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Bullet Dissections- what I’ve done and what I haven’t, so far.

As many of you likely know, bullet construction and terminal ballistics is a bit of a fascinating subject to me, and I'd consider it a passion. Several years ago, I started doing my own research on this stuff, and did a few bullet dissections and recorded the construction and composition of them, to include jacket thicknesses.

I've since started discussing these things a lot more in forums like this and other places. It's gotten a lot of interest and I've slowly had more interest in doing more bullets, which I've always wanted to do anyways but didn't have the resources to justify it. Due to all that, I've had an overwhelming amount of support and generosity with many people sending me a few samples they have of many different bullets. It's been pretty amazing.

Well, fast forward to now… after posting several threads of different bullets and topics regarding them, it was requested that I make a separate thread for all the bullets I've so far dissected, and also a list of bullets I haven't done, nor have any on hand anymore/yet.

I've started a new standard of how I do these too, with using 3 samples for cup and core varieties, and 2 for monolithic varieties. I have one unaltered, then one halved to show the core and/or cavities, and then one with just the halved jacket.

Here are a couple examples:

View attachment 402169View attachment 402170

So here are those lists:

Bullets sectioned so far to new standard:

Nosler:
  • .284"/7mm 160gr Nosler BT
Hornady:
  • .308" 200gr Hornady ELDX
  • .308" 208gr Hornady ELDM
  • .308" 178gr Hornady AMAX
  • .338" 300gr Hornady A-tip
  • .308" 230gr Hornady A-tip
  • .284"/7mm 190gr Hornady A-tip
  • .257" 75gr Hornady VMAX
Sierra:
  • .308" 168gr Sierra SMK
  • .308" 195gr TMK
  • .284"/7mm 160gr TMK
  • .284"/7mm 165gr TGK
  • .257" 90gr Sierra BlitzKing
  • .257" 90gr Sierra Hollow Point Game king
  • .224" 77gr SMK
Berger:
  • .308" 215gr Berger Hybrid
ALCO:
  • .308" 180gr ALCO Rebated Boat Tail Aluminum Tip (RBAT)
  • .308" 175gr ALCO Rebated Boat Tail Steel Tip (RBST)
Badlands Precision:
  • .264"/6.5mm Badlands SBD 1
  • .264"/6.5mm 125gr Badlands SBD 2
Hammer:
  • .308" 214gr Hammer Hunter
Patriot Valley Arms:
  • .308" 178gr Cayuga
GS Custom
  • .264"/6.5mm 110gr HV Hunters
Barnes:

  • .308" 200gr LRX
  • .264"/6.5mm MatchBurner
Dynamic Research Technologies:
  • .308" 200gr Terminal Shock
  • .308" 135gr Terminal Shock
Swift:
  • .257" 100gr Scirocco II

On hand, but yet to section:


Hornady:
  • .308" 180gr SST
  • .308" 165gr Interlock.
Berger:
  • .308" 210gr VLD Hunter
  • .308" 185gr Juggernaut Target
  • .308" 185gr Classic Hunter (hybrid)
  • .308" 155gr VLD Hunter
  • .284"/7mm 195gr EOL (Hybrid)
  • .284"/7mm 175gr EOL (Hybrid)
  • .264"/6.5mm 140gr VLD Hunter
  • .264"/6.5mm 156gr EOL (Hybrid)
  • .264"/6.5mm 130gr VLD Hunter
Sierra:
  • .308" 165gr TGK
  • .308" 150gr SMK
  • .308" 165gr HPGK
  • .308" 150gr SPGK.
Nosler:
  • .308" 180gr Accubond
  • .308" 180gr Combined Technologies
  • .308" 210gr RDF
  • .264"/6.5mm 130gr Accubond
  • .277" 140gr Accubond
  • .277" 130gr Ballistic Tip
  • .277" 1??gr Partition
  • .284"/7mm 160gr Partition
Speer:
  • .308" 150gr SBT.
  • .264"/6.5mm 120gr Gold Dot

BULLETS NOT ON HAND, THAT I'D LIKE TO DISSECT:

Lapua:
  • Scenar
  • Scenar-L
  • DTAC
  • Mega
Nosler:
  • LRAB/ABLR
  • Custom Competition
  • E-tip
  • Varmageddon
Swift:
  • A-Frame
Hornady:
  • Interbond
  • CX
  • GMX
  • Sub-X
  • Flex-tip (FTX)
  • Match BTHP
  • Mono-flex
  • .338" 285gr ELDM
Barnes:
  • TTSX
  • TSX
  • MPG
  • TAC-TX
LeHigh Defense:
  • Controlled Chaos
  • Controlled Fracturing
Sierra:
  • New secant ogive SMK
  • ProHunter
Speer:
  • Hot-Cor
  • Impact
Federal:
  • Fusion
  • Terminal Ascent
  • Premium Trophy Bonded
Cutting Edge:
  • MTH
  • MTAC
  • Raptor
  • Max-imus
  • Lazer
Hammer:
  • Absolute Hammer
  • Power Hammer
  • Shock Hammer
  • DeadBlow Hammer
Norma:
  • EvoStrike
  • EcoStrike
  • Oryx
  • Alaska
  • Vulkan
  • GTX
  • Diamond Line
Maker:
  • RAX
  • REX
  • TREX
*If I'm missing some, it's not on purpose, and I'd be down for anything not on this list.


To see some of my previous posts on this stuff, look here:

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/eldm-vs-eldx-construction-wise.312650/

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/norma-bondstrike-tipstrike-and-j-a-abram-bullets.312663/

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/sierra-tmk-vs-tgk-gamechanger.312653/

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/bullet-construction.283735/

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/berger-hybrid-vs-berger-vld.283905/

I thank you all for your continued support and generosity with this project. It's been overwhelming. I will continue to post results to the forum to continue adding to the knowledge base. Hopefully you find it as useful as I do.

Thanks,

Aaron.
Just tell me where to send a little money. And let's make this happen a little better! I think I could easily send a few hundred dollars to make this a better project for yourself and for everyone else.
 
Yeah, I know they have "varmint" BTs and then tougher constructed ones too. Not all of those are BTs though, which I'm assuming you know.
Yes sir, but that 120 grn bullet was actually constructed with a thicker jacket intentionally by nosler because they needed to make the jacket thicker so that there was less lead in the core to keep it at 120 grns. I called nosler about it, because I was hoping that they made other bt bullets with a little thicker jacket like that. They were really cool to talk with. And no, they dont make a thicker jacket like that on any other bt bullets. Haha! I had always heard that they made that bullet a little tougher for sillouette shooters, but they said that that rumor is not true also.
 
Yes sir, but that 120 grn bullet was actually constructed with a thicker jacket intentionally by nosler because they needed to make the jacket thicker so that there was less lead in the core to keep it at 120 grns. I called nosler about it, because I was hoping that they made other bt bullets with a little thicker jacket like that. They were really cool to talk with. And no, they dont make a thicker jacket like that on any other bt bullets. Haha! I had always heard that they made that bullet a little tougher for sillouette shooters, but they said that that rumor is not true also.
Yeah, one-offs are somewhat normal, but I'll admit I didn't know that about that particular one. I don't think I've ever shot anything that light out of a .280/7mm cartridge lol. I've messed with the 85gr and 100gr in .257" and the 85gr is a bit thinner.

That kind of thing is good info and good to share. Any other one-offs like that would be great to make a list of too, I'd think.

I think after I get a database of cross-sections, jacket thicknesses, meplat widths, cavity sizes/depths, etc I'll work on acquiring as much info as I can on alloy contents for jackets, cores, and monos as I can too and add all that to the database as well. I'm not sure if the NDI lab where I work can do that sort of thing or not, but I'll look into it. That would be for those the manufacturer isn't willing to divulge.

Either way, thanks for bringing that up and making us all aware of such things.
 
Yeah, one-offs are somewhat normal, but I'll admit I didn't know that about that particular one. I don't think I've ever shot anything that light out of a .280/7mm cartridge lol. I've messed with the 85gr and 100gr in .257" and the 85gr is a bit thinner.

That kind of thing is good info and good to share. Any other one-offs like that would be great to make a list of too, I'd think.

I think after I get a database of cross-sections, jacket thicknesses, meplat widths, cavity sizes/depths, etc I'll work on acquiring as much info as I can on alloy contents for jackets, cores, and monos as I can too and add all that to the database as well. I'm not sure if the NDI lab where I work can do that sort of thing or not, but I'll look into it. That would be for those the manufacturer isn't willing to divulge.

Either way, thanks for bringing that up and making us all aware of such things.
I totally agree! Those one off bullets work great for deer in a few 7mm-08 rifles that I've loaded for. I was really hoping when I called nosler that they would make something in 30 cal with the thicker jacket like that too.
 
I totally agree! Those one off bullets work great for deer in a few 7mm-08 rifles that I've loaded for. I was really hoping when I called nosler that they would make something in 30 cal with the thicker jacket like that too.
Well, the Accubond and LR Accubond jackets are pretty dang thick lol.
 
Just tell me where to send a little money. And let's make this happen a little better! I think I could easily send a few hundred dollars to make this a better project for yourself and for everyone else.
That's unbelievably generous, but I just don't feel right accepting any money. I get your intent, and I thank you so much. At this point though, all I'm really putting into this is time right now. It's hard enough for me to feel good about accepting all the bullets lol. I just am doing my best knowing it's for me to share the results with the whole forum. That's the expectation, obviously, and the whole point, so I think it's okay to accept that much.

At some point I do plan to have this book released that I talk about, and there will be some royalties earned from that. That's one way I figure I'll make a little something for all the time spent, but that's never been my intent. My wife would likely not be too happy about me dedicating so much time though without an immediate return, we'll I take that back… she actually isn't ok with it even now lol, but will hopefully someday see it all pay off in one way or another.

I'm working towards my own business in this industry (it's started but is still very young and small as I don't have the time and resources to do too much with it right now), and after I retire from my military and federal civil service job, it'll be my full time gig and what I make my money doing. If I end up with any more free time between now and then, and during then, I'd like to keep this research going and I intend on taking all these same bullets and setting up as controlled of testing that I can with ballistic gel. I want it to be used just as a simple comparison on each bullet in gel alone, for whatever it's worth. The idea would be to use like three different cartridges (three different impact velocities) so that bullet stability, RPMs, and centrifugal forces are the same. So like a 300 PRC, 308, and 300 Blackout, for example with appropriate twist rates. I'd like to vary distance as well, but like I said, the idea is to keep it as controlled as possible. And obviously it'll be no substitute for live media, as there's no hide, muscles, bodily fluids, varying bones, organs, contracted vs relaxes muscles, etc, etc but it should hopefully have some merit nonetheless.

Gel and components aren't cheap, and by then maybe a form of donations to the effort would be appropriate. I'll have to wait until that day comes.

Until then, I'll just keep plugging away with this project and focus on it lol. You all humble me so much and I am truly grateful for all the support I've gotten for what I never even imagined. Thank you so much! It seems like such a simple project all in all, but time consuming. It's going to be a lot easier with all the bullets flowing in though! You guys rock! Keep being awesome, and I wish you all the absolute best of luck on your hunts!
 
You know I totally get what you're saying! Then while being humble is a fantastic thing and so respected! If you're going to put time and effort and you are willing to do so. Especially for the betterment of all of us! As both ethical hunters, in serious enthusiast. By all means let me contribute a little bit of money to your cause. It doesn't work that way for me. Because of my job and the timetable. But these are the things that I want to know! So when I do get a chance to go into the field and harvest game I want to know the best that I am looking at for what I'm doing! So expending a small amount of money from me, and I'm sure so many others! Buying with our other money. And the expected performance. Is a very small price to pay. So again I say, please send me address so that I can send a USPS, to help support something you enjoy doing and I don't have the time to do.
 
I totally agree! Those one off bullets work great for deer in a few 7mm-08 rifles that I've loaded for. I was really hoping when I called nosler that they would make something in 30 cal with the thicker jacket like that too.
Well, the Accubond and LR Accubond jackets are pretty dang thick lol.
Do you have the ability to do hardness checks on the jackets and lead cores? I think that might lead to some good data as far as how bullets end up performing as well as minimum impact velocities. I think this would, if we could establish a pattern lead to better estimations of ideal jump for bullets. That might be something to add to a database. Do you have the ability to build a true database, and possibly publish it to a website with searchable results? If not I might be able to help with that. Might...I'm not quite there yet with my schooling but I will be taking a website design class next semester, maybe in a couple years it could be operational.
 
I totally agree! Those one off bullets work great for deer in a few 7mm-08 rifles that I've loaded for. I was really hoping when I called nosler that they would make something in 30 cal with the thicker jacket like that too.
Well, the Accubond and LR Accubond jackets are pretty dang thick lol.

Yup, especially toward the base.

Here is same image enlarged


7mm xsns 2.jpg
 
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