Originally Posted by
bronko22000
My concern with this design is that the tip could be misaligned during loading and cause erratic flight similar to the steel rods place in armor piercing bullets. If those are not centered then accuracy falls off. Looks like a lot of trouble for a tip design that probably doesn't increase the BC enough.
Bronco, I am not sure how you could get the tip misaligned in the bullet. It is press fit into the copper bullet and it is really tight. I have actually tried to remove them from a bullet with a vise and vice grip. Didn't happen. I completely destroyed both in my attempt.
Remember also the tip is not the normal aluminum that we encounter. It is 7075-T6.
7075-T6 aluminum is a type of 7075 aluminum. It is furnished in the T6 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is solution heat-treated and artificially aged until it meets standard mechanical property requirements.
As shown in Ron's test it would probably break before it bent.
Loading - some have speculated that loading might also be a problem but most normal spire type loading jags load the bullet with out touching the tip. I have used TC Super Jags, Spin Jag Originals, and of course a Lehigh loading jag. All of these load the bullet correctly.
I can also tell you that dropping them on the concrete floor in the garage, not a designed test, but it happened a couple of times when I was trying to remove the tip in the garage. Anyway the drop did not effect the tip or the bullet.
One other thing that arrived in my email this morning was some information of successful harvests using the lighter .451x237CF-LP bullet. Same bullet just smaller diameter and shorter so it can be shot from a 1-48 twist ML or in this a case tight bored smokeless ML's
A couple of guys wrote:
My Grandson Shot this Mouflon at 267 yds. With the prototype .451, 237 gr. bullet that you sent: created extreme internal damage lending itself to tremendous terminal performance. It also passed through but with the aid of the fragmentation, the animal was disabled immediately and expired immediately after.
My Son Shot this Axis Buck at 363 yds. With the prototype .451 MZ bullet in his Smokeless Muzzleloader, with an average velocity in his rifle: 2963 fps.
The spotter saw the deer bellied up immediately when it got shot: it too, passed through, but internal damage was massive.
Performed perfectly and to my utmost expectation.
Ron's tests are a great comparison tool and he spends a great amount of time and effort getting them done. After viewing his test of the bullet - I personally would have labeled it 'bullet failure'. Yet real-world testing of this bullet indicates a completely different result.
I think we all should keep that in mind.