We Temporarily Interrupt This Forum

[memtb]

for what I perceive as a logical question!

This will offend a few……sorry! But, it's a genuine question

I read with interest, actually incredulity….of hunters modifying factory production bullets for better "on game" performance! WTH!

With the, literally dozens of bullets specifically designed for use on game……Why? Why do we think that we can and should attempt to transform a bullet "clearly" designed for other uses …..into a superior hunting bullet!

Is it to actually "improve" the bullets "on game" performance or to fulfill the want/need to experiment! If for an experiment…..I respectfully suggest that the companies having "deeper pockets" than the majority of us, have access to better bullet testing, rather than performing tests on game animals!

Rant over! memtb

 

[Rick Richard]

Maybe, they can't get what they want. So, they resort to "heresy" ….experimentation.

 

[VinceMule]

I know one guy that anneals his bullets to make them softer so they will expand better at long distances. I knew another guy that pulled the plastic tip out of the ballistic tips to get them to expand quicker.

Some guys just love to tinker.

I made my own bullets for benchrest competition for years. You could control the size of the HP by just screwing the point up die up and down, just like you do a full length sizer. You could also use various hardness of lead core, pure lead, lead with 5% tin in it to help control the boat tail from collapsing during obturation. It was fun to play and see how the HP changed expansion characteristics on Coyotes, p. dogs, and jack rabbits.

22 Rim fire jackets added a whole new world on bullet expansion, Sierra jackets seemed to be tougher, and the J4 jackets were tapered where they were very thin toward the HP.''

Memtb, if you think that altering factory bullets is wierd, how about the guys that are blending powders? WOW!

 

[Chadp82]

If there is a need to modify the bullet, pick a different bullet. There is a plethora of them to pick from

 

[bamban]

I am just too lazy to process brass, and load ammo unless I absolutely have to for short and mid range hunting. I have a good supply of M118 LRs, so I just run them through a meplat cutter, in this case a Giraud kit in the Giraud trimmer.

Killed a few hogs with them through the boiler room, none had exit holes. No runners either. Lucky sometimes.

 

[codyadams]

Why would you think it's better to leave it to the big companies, when the companies that make your favorite bullets started their roots by doing exactly what your describing, and moved on from there? That is how new ideas, technology, and bullet companies come about. It starts with tinkering. I don't see the purpose making a new thread specifically to speak poorly of it. Let it be, someone starting out by tinkering with a match bullet may end up rising to make something great. It's America, that's what we do.

 

[memtb]

Why would you think it's better to leave it to the big companies, when the companies that make your favorite bullets started their roots by doing exactly what your describing, and moved on from there? That is how new ideas, technology, and bullet companies come about. It starts with tinkering. I don't see the purpose making a new thread specifically to speak poorly of it. Let it be, someone starting out by tinkering with a match bullet may end up rising to make something great. It's America, that's what we do.

I suppose that you have some very good points…..it's a real shame that some of the "big" companies are incapable of producing adequate (good) hunting bullets though! memtb

 

[bigngreen]

I've always tinkered, first bullets I tinkered with to improve terminal performance was for a guy shooting Barnes in a 375 H&H, elk ran forever so I put some bullets in a collet and played with them and made them crazy lethal.
Played with annealing, trimming and inserting my own tips, scoring and all kinds of stuff.
Bullet manufactures do very little testing if any, I've tested terminal performance on pre release bullets for 5 companies, most needed design changes before getting to the public. Their idea of testing is shooting into water at different speeds or blasting some gel but nothing gives data like game animals!

 

[memtb]

I've always tinkered, first bullets I tinkered with to improve terminal performance was for a guy shooting Barnes in a 375 H&H, elk ran forever so I put some bullets in a collet and played with them and made them crazy lethal.
Played with annealing, trimming and inserting my own tips, scoring and all kinds of stuff.
Bullet manufactures do very little testing if any, I've tested terminal performance on pre release bullets for 5 companies, most needed design changes before getting to the public. Their idea of testing is shooting into water at different speeds or blasting some gel but nothing gives data like game animals!

I know that you had some bad experiences with the Barnes bullets, but my limited experience with the original 270 grain X bullets (around '93) in my AI were very good! Accuracy was pretty fair (acceptable), velocity also acceptable and did what I expect of a hunting bullet…..penetrated very deeply with minimal to no weight loss!

I didn't experience the fouling that many reported….I suspect that my match/target grade (though a light contour) helped a great deal. Friends and wife had some fouling issues…..but, a thorough hand-lapping of the rifle barrels improved the fouling issues a great deal. The bullets continued to work as expected!

The Barnes bullets only improved over the years….I suspect with a lot of testing by Barnes and input from hunters! As their bullets improved, I followed their progress by buying the newer version with the exception of the "moly" bullets…..never did like the "moly" stuff! memtb

 

[Wolf76]

Seems like most folks on this forum don't accept "good enough". I don't have a problem with that. We modify loads to infinity, even though factory loads are available. So, trimming, annealing, modifying bullets seems pretty consistent.
Hammer bullets effectively proves the "big guys" were missing something.
Given that many people don't manufacture their own bullets, modifying them is the only practical answer.

 

[3chester]

Not sure if loading 148 gr hollow base wadcutters backwards in 38 Specials qualifies in this category but, have found, they will stop a raccoon from stealing the dogs food pretty quick.

 

[ButterBean]

Why would you think it's better to leave it to the big companies, when the companies that make your favorite bullets started their roots by doing exactly what your describing, and moved on from there? That is how new ideas, technology, and bullet companies come about. It starts with tinkering. I don't see the purpose making a new thread specifically to speak poorly of it. Let it be, someone starting out by tinkering with a match bullet may end up rising to make something great. It's America, that's what we do.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[asd9055]

Isn't that what some people love to do with everything? Buy a car, change suspension, supercarge it, etc. Buy a truck, same thing and lift. Buy a rifle, customize it. Why are bullet's off limits to this?
Just saying....

 

[3chester]

Chief Brody, Jaws, 50 years ago, had to make his own Great White Shark, stopper rounds, way before Buffalo Bore!