Tungsten Core Rifle Bullets

[Ranger Rick]

How about a little background?
Tungsten aka "W" (abbreviation of Wolfram) in the periodic table is rare element and usually found in a compound. Tungsten is almost twice as heavy as lead. It is also toxic to mammals. Tungsten jumped in popularity pre-WWII when German munitions developed a super hardened tungsten alloy core, steel clad 8mm Mauser round that was leaps ahead of any other armor piercing ammo.
The WWII German term was: Spitzgeschoss mit Stahlkern - SmKH - translated: Pointed bullet with a Wolfram core and steel jacket. I don't know if SMK has any nexus to SmKH. Another associated German term was "Munition panzerbrechend" = Armor piercing ammunition. Germany developed an improved tungsten alloy made for deadly 88mm armor piercing anti-tank rounds. Even at longer ranges (1000m), the 88's could penetrate through an American tank in any direction!
So why not develop a dangerous big game stopper? Unfortunately, China and Russia have the world's largest supply of Tungsten reserves today. JMTC

 

[del2les]

So why not develop a dangerous big game stopper? Unfortunately, China and Russia have the world's largest supply of Tungsten reserves today. JMTC

That's already been done. See earlier posts.

 

[Hoss50]

Old Speer African Grand Slam bullets I believe it was used to be tungsten core.

 

[del2les]

Old Speer African Grand Slam bullets I believe it was used to be tungsten core.

It was the Speer African Grand Slam Tungsten Solid. The tungsten carbide core acted as a weight enhancer. The result was a .458-caliber, 500-grain bullet that was 0.1875 inch shorter than an equivalent conventional steel/lead FMJ and a full 0.375 inch shorter than a homogeneous solid. Speer ceased its production some years ago

 

[P7M13]

I know for lead free shotgun, one company offers Bismuth shot. I know nothng about them.

Hevi Shot, Sweet Home, OR.
Super smart, incredibly awesome people. Outstanding product. People who live and practice what they preach and sell.

 

[WildRose]

How about a little background?
Tungsten aka "W" (abbreviation of Wolfram) in the periodic table is rare element and usually found in a compound. Tungsten is almost twice as heavy as lead. It is also toxic to mammals. Tungsten jumped in popularity pre-WWII when German munitions developed a super hardened tungsten alloy core, steel clad 8mm Mauser round that was leaps ahead of any other armor piercing ammo.
The WWII German term was: Spitzgeschoss mit Stahlkern - SmKH - translated: Pointed bullet with a Wolfram core and steel jacket. I don't know if SMK has any nexus to SmKH. Another associated German term was "Munition panzerbrechend" = Armor piercing ammunition. Germany developed an improved tungsten alloy made for deadly 88mm armor piercing anti-tank rounds. Even at longer ranges (1000m), the 88's could penetrate through an American tank in any direction!
So why not develop a dangerous big game stopper? Unfortunately, China and Russia have the world's largest supply of Tungsten reserves today. JMTC

Any tungsten core ammo really gets the ATF and State agencies really worried because they don't want civilians to have Armor Piercing Ammo.

When I was young we shot up a lot of surplus WWII AP ammo that had what looked like a stainless drill bit as a core. They would penetrate more then a foot of rock at 100yds. Wicked.

 

[WildRose]

Hevi Shot, Sweet Home, OR.
Super smart, incredibly awesome people. Outstanding product. People who live and practice what they preach and sell.

You forgot to mention that it's also an outstanding performer. When I was guiding we did a lot of waterfowl hunts so I got to use and see the results of a lot of Heavy shot.

Often you'd see a bird solidly hit with multiple pellets of steel pass completely through a bird that would fly off never to be seen again. Heavy shot hit them like a truck.

 

[3chester]

Those Speer 375's were like $75 for a box of 25, probably 15 to 20 years ago. They're still around, when an old guy tips outta the canoe, somebody puts a box up for sale.They look like Snap-on tools made em, had the logo on the end, turnD bronze alloy with the Tungsten core runN the length of the bullet. Like something made to stop a runaway 6-71 Detroit

 

[LVJ76]

View attachment 329690
This is mild steel. It is not AR-500 or similar. I see it often bullets will make huge craters or blow right through mild steel.

Seen this before as well with soft steel. In the past I've see some of our silhouettes bent inwards in addition to the bullett holes.

 

[WildRose]

View attachment 329690
This is mild steel. It is not AR-500 or similar. I see it often bullets will make huge craters or blow right through mild steel.

That's where the term "punching steel" originally came from among target shooters.

Shooting standard plate we holed a whole lot of steel.

We got around that eventually by using discs from huge heavy plows from the junk yard after they'd been replaced. The spherical shape and temper seriously reduced that problem and we'd put something big like the head of a grade 10 or 12 bolt head in the center and weld it in place.

AR 500 is a blessing.

 

[del2les]

Those Speer 375's were like $75 for a box of 25, probably 15 to 20 years ago. They're still around, when an old guy tips outta the canoe, somebody puts a box up for sale.They look like Snap-on tools made em, had the logo on the end, turnD bronze alloy with the Tungsten core runN the length of the bullet. Like something made to stop a runaway 6-71 Detroit

Here you go. A Speer AGS-TS in .375

 

[P7M13]

You forgot to mention that it's also an outstanding performer. When I was guiding we did a lot of waterfowl hunts so I got to use and see the results of a lot of Heavy shot.

Often you'd see a bird solidly hit with multiple pellets of steel pass completely through a bird that would fly off never to be seen again. Heavy shot hit them like a truck.

As I would expect, though I only shoot clay pigeons.
I've been to their plant multiple times. Easily five years after I had last been there, bumped into the founder, Ralph Nauman, at an airport, and he greeted me by name. Brilliant guy, top tier education, and as classy and down to earth as they get.
Edit to add: From the guys handling the raw materials (dirty work), the guys running the production lines, and all the way to the office staff, you saw quality as a way of life in how they conducted themselves and behaved, and a place where everyone appeared to be happy to be working. That spoke volumes to me.