or so.

Stepladder just to keep my rifle from getting too wet. Anyway, he laughed about it, but his wife isn't convinced I should do it. She said, "you ain't serious are 'you?" I answered that I'd be there the next morning in my swim trunks with rifle under one arm and stepladder under the other. Thats when she declined........

[41mag]

Stepladder just to keep my rifle from getting too wet.

I can certainly attest to that.

I hooked an alligator gar, while doing a little bass fishing at my friends gravel pit one evening. I was there by myself waiting on him and some other friends to get back from his other place, and I was just killing time. Trust me when I say a 5' gar on a 6' worm rod is a double handful.

I somehow managed to keep him in the little corner I was fishing and after around 10 minutes of tug-a-war, I had him slowly going in about a 10' circle out from the bank with the closes pass being within about 4 feet of me. I had my 41 magnum on my side and figured that it was going to be the only way to end the ordeal, as neither of the two of us was going to give up and the line apparently WASN"T going to break. So I managed to get the Redhawk out of the holster, and into my right had, which was a task because every time I let up on the gar he wanted to go down. I pulled really good and as he made the pass by me I fired the first 200gr Rem SJHP, shot just over his head, and the back blow of water completely soaked me. Course it didn't make him feel any better about his situation either.

After another 5 or so minutes of tug and pull I had him nosed up on the bank where the second shot put a stop to everything. I managed to get him half way out, tied off to a stub, and left him there to go get my 4 wheeler. When I got back he was being cared for by one of the resident 10' gators, which had apparently come over to see what all the commotion was about. I figured I had already had enough excitement at that point, and the gar wasn't worth wrestling for.

[softpoint]

Ihave caught some pretty big gar on rod and reel too, Trinity river has plenty of 'em, and especially where it has water backed up into Bedias Creek.