Barnes 280 grain LRX low velocity expansion results.

[barnesuser28]

When I get a chance I will try to measure the depth of the hp.

 

[bigngreen]

You should pry the tip out of a LRX to measure and compare it to the CE also.

 

[barnesuser28]

On the expanded ones I wasn't able to get a paper clip in the hole but maybe I can find a thin enough wire to sneak a paper clip into the whole.

 

[barnesuser28]

Found a wire that was thin enough and measured the CE bullets hollow point to be .345 deep and the LRX without the tip to be .550. A substantial difference. Also the meplat of the LRX without the tip was more than double the width of the meplat on the CE bullet. I didn't measure them but I could tell just by looking at them the LRx was MUCH larger than the CE.

 

[barnesuser28]

Okay, got the 300 grain bergers and sierras and thought i would compare meplat inside diameters.

Left to right: 280 grain Barnes LRX .095, 300 grain Berger OTM .037, 300 grain Sierra matchking .037, 285 grain Hornady bthp .025, 252 grain CE .035, 210 grain Barnes ttsx .095, and 225 grain speer deepcurl .120.

 

[elkaholic]

Riley.....I found a pretty easy, effective, and inexpensive way to test using water. Find, or build, some kind of box approx. 2' in length with a large enough window in each end to shoot through without blowing out the far end. It needs to be pretty tough/well constructed or you will blow the sides out with the bullet energy created. Line the box with a 45 gal. construction clean up plastic bag. Back this up with your wet paper or similar to catch the bullets that don't come apart.
They will have expanded about as much as they are going to by passing thru the 2' of H20. You can easily find most of the bullet fragments/jackets in the bottom of the garbage liner. You can place a lid loosely over the box if you want to help contain things a little, but beware, I have launched lids 30' in the air. Also, don't shoot from too close unless you want a fresh shower every shot!
If you place the liner starting out with the top of the bag as far into the box as possible, and then raising it each shot to get above the holes, you can usually get 2-3 shots/bag. If you want to add some bone, wood, or what ever for more effect, you can easily do that. Also beware that the unexpanded bullets will travel through a lot more material even after going thru the water so a good back up is necessary. With an expanding bullet, normally the lower the velocity, the farther it will penetrate........Rich

 

[barnesuser28]

Rich, i may have to try that. Could you post a pic of your setup when you have a chance? I just got some conveyor belt from my grandpa that i am going to use to represent elk hide, and double it up to represent moose hide.

I am going to put the 300 grain OTM through a torture test. A full power load going through 2 layers of conveyor belt, 1.5" of wet newspapers, 2"-3" of hardwood, then the rest with wet newspapers at 50 yards. I am looking for at least 20" of penetration. If it goes 20" i am going to switch from the Barnes to Berger. I know thats a lot to ask from thin jacketed bullet but thats the kind of performance i want.

 

[elkaholic]

Rich, i may have to try that. Could you post a pic of your setup when you have a chance? I just got some conveyor belt from my grandpa that i am going to use to represent elk hide, and double it up to represent moose hide.

I am going to put the 300 grain OTM through a torture test. A full power load going through 2 layers of conveyor belt, 1.5" of wet newspapers, 2"-3" of hardwood, then the rest with wet newspapers at 50 yards. I am looking for at least 20" of penetration. If it goes 20" i am going to switch from the Barnes to Berger. I know thats a lot to ask from thin jacketed bullet but thats the kind of performance i want.

It MIGHT do that? I don't think it will if you shoot it thru a few inches of water first, but then I'm not familiar with the .338 OTM either....Rich

 

[barnesuser28]

No water, just wet newspapers. If the smk performs just as well as the OTM then i will go smk.

 

[elkaholic]

No water, just wet newspapers. If the smk performs just as well as the OTM then i will go smk.

I'm pretty sure the SMK will out penetrate the OTM but I'm not sure that is a good thing! I could never get the SMK's to open at any reasonably slow velocity. Here is a pic of my bullet box. It is made out of OSB approx 18" wide and 4 feet long. Just wide enough so folded cardboard boxes will fit inside. Sometimes I add phone books, etc. I then soak with water and wait until the boxes are completely saturated. It is good to place a blank paper or something at intervals to check the path of the bullet. They are not always that easy to find when they are shot up a bit. The box in the front is totaled so I need to build a new one but you can kind of get the idea.....rich

 

[elkaholic]

Here is an example of one of my 211 grain SXR II's fired at full throttle
out of an 'o6 through 22" of H20 and about 12" of wet carboard. This bullet was designed to hold up under high velocity but expand down to 1300'....Rich

 

[Broz]

It MIGHT do that? I don't think it will if you shoot it thru a few inches of water first, but then I'm not familiar with the .338 OTM either....Rich

This test is in case the elk is scuba diving in a deep wallow.

Jeff

 

[elkaholic]

This test is in case the elk is scuba diving in a deep wallow.

Jeff

That's correct Actually, flesh is 80 some % water so I think it's a little better media than you think. Bill Stigers (Bitterroot Bullets) told me that water was the best test and after trying pretty much everything else, I have to agree with him. It has to be better than dirt and rocks that you tested mine in a few years back when you said they looked just like the Bergers!!!!

 

[Broz]

It has to be better than dirt and rocks that you tested mine in a few years back when you said they looked just like the Bergers!!!!

Hmm, don't remember ever testing your bullets for expanion. I do remember shooting a few to test drops,(BC) and accuracy and they did do well. They shot in the same place as the Berger 210 HVLD load I had if I remember correctly, or at least pretty close at 1000 yards. My new custom 300 was not done at the time and I used a stock sendero. Maybe I did dig them out of the ground but you know that is not how I test for expansion or performance. I have posted pics of a media box I tested the 300 OTM's in and a ton of entrance and exits hole pics on game from the 210 VLD, 230 and 300 OTM's. I like using antelope as they are in the open so you can keep an eye on them, plus they are soft and easy to kill. I liked your bullets and still have about 1/2 of the 10 or so I was asked to test. The only thing I could say negative about them is the problem you were having with the rebated boat tail at the time. They are larger at the top of the boat tail than on the rest of the bearing surface so they expand the neck durring seating. This made for loose neck tension with my sizing methods, and care was needed to keep a consitsant seating depth while testing.

I think we can see with tumbleweeds cut bullets that the large pockets in the tip of the 215 could very well be why your testing lost tips. That open pocket is not going to hold up if you blast it full of water. 80% is a lot of water but 20% solids is not to be ignored either. Like I said before in my thread on the 210 / 215, I will see for myself what the 215 does on game starting with antelope if they show me good accuracy. Then on to larger game this season. If they look to be less leathal than the 210 HVLD that I have had truck loads of 1 shot long range kills with, I have no problem at all continuing to use the 210 as my 30 cal long range bullet.

Jeff