375/408 Banded Solids Test

Gerard is at the AIM show in Johannesburg right now, so it might be a week before he gets back to you. Sorry. The website has not been updated yet with a lot of the bullets, and the technical data section is rather lacking. GSC makes over 260 bullets, and they are so swamped right now they haven't had time to upload anything in the last year. It is a new bullet and so we have not heard from anyone who had taken it past 1000 yards. 5 guys have rifles built for these bullets, and they are waiting for the bullets to arrive before they can take it any further (only a small batch of samples was initially sent for testing). Waiting to hear back from a guy who is taking it past 1100 yards, and another who is taking to 3000m, so he has promised.

As for Technical Data, I can help out with much of that. Gerard has the entire file on it, but I can tell you it has a B.C. of 1.243 at 3100fps, and we have seen as much as 3400fps, which he has designed to be about the fastest you want to send that bullet (designed speed is more his thing). But the real kicker is that it maintains a B.C. of .9+ at 1200fps. The bullet likes an 1:8.5 twist, but it will work out of faster, and maybe (untested) as slow as a 9.

Unfortunately non of the test rifles we have shipped to are Chey-Tac's. Snipe-Tac yes, and a special built .375/50 case I have yet to see. No real extensive R&D yet. The design is the same as in the 295 grain .338 that has been sent all over the world since 2004, but I have not seen nor heard back from the guys buying them yet, but then again, I believe they are waiting on their rifles to get finished. Hope that helps.

Can you pm me your number or the number I need to call to order a box of these 420 gr bullets for my snpe tac? Thanks

kelly zier
 
From the inital testing in the Snip-Tac they reported seing 3,000fps before pressure signs, but I will have to mention it was with a longer then standard throat to allow optimum seating. It will work in a standard throat if seated anywhere between touching the rifling and before the first drive band goes into the case, but because of the length of the bullet, it occupies a lot of case capacity. A simple seperate throat reamer would do the trick. You could still shoot any other bullets as well, but it would have a little longer to jump before touching the rifling. Since it requires an 8.5 twist, a custom barrel is in order anyways. Like anything special, it has a few requirements. Hope that helped.
 
From the inital testing in the Snip-Tac they reported seing 3,000fps before pressure signs, but I will have to mention it was with a longer then standard throat to allow optimum seating. It will work in a standard throat if seated anywhere between touching the rifling and before the first drive band goes into the case, but because of the length of the bullet, it occupies a lot of case capacity. A simple seperate throat reamer would do the trick. You could still shoot any other bullets as well, but it would have a little longer to jump before touching the rifling. Since it requires an 8.5 twist, a custom barrel is in order anyways. Like anything special, it has a few requirements. Hope that helped.

This is helpful...thanks a ton
 
From the inital testing in the Snip-Tac they reported seing 3,000fps before pressure signs, but I will have to mention it was with a longer then standard throat to allow optimum seating. It will work in a standard throat if seated anywhere between touching the rifling and before the first drive band goes into the case, but because of the length of the bullet, it occupies a lot of case capacity. A simple seperate throat reamer would do the trick. You could still shoot any other bullets as well, but it would have a little longer to jump before touching the rifling. Since it requires an 8.5 twist, a custom barrel is in order anyways. Like anything special, it has a few requirements. Hope that helped.


Also,,,Do you know what powder and primer and OAL they were using to get this 3000 fps...And was this the sweet spot for accuracy????

thanks
kelly zier
 
Not sure what powder they used to attain the highest velocity, though they tested US869, 20N29 and as usual H50BMG. I think they ended going with the H50 due to consistency. I do know they also had the highest velocity with ADI2218 in their conversion...let me ask them the next chance I get to talk with them and get back to you here. I do know for testing the small lot we sent them they chose to load up to touching the lands. One thing I would check into would be the throat; might want to lengthen it. Best performance was with the longer throat, in our research, since the bullet is so long. I have a bullet drawing I can send you, if you are interested in the exact specs of the bullet (declassified so to speak), or I can just list what we have found so far.

-AP
 
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Not sure what powder they used to attain the highest velocity, though they tested US869, 20N29 and as usual H50BMG. I think they ended going with the H50 due to consistency. I do know they also had the highest velocity with ADI2218 in their conversion...let me ask them the next chance I get to talk with them and get back to you here. I do know for testing the small lot we sent them they chose to load up to touching the lands. One thing I would check into would be the throat; might want to lengthen it. Best performance was with the longer throat, in our research, since the bullet is so long. I have a bullet drawing I can send you, if you are interested in the exact specs of the bullet (declassified so to speak), or I can just list what we have found so far.

-AP


AP,
Please do send me the drawing,,,It would be very helpful

thanks in advance
kelly zier
 
375414sp.jpg
 
KZ,
It is in fact the new 414SP. You should answer your phone sometime, or check your messages. Gerard said he will start working on the HV (High Velocity hollow point) version when all the current orders are filled and the customers are 100% satisfied. He does know of your order, and I will keep up with everyone on these personally, as this is really my personal project...and I just love it. :D

By the way, this is actually the very first one ever made. Would you believe Gerard is so good at this that it came within .003mm and .4 grains? That is better then any other company, Berger included, holds it's prime production tolerances...and we made it secondary! I'm keeping it just as a conversation piece, and a token to one of my favorite projects.

-AP
 
Extremist, Im confused. If this is the first one made how do you know what twist will be required to stabliize them. Maybe I read something wrong but did you not post that these were stable out of 8.5 twist barrels up to 3400 fps. Do you have any of these available. I have an 8 twist and a 6.5 exit twist barrel and would be happy to send a few down range to see what they will do. Since this is the first one made you really have no idea what will happen when you unlatch it.

Word to the wise, this bullet may fly great out of the 8.5 twist but I seriously doubt it. Anyone that tries these out of any barrel should start out on a range with a very large backstop.

Where these very long solids are concerned, theory and computer programs are not worth much for predicting how these things are going to act. A prime example is the Viking that Lutz designed, it was supposed to be the holy grail to longrange. I can tell you they are highly unstable out of an 8 twist. If you dont believe it I happen to have 200 of them if anyone cares to launch a few for themselves. Again find a very large backstop to fire these into.

I will end this by saying thanks to Extremist and Co. for making this bullet, in the end much will be learned from it and its fate will be guided by its merits in the field. I am looking foward to getting some of these and see how they fly.
 
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