Speer .452 300 grain Deep Curl

cayugad · 10-02-2010, 01:31 PM

I had been reading a lot of your posts about this bullet...

Projectile: 300 grain .452 diameter Speer Deep Curl
Sabot: EZ load Harvester black .452 sabots
Powder : Pyrodex RS 100 grains & 110 grains
Rifle: Renegade stock.. GMB .50 caliber 1-28 twist Stainless Steel 28 in
Ignition: percussion cap CCI #11 Magnum
Sight: Traditions 1.5-6x40mm illuminated scope Traditions mounts
Distance: 50 yards bench rest
Weather: 46º windy, over cast (felt great)

I used this rifle because it is sighted in for 100 yards. I normally shoot 300 grain Hornady XTP .430 diameter in green crushed rib sabots. So I wanted to see how it would compare to the Speer vs Hornady

I started with 100 grains of Pyrodex RS. I was swabbing between shots with isopropyl alcohol all but the last shot. I ran out of alcohol and used spit. I also had a slight hang fire because of it.

Loading the powder, I leveled the load with my shoe and then found out that even though they were EZ load sabots, there was nothing EZ about it. They loaded kind of stiff. Not hard, but stiff. I figured this might be a good combination. I fired the three shot group ( as noted) and then tried to adjust one and slip it in the bull. That is hard to do.

I then swabbed the rifle clean. It took four patches. I shot the three shot group with 110 grains of Pyrodex RS and was real pleased with that. I then discovered I was out of alcohol so I used spit as a swab material. The shot I tried to adjust for was a tick.. boom but I think I held well on it.

Over all that bullet seems to shoot real well. I purchased two boxes of them so I want to try them in other rifles. I think they will make a good hunting bullet.

TNHagies · 10-02-2010, 04:54 PM

Nice shootin'. They look like they'll do the trick for you. I've always had good accuracy out of the Gold Dot/Deep Curl line. In fact, that .452 300g is going to be what I shoot out of one of my MLs this year.

deer655 · 10-02-2010, 05:09 PM

Good shooting. I think I am just about taking the gal home that i brought to the dance. I started with 260gr speer 45cal that Tony Knight told me use in 1986. Switched to powerbelts for years and now i'm using Nosler 260gr which to me closely resembles my ol speer bullets. Every deer I shot with the Speers dropped incredibly quick.Good hunting

cayugad · 10-02-2010, 05:13 PM

That's good to hear. I was looking at the nose of that deep curl bullet. I am guessing that when it hits something solid, that nose will open and really peel back for a good wound channel.

sabotloader · 10-02-2010, 05:17 PM

cayugad

Dave have you noticed the bottom of that bullet. It is not the typical flat bottom bullet, in fact when I first pointed it out several years ago to Mr. RW, he told me that you can not shoot a non-flat bottom bullet acccurately, and that he did not have good luck with them.

The concave base is desgned to help stabilization of the bullet (reduce wobble) but it needs to be shot with a velocity that allows the base to work in the air.

The bullet is an excellent hunting bullet, it's bonded contruction hold it together even at the highest velocities and the .232 BC doesn't hurt anything either....

Here are some examples of exanded Gold Dots/Deep Curls. These were 'torture tested' - they really should have come apart.

cayugad · 10-02-2010, 05:53 PM

After I took the pictures to document the hits from the different powder charges, for the fun of it I loaded 125 grains of loose Pyrodex RS and shot two rounds. The recoil in that big heavy barrel soaked that right up and the accuracy was very good. But that thing with that kind of charge must be moving right along.

sabotloader · 10-02-2010, 06:49 PM

cayugad

With 110 grains T7-2f I am pushing them out of the barrel @ 1850-1875 fps second... and with a 120 grains they are going out 1900-1925 fps - so yep they are moving....

The really hit hard..

@ the muzzle ->1900 fps = 2405 ft pounds of energy

charlie brown · 10-03-2010, 10:46 AM

A question for you...

Is that a pistol or rifle bullet?

I am thinking that if it is a rifle bullet, that it would be too tough to open up at ML velocites? But if its a pistol bullet, I think it should make a good deer bullet.

Later,

Marcial

cayugad · 10-03-2010, 10:51 AM

It is .452 and listed as a Casull 454 so I am wondering if maybe that was the bullet they loaded in the big handgun.

charlie brown · 10-03-2010, 11:58 AM

Ok, that makes sense now. That would be a pistol bullet. I bet it should open fine then at ML velocities.

And as I get to thinking of it more, rifle bullets would be .458. For the 458 WM, 45/70, 450 Marlin, etc.

Later,

Marcial