Henson Aluminum Tipped Bullet Testing

[Eaglet]

I'm late but for whatever is worth, I started playing with those numbers and this is what I got:

Zero = 400 yards
@ 600 yards drop = 3.6 MOA
@ 928 yards drop = 10.4 MOA

Those values were by using a BC of: BC = 1.195

If I use BC = 1.1, I get 3.7 moa @ 600 yards and 10.7 MOA for 928 yards.

just me playing with numbers...

 

[bwaites]

Bill,

They just had a big storm and his power is out. He will get you an answer when he gets powered up again.

James

He's back up, got an email! Thanks!

Are there pictures of these bullets anywhere. Are they useable in standard .338 chambers and/or mags?

I have a friend who shoots a .338 RUM who would love these. He's headed to Alaska in the fall for open range caribou and is working up loads now.

I need the 7mm version.


Bill

 

[Lightvarmint]

He's back up, got an email! Thanks!

Are there pictures of these bullets anywhere. Are they useable in standard .338 chambers and/or mags?

I have a friend who shoots a .338 RUM who would love these. He's headed to Alaska in the fall for open range caribou and is working up loads now.

I need the 7mm version.


Bill

Bill,

The 265s would be the huckleberry for a .338 RUM.

THe 7MMs are at the mercy of the die maker..... We are waiting on an order that is 18 months old. It should be forthcoming shortly.

James

 

[MagMan]

Bill, this is a generation 1 Henson 280 by a 300 SMK.

 

[Lightvarmint]

Bill, this is a generation 1 Henson 280 by a 300 SMK.

MM,

This is a great photo of the original (Gen I) bullets.

The Gen II 280s are for all practical purposes the same length.

BUT, for the comparison of a 300 HAT along side of a 300 SMK, add .085" to the length of the above pictured 280 and you will have the length of the Gen II 300 HAT.

Specifiallly, the 300 grain HAT is .225" longer than the 300 grain SMK. This could be quite a BC gain over a 300 SMK.

As soon as RG gets me some "production run" 280s and 300s, we will have some drop information for the folks to crunch into their computers and equipment.

FWIW, I do have an action (Hall "G") for a Cheytac-case build, but since the 265s have such high BCs, I see no need for it at this time. Lapua-based cases will do just fine and will wipe the floor with anything else in the same bore size that does not use the HATS.

Can you imagine a Cheytac-based case blistering these 265s out at 3500 fps?

James

 

[eddybo]

265s at 3500, I can imagine that, but am only launching them at 3400, but then again I am being conservative with my load. I actually think I could run them faster than 3500 if I had no concerns about my brass. I ran them up to 3550 with no real pressure signs, but that was after a really good carbon removal effort. I had let it build up on me a bit and did not realize it until I ran a borescope in the barrel. ( I was really impressed with how this barrel is holding up, the throat isnt bad at all considering how much powder is being burned)

I am not seeing a 1.1 BC but upon some further use of the hats out to 1400 I settled on .96 at 200ft above sea level. I am not using multiple BCs and this is based only on my drops at various ranges plugged into exbal. I did bust two gallon milk jugs on two consecutive shots at 1400 yards a couple weeks back. Kirby builds a heck of a rifle....i guess RG does a pretty good job with those bullets too.

Someone who knew more about this stuff could probably fine tune the numbers better, but having my elevation within a couple inches at every yardage I shot out to 1400 yards is plenty good enough for me.

I want to hear the results of any long range matches yall shoot.

 

[srhaggerty]

This may be a dumb question but what is RG?

 

[bwaites]

This may be a dumb question but what is RG?

RG is RG Henson, the manufacturer of the bullets.

Bill

 

[srhaggerty]

Thanks. I had only seen the Henson so was confused.

 

[Lightvarmint]

This may be a dumb question but what is RG?

Hello,

RG is the RG in RG Henson who owns Henson Aluminum tipped bullets.

[email protected]

James

 

[Lightvarmint]

265s at 3500, I can imagine that, but am only launching them at 3400, but then again I am being conservative with my load. I actually think I could run them faster than 3500 if I had no concerns about my brass. I ran them up to 3550 with no real pressure signs, but that was after a really good carbon removal effort. I had let it build up on me a bit and did not realize it until I ran a borescope in the barrel. ( I was really impressed with how this barrel is holding up, the throat isnt bad at all considering how much powder is being burned)

I am not seeing a 1.1 BC but upon some further use of the hats out to 1400 I settled on .96 at 200ft above sea level. I am not using multiple BCs and this is based only on my drops at various ranges plugged into exbal. I did bust two gallon milk jugs on two consecutive shots at 1400 yards a couple weeks back. Kirby builds a heck of a rifle....i guess RG does a pretty good job with those bullets too.

Someone who knew more about this stuff could probably fine tune the numbers better, but having my elevation within a couple inches at every yardage I shot out to 1400 yards is plenty good enough for me.

I want to hear the results of any long range matches yall shoot.

E,

I got lucky in that my zero was exactly on vertically at 400 yards. Additionally, the gun groups the load under .2" at 100 yards and that helps too. The ES on the speed is way under 10 fps and that helps too.

The drop I initially quoted was the drop for the lowest bullet impact in the group... Specifically it was the worst case scenario..... I would rather folks find out for themselves how good they are when you sharpen everything up and get all the variables down to an absolute minimum..... For now I use 1.0 for the BC...... I let everyone else crunch the numbers and post the 1.1s. My flak jacket nor my fire suit is thick enough to withstand the response had I posted 1.1 for the BC.

Yes, I did leave some accuracy and BC on the table that can be further tweaked and evaluated later when the 86 lb 1000 yard Kelbly bench gun arrives.

As far as the gun is concerned, it is a hodge-podge of talent that put it together..... Allen Hall made the action, John Lewis chambered the barrel and I did both the bedding work and designed the reamer. It shoots fairly well for an old hunting rifle with about 1200 rounds down the tube that had both the chamber designed and bedding job performed by an amateur (me)......... That is a good example of how easy it is to put together a good shooting gun when good components are used.

While I am at it, I wanted folks to know that the bullets I shot were not weighed or sorted in any fashion. I just dipped my hand into the box and used what I pulled out....

So in other words, everyone else's results should be more impressive and better than mine.

On the matches, the gun will not arrive until early May and who knows when the big rest, rear rest and dies will be done..... We will be farming during that period and working up loads when everything is available.... Once the the loads are worked up for it and all the accessories are completed, we plan on campaigning it for as long as we can...

If RG will pay the expenses and all is working well with it, I hope to be ready for the World shoot up in PA this year..... That would be a very good international stage to have a "coming out party" for the bullets.

James

 

[srhaggerty]

Hello,

RG is the RG in RG Henson who owns Henson Aluminum tipped bullets.

[email protected]

James

Thanks James I have sent him an email, but there has not been a reply yet. I need 7mm bullets anyway.

 

[Lightvarmint]

Thanks James I have sent him an email, but there has not been a reply yet. I need 7mm bullets anyway.

As far as the 7mms go, he has already purchased a custom rifle in 7mm RUM to test them when the dies arrive. He bought the gun about a year ago just to test the 7MMs.... Needless to say the gun has not been fired as of yet since he does not have any dies or boolits.

Believe me there are a lot of 7mm guys out there and when the dies come in we will get them tested and the data posted.

I suspect that since the dies are going to be the same nose configuration that the BCs will be "gawdy" just like the .338s and the .30s.

James

 

[Lightvarmint]

He's back up, got an email! Thanks!

Are there pictures of these bullets anywhere. Are they useable in standard .338 chambers and/or mags?

I have a friend who shoots a .338 RUM who would love these. He's headed to Alaska in the fall for open range caribou and is working up loads now.

I need the 7mm version.


Bill

Bill,

It looks as if the Henson bullets will not be the only Aluminum tipped .338s for long. Another company is tooling up to make some and has already advertised the prices and the BC before thay have made any. They are advertising bullets that are about $80 higher price per hundred than RG is getting for his bullets. Additionally, the .338s are just barely getting over 1.0 in the BC department and that is with a 325 grain bullet that requires 1-8.5" twist barrels. Their nose profiles are not that impressive. We get over 1.0 BC with 265 grain bullets out of the standard twist barrels. I am sure they will change the nose profile once they figure out that they are high on price and low in the BC department.

Considering the cost factor, the BC factor and the required twist rates, make the Henson bullets not only the most economical, but it makes them the most friendly for folks who already have 1-10" barrels. All of our testing with the .338 is with the 10" barrels.

Get them while they are hot!

James