Watermelon Shooting Question
 

I have the great luck of having to dispose of a watermelon and an old motorcycle helmet at the same time. Since I never throw away a watermelon if I can shoot it with my 300 Weatherby Mag, that's what's going to happen. However, I was thinking of putting the helmet on the watermelon first. Wondering what will happen?

1 - Will the helmet launch into the air?
2 -Will it be ripped in half?
3 - Will not much happen at all?

I'm hoping for 1, 2 or 1 and 2. :D

I will be using a handload. 150gr soft point. Don't know the load yet but think I can get pretty close to 3500fps with about 88gr of RL22.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

soft point hmmm- im guessing1#. will fly in the air some & have a big hole the out back side:D


( i have shot some bowling balls etc etcin the past but not lately)

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Well im going to say its just going to have a hole in it. If you were shooting something more like a 45-70 i would say it would move some but the 300 Weatherby is too fast. I was shooting pieces of 2x4 one day at 200 yards that i made have a bottom for support and my 300 wsm was just ripping through them like they werent there. I thought i was missing.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

That's where the watermelon comes in. They are mostly water. It's like shooting a gallon jug filled with water. The faster you hit them, the more violently they'll explode.

I used to have a 45-70. Too slow to blow stuff up as violently as some of the faster cartidges. I have attached the results of shooting a Heineken mini-keg with the 300 Wby.

I'm going with the soft points because they are much cheaper than Barnes X bullets and I want quick expansion for this project.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Ive shot cans before and know what they do but i think a watermellon is still not going to explode. Weve shot pumpkins with rifles before and they didnt explode like a can dose. They did have decent size chunks come off the back but not the exploding we wanted. It was still alot of fun though.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

I forgot to add. When you try this let me knwo the results. If im wrong i would love to give this a try.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Pumkins are mostly hollow. That is why the bullet passes right through them. Fill your pumpkins up with water next time and see what happens.We've shot watermelons before and they explode like their was a bomb in the middle. It's their water content. The bullet going 3500fps displaces the water to the sides at an incredible weight. Try it some time. You won't be disappointed :D.

I found a watermelon shot with 30-06on Youtube. I can't access it at the office, though, so I didn't watch. Here's the link.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rAvO49-TXQ&feature=related

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Im gonna give it a try this weekend. Im going to sight in a couple guns for a friend and im using moslty his ammo so it wont cost me a thing. Im going to try it with a 300 Weatherby since that one of the guns im sighting in for him.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

If I were you I would put the helmet on and have it setting like it was facing you - shooting through the watermelon first, then out the backside of the helmet.
My thought is that the energy of the bullet hitting the watermelon will cause the portion of the watermelon inside the helmet to remain in tact but the pressure will cause that section and the helmet to be blown upward.
Let me know if my prediction is right. That is of course unless you miss..

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

That's the plan. Viser up and shoot right through the window. I might miss. Hard to keep a steady site picture while giggling. :D

We're planning on video taping.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Here's a great video. This is a 308 Win. Crank up the velocity about 600fps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iF1j_P3ozY

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

I know the melons blow up pretty good with a fast 12g slug.

Me and a buddy blasted one at 50 yds a few years back.
20 diameter pink cloud, biggest piece of intact rind = 3 inches.
Don't remember if it was seedless before the shot, but it was afterwards.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

300 Weatherby is not enough. I doubt it will get through the rine.:D

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

300 Weatherby will be enough. It's all about shot placement. ;)

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Well i went up and shot this weekend. I forgot about getting a watermellon until i was all set up but i had a 12 pack of cheap soda in the back of the truck from a party a few weeks ago. The bottoms of cans make great targets at 200 yards. You deff know when you hit them with a 300 WSM or 300 Weatherby.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Tomato soup cans that are out of date, or on sale are pretty good also.

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

We grew watermelons on our farm. I loaded sooooooo many trailers with watermelons. Blow a few up for me, OK :)

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

You guys shoot the video ? ... or just the melon ?

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

...You're gonna put the face of Osama on it first, right??? Just seems sooooo appropriate........

RE: Watermelon Shooting Question
 

Barnes x I hope yuou finished off the contents a couple days before you shot that Heinie keg. Waste of good beer if you didn't!