Plastic tipped bullets

[camotruck]

I'm left scratching my head and thinking of the old adage, a fishing lure is made to catch the fisherman first.

Hornady is marketing their new line of polymer tipped bullets ELDX as better than the others because their plastic doesn't melt when fired. I got into a discussion with my cousin over it because he's looking for some based on that claim. He's working up a load for his 300 Weatherby to hunt Elk at long range .... out to 700 yards is his limit.

I told him that I had personally recovered two Nosler plastic tips, one white from an Accubond and one green from a Ballistic tip. And neither looked "melted"

He asked how far the shots were and I said both were inside of 200 yards. His response was that the longer the bullet was in flight the more heat would build up.

My thought is that more heat is built up in the barrel during the firing process and friction with the BBL, and that head is lost as the bullet travels down range.

Then I am reminded of the selling point of bonded (chemically or mechanical) and partition / A frame bullets for penetration, and the recent marketing of Berger and the shrapnel effect for killing. Don't get me wrong I shoot and love the Berger bullets.

I just wanted to hear some thought from others.

Thanks Camo

 

[wilkup]

Tag

 

[gohring3006]

Think Space Shuttle re entry.

 

[cornchuck]

Taggin' in

Jason

 

[camotruck]

ok thinking space shuttle, reentry is 25,666.667 fps a bit quicker than our fastest projectile. and never going any faster that it is after leaving the barrel.

Just wondering how many shooters have found recovered bullets with melted plastic all over the jacket. I can just picture it, super heated polymer streaming down and into the groves left by the riffling.

 

[Pdvdh]

ok thinking space shuttle, reentry is 25,666.667 fps a bit quicker than our fastest projectile. and never going any faster that it is after leaving the barrel.

Just wondering how many shooters have found recovered bullets with melted plastic all over the jacket. I can just picture it, super heated polymer streaming down and into the groves left by the riffling.

Atmosphere is a lot denser where we live. And the space shuttle slows down before it gets to ground level.

Tip your swimming pool up on end and catch some plastic tipped bullets at 2,500 yds! Then you'll have first hand evidence...

 

[gohring3006]

It doesn't have to be going faster, it just has to be going fast enough for long enough to create the aredynamic heat and erosion that occurs.
The bullet is in the barrel for only 1/1500th of a second.

 

[marioq]

Amen to the time thing. Heat is caused by the friction of the bullet with our atmosphere. The polymer never touches the barrel. If it does, you got bigger problems

But anyway, I don't think hornady is saying that the found proof. What they did was look at the ballistics of their older bullets and tip erosion or loss fits the profile they found. One explanation can be melted tips. And that's what they stuck with.

Ohhhh sure there is marketing to beat Berger and have better BCs and to sell against them. But the truth???? They are selling an option they happen to have a patent on that happens to fit the ballistics they found. Remember perception is 9/10s the truth.

Really engenious actually.

 

[camotruck]

Ok I see your point about the tip never touching the BBL and bigger problems LOL I didn't think that much heat would be generated by drag on that little tip, but maybe. I've only ever found two and neither were melted, just had the shaft broken off.

How long before someone here starts pulling polymer tips and checking melting points?

Thanks

 

[gohring3006]

I believe a few people checked the melting point of the tips.
Bryan Litz did, along with Phorwath I believe, I could be wrong though.
Skip Davidson did some thermal imaging test as well.

 

[gusd]

tagging in with this comment I have a hard time believing the bullet would generate enough heat to melt in the short amount of time it is in the air my 6.5 creedmore at 1500 yards is only in the air for less than 3 seconds and at the point it is just under 1000fps. which would lead me to believe my accuracy issues with my 1200fps pellet gun when I was a child are all to blame on the pellets melting in mid air

 

[camotruck]

Atmosphere is a lot denser where we live. And the space shuttle slows down before it gets to ground level.

Tip your swimming pool up on end and catch some plastic tipped bullets at 2,500 yds! Then you'll have first hand evidence...

I tried your suggestion. The water ran out.

 

[gohring3006]

This is the last post on page 12 on the ELD thread.

 

[Steyr Luxus]

I agree with Marioq; marketing strategy. A better mouse trap catches more mice right?