Henson Aluminum Tipped Bullet Meat Test

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lightvarmint

Guest
Here are the results of our long-awaited 180 grain bullet meat test and to say the least, they performed superbly. One shot, one kill and a bang-flop with great bullet performance.

Game- Whitetail deer (doe)

Gun info- Factory Remington Sendero Special 24" 300 Win Mag 10" twist with H1000 powder 180gr at 2950 fps.

Range- 405 yards

Shot placement- just above the shoulder, but beneath the spine (muscle area only).

Results- Bang-flop as the deer flipped and then landed on it's back and never took any steps. Complete penetration through the 7" wound channel are and exit without blowup. Bullet stayed together (except for the aluminum tip), mushroomed and made a complete exit.

Wound channel- Greater than 2" in diameter (measured by putting finger in the wound and then identifying the wound boundaries) and the exit hole in the hide was 1.25 inches in diameter due to spring-back of the hide from stretching during the bullet exit. The terminal performance, wound channel and bullet exit wound resembled what I have seen out of the Accubonds that I have been using for years. Based on the better BC and quality control over factory bullets (as well as some custom ones), these will be the ones that I use in this gun as long as I have it.

Notes from the tester:

The rifle is a very much used gun that I bought to used to put into service as a truck gun to shoot varmints and hogs when traveling around our 5000 acres of property. Since it was the only factory gun that I have, we used it for the 180gr HAT testing. It had not been yielding very satisfactory results when working up loads last year with Sciroccos and Accubonds and I bought several replacement barrels to have fitted this winter. But, since it shoots the HAT bullets so well (like laser beams), I will leave the current barrel on it. The HAT bullets grouped 1.5" at 400 yards out of this well-used factory Sendero Special and that is much better than the Accubonds or the Scirocco models. FWIW, these bullets seem to be less sensitive to wind direction switches as well. During the tuning, no more than .75" drift during the shooting sessions when ignoring the wind direction and speed. I consider this an added benefit since some of the deer hunts occur in windy conditions.

Finally, these are not cheap bullets. However, you get no culls to throw away. When you factor in the culls you get with other brands and with the increase in ballistical performace of the HATS, they are a very cost effective and sensible bullet choice.

We will be perfoming "meat tests" using the .30 (210 and 220 grainers) as well as the .338 (265 and 280 grainers). Those results will be posted when they occur.

If you have questions about the meat test, just email me at [email protected] or if you have bullet order/availability questions, contact the bulletsmith at [email protected].

Remember, (2) t's in bullett for the email address.

Lightvarmint
 
lv:

Are these the old or the new Hat bullets?

Do the new Hats have a higher BC?

If these are the old, when will the new be avaliable?

Thank you
 
lv:

Are these the old or the new Hat bullets?

Do the new Hats have a higher BC?

If these are the old, when will the new be avaliable?

Thank you

The current 180gr .308 caliber has a BC north of .711. This is the only 180gr .308 caliber configuration that is on the drawing board and it is the only option offered for 10" twist barrels. This bullet was made for the guys shooting factory chamberings with standard factory twists. The 10" barrel twists really limit the creativity of possible bullet designs.

The .308 210s and the 220s are for the guys with the faster twist barrels.

On the photos, I saw no need for them. Based on inspection, it was basically a perfect cone starting on one side and continuing (expanding) until the exit of the animal. If I had found the bullet, I would have gotten a picture of that but it was not an option since it continued down range.

Anyway, the HATS shoot well and perform well on game and that was the intention of Mr Henson when he designed them. All of his current designs are expanding bullets designed for taking game.

More reports to follow when the meat testing is accomplished.

Lightvarmint
 
OK , so where do I find some to try?
Is 180gr the lightest they make , I'l like to try these out of my new 308 with 1-10 Broughton , as soon as its finished.
 
James I have an assortment of these bullets ordered. I will let you know when they arrive. I ordered them in July, do not know what his lead time is.

OK , so where do I find some to try?
Is 180gr the lightest they make , I'l like to try these out of my new 308 with 1-10 Broughton , as soon as its finished.
 
Can you post the BC of the 3 bullets and the cost of them.

I have a 300 Wby and 30-378 that might like them.

Thanks,
John

John,

I too have a 30/378 and it really likes the 220 grain models. The following prices are per 100 and it includes the shipping.

180-- .711+ --- $150

210-- .880+ --- $155

220-- .900+ --- $160

FWIW, the BCs of the 220s and the 210s are the original BCs using the original .308 ULD die. He has a new die that reduces the bearing surfaces and it makes the bullet more ballistically slick. The new/different shape will provide significant improvements on BC. Additionally, the smaller bearing surfaces will allow for a higher velocity. Both configurations are available. Additionally, when using the 30/378 with the original design, we are getting 3400 fps out of the 210 and 3274 out of the 220.

The first run out of the new die will be next week and we will have more data after we put some down range. The original 210s and 220s are impressive to say the least and we fully expect the new die to allow us to set even a higher standard for lead core expanding bullets in this caliber and weight range.

The above BCs were shot over chronographs to minimize the affect range conditions would have on the bullet in flight when using drop charts.

Feel free to drop me an email if you have any other questions..... I do not monitor this site this time of the year (hunting seasons (8/15-1/15)) unless I get a phone call to log on and answer/clarify questions. My email address is [email protected].

Lightvarmint
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top