Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Articles
Latest reviews
Author list
Classifieds
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Rifles, Bullets, Barrels & Ballistics
is copper jacket spinning around lead core during flight
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="emp1953" data-source="post: 2277136" data-attributes="member: 71817"><p>This whole discussion unnerved me. I thought to myself "aha there's the reason for that occasional unexplained flyer out of a perfect group". I just did an experiment with three different bullets. Nosler 180gr .30cal protected tip partition, Sierra 200gr game king 30cal, Hornady 123gr interlock 30cal. I put a bullet securely in vice grips, not enough to deform or mar the copper jacket. I have a torch that, with the gas mixture in use, has a temperature of between 1,400F and 1,500F, far above the melting point of lead at 621F. Copper melts at nearly 2000F</p><p>For each bullet it required 5+ seconds of direct exposure to the flame before the lead started to deform, and 7 seconds before it liquefied and ran out of the copper jacket. Interesting to note that with the Partition it took longer for the base lead to melt suggesting to me that the lead in the base is a different alloy with a higher melting temperature. For the split second that a bullet is in a rifle barrel, it looks like it is impossible for powder ignition heat or barrel friction to act on the bullet long enough to cause anything to melt. Manufacturers proved, some time back, that friction with the air, could cause melting of tips of the early poly-tipped bullets. I've pulled freshly fired bullets out a dirt backstop that were too hot to hold in my hand. That I believe is due to the friction of the bullet coming to a dead stop in the soil. I don't think that this melting hypothesis is very likely to happen at all, but it has created some interesting discussion.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="emp1953, post: 2277136, member: 71817"] This whole discussion unnerved me. I thought to myself "aha there's the reason for that occasional unexplained flyer out of a perfect group". I just did an experiment with three different bullets. Nosler 180gr .30cal protected tip partition, Sierra 200gr game king 30cal, Hornady 123gr interlock 30cal. I put a bullet securely in vice grips, not enough to deform or mar the copper jacket. I have a torch that, with the gas mixture in use, has a temperature of between 1,400F and 1,500F, far above the melting point of lead at 621F. Copper melts at nearly 2000F For each bullet it required 5+ seconds of direct exposure to the flame before the lead started to deform, and 7 seconds before it liquefied and ran out of the copper jacket. Interesting to note that with the Partition it took longer for the base lead to melt suggesting to me that the lead in the base is a different alloy with a higher melting temperature. For the split second that a bullet is in a rifle barrel, it looks like it is impossible for powder ignition heat or barrel friction to act on the bullet long enough to cause anything to melt. Manufacturers proved, some time back, that friction with the air, could cause melting of tips of the early poly-tipped bullets. I've pulled freshly fired bullets out a dirt backstop that were too hot to hold in my hand. That I believe is due to the friction of the bullet coming to a dead stop in the soil. I don't think that this melting hypothesis is very likely to happen at all, but it has created some interesting discussion. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Rifles, Bullets, Barrels & Ballistics
is copper jacket spinning around lead core during flight
Top