Front Stuffers and the Hollow Point?

[64Springer]

Not hard.

WW + 3% tin.

 

[ETipp]

Have always shot PRB but, curious lately how a conical might perform. My main question is, when loading a conical that has a hollow point, how does ramming it down the barrel not mess up the shape of the hollow point? I've watched a few videos on YT and, seeing some of those guys get ridiculously crazy on ensuring the bullet was seated, got me to wondering how in the world do they not cause said bullet from becoming mishappened and affecting accuracy?! I understand making sure the bullet is seated, and if the ramrod is marked accordingly, I see no reason for all the jamming up and down they do on these rounds! Seems a good way to deform the ball!

Anyway, share your insights and thoughts but, remember I've never shot them so, always looking to learn.

Last week I tried HGP bullets in .50 caliber. They were difficult to get started. So much so that I had to pound so hard that it broke my ball starter. From the ones I checked after starting down the barrel, the hollow points were all distorted. However, they still grouped well out to 50 yards but accuracy fell off big time at 100 yards.

I cannot speak for the other all lead hollow point conicals, yet. I'm suppose to have some different ones on the way to me now. I'll know more later.

 

[ETipp]

I see no reason why a solid conical can't be made into a hollow point bullet. Providing the removal of lead up front doesn't shift the center of gravity too far rearward. Making the bullet unstable.

It's easy to make a coring tool with just a metal tube and a drill bit the diameter of the hollow. They can be purchased too.

Modern firearms can get away with hollow points very easily due to the speed and rotation of the bullets. Mobetta stability. That's not the case with M/Ls and lead projectiles that are heavy and slow.

M/Ls are about a generation and a half away from people who used rocks and arrows to kill things. Not much room for technological advancements.

Set up with just a three quarter turn thread engagement. So you don't spend all your time screwing and unscrewing the high-tech bullet retaining device.

That is interesting! I make and shoot Maxi Balls. They do not expand but I've had 100% success with them over the years on critters. Even on elk. Maxi's would be a bit more difficult to ream out a hollow point in, due to the smaller frontal surface. But IMO there would still be enough room to drill a hollow point in them.

 

[user 34300]

It has been my experience that a pure lead ball will expand out into a disk it shot into a deer.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Anybody ever looked into how much was the difference between a soft lead conical and a soft lead hollow-pointed conical when it came to deformation, and THEN compared it to the soft lead round ball for the same?

So my 80 grain powder load for a 370 grain conical out of my rifle goes subsonic before reaching 60 yards, and my 80 grain load for my .530 round ball goes subsonic before going 80 yards...., and when not hitting bone, I thought bullets needed to impact at faster than Mach 1..., but that information was for modern stuff with alloys and jackets. Not sure about soft lead.

So far my roundball results have been either bang-flop, or bang and flop within sight of where the deer were standing when hit.

<shrug>

LD

 

[Pete G]

Not hard.

WW + 3% tin.

That IS hard for a ml bullet. WW is used for a lot of cartridge hand guns.

 

[ORBushman]

So far my roundball results have been either bang-flop, or bang and flop within sight of where the deer were standing when hit.

That is most encouraging!

 

[64Springer]

That IS hard for a ml bullet. WW is used for a lot of cartridge hand guns.

I never said the OP should use WW in his ML.

Simply showing him my coring tool. So he could make a coring tool.

It was a before coring and after coring pic of a lead bullet.


P.S. WW is not that hard.

 

[ETipp]

It has been my experience that a pure lead ball will expand out into a disk it shot into a deer.

Indeed, much of the times round balls will. Maxi Balls, on the other hand, do not expand.

.50 caliber hole on impact, .50 caliber hole on exit. Still have never lost a critter with them.

I like them Maxi Balls but if I could I would rather shoot round balls. My ML doesn't know how to play nice with them.

 

[ORBushman]

I never said the OP should use WW in his ML.

Simply showing him my coring tool. So he could make a coring tool.

It was a before coring and after coring pic of a lead bullet.

I got what you were saying!

 

[Nuthatch]

*Editing due to forum rules about projectiles with plastic*

I've had good luck with a full-bore 295 gr HP in my Hawken. They have a flat HP at the nose and are made of soft lead. They load easy but not too easy. They're extremely accurate. There's no need to mash it down -- just get it started with a firm push on the starter & then run it home. For multiple shots, I'll swab about every other shot to clear out the fouling. These are not traditional ones but are commercially made & widely available around here.

I've never hunted with those lead conicals (can't hunt with lead in CA) but found Thor 247 grain conicals, a copper HP, to shoot to the same POI. Those required me to use a sizing kit to figure out to the nearest 0.001" what my bore was. Then I ordered several packets. Only took one buck with it. Expansion was good when it was going fast but not at any distance. First shot was 2 .50 holes & dropped the buck. Second was up close & fully expanded with the bullet lying against the off-side ribs. Still, it was very effective & loaded up just fine with whatever rod I had on me at the time. Never had mashed up noses on either the lead or the copper Thors.

I ended up just figuring that if I wasn't going to get reliable expansion, then I'd just cast my own ball & be done with all those expensive modern things.

 

[sheriff john]

Unless the bullet is designed as a hollow point, drilling a hole in the tip may defeat the "weight forward" design of a hollow base, depending on the charge. Don' know, really. Made a handful of .58 minie hollow points using my drill press. Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter's not exactly a precision gun. They shot ok but I was shooting at steel & couldn't tell if key holing was happening.