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Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

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fortyshooter
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Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by fortyshooter » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:03 pm

Well got down to the range to test out my modified Speer 230 gr. LRN bullet which is now a 200 gr. hollow point loaded with 5.5 gr. of Red Dot powder.
Test revolver was my Ruger Bisley Blackhawk with 5.5 inch barrel.

First test was of 4 one gallon water filled jugs backed up with a stack of car magazines and then a box full of sand to catch bullet.
Bullet speed was 770 FPS and target was 10 ft. Result was the nose of bullet tended to roll inward with a minimum amount of outward expansion diameter of .460, Bullet stopped in 4th jug.

Next test was to setup a stack of 22 car magazines of same thickness and back that up with the sand box.
Result was great expansion of bullet and it had stopped at the backside exit of 11th magazine and lightly pierced Harry Gant's race car on the sports card!!
Hard to make this stuff up! I had no idea that card was in stack of magazines and it looks like that tough door side roll cage stopped further progress of the bullet. :o Harry said " That bullet stops right here right now" !! :lol: :lol:
Speed of that bullet was clocked at 769 FPS. the weight of bullet before test was 200.3 gr. and after water jug test 199.8 and 196.4 after magazine stack penetration.
What does this prove?? Well a water jug test maybe not a true test of expansion or is loosely stacked magazine paper closer to skin muscle and or bone?? Who knows??? Might run test again using a ballistic gel media. I did like the expansion of that Speer bullet at the moderate speed and I may bump up that load for another test. What is 2 3/4 inch of penetration into stacked paper magazines equal to? 4 one gallon jugs is good penetration for a hollow point bullet at a medium speed.
As a comparison my 45 Colt hot load of 250 gr. XTP loaded with 20 gr. of 2400 moving 1100 FPS out of my Ruger Alaskan stopped in jug 5 during a test.

Also shot several of the standard 230 gr. Speer bullets with same 5.5 gr. of Red Dot and speeds were 768-780 FPS and accuracy from standing position 21 ft. away was very good as you can see. This bullet and load was mainly for my 1858 Remington BP revolver.
Attachments
harry gant sports card behind last magazine where bullet stopped.jpg
harry gant sports card behind last magazine where bullet stopped.jpg (152.89 KiB) Viewed 1066 times
my 200 gr custom hollow point before and after water jug test.jpg
my 200 gr custom hollow point before and after water jug test.jpg (157.71 KiB) Viewed 1070 times
200 gr. 45 colt lead HP  entry hole on magazine.jpg
200 gr. 45 colt lead HP entry hole on magazine.jpg (159.85 KiB) Viewed 1070 times
magazine from mid pack.jpg
magazine from mid pack.jpg (114.24 KiB) Viewed 1070 times
magazine mid pack exit hole.jpg
magazine mid pack exit hole.jpg (115.47 KiB) Viewed 1070 times
water jug result and 11 magazines hit speed 769 FPS.jpg
water jug result and 11 magazines hit speed 769 FPS.jpg (109.48 KiB) Viewed 1070 times
ol harry gant stopped the bullet  at 11 magazines.jpg
ol harry gant stopped the bullet at 11 magazines.jpg (157.7 KiB) Viewed 1070 times
bisley blackhawk colt 45 bullet test.jpg
bisley blackhawk colt 45 bullet test.jpg (105.74 KiB) Viewed 1071 times

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JEBar
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Re: Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by JEBar » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:26 pm

fortyshooter wrote:
Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:03 pm
Might run test again using a ballistic gel media.

that would be interesting .... I'm not surprised the nose of bullet tended to roll inward ....

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Re: Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by BigAl52 » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:36 pm

Wonder what they would do with more speed.
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fortyshooter
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Re: Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by fortyshooter » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:40 pm

A good thing is the bullet didn't break up when it went thru the magazines indicating the lead might be of optimum hardness.

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Re: Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by fortyshooter » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:42 pm

Yes ..I'm going to load them a bit hotter like maybe 8.5 to 9.0 gr. of Unique. would like to see 900 FPS.

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Re: Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by Headhog » Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:10 pm

Interesting experiment. I believe the water jug offered less resistance than the magazines so flattening/expansion is minimal, at those velocities. I think pushing that bullet at a higher speed, like you're suggesting with the Unique, will result in better expansion. Keep experimenting and keep reporting. This is all good stuff.

Paul

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fortyshooter
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Re: Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!

Post by fortyshooter » Thu Dec 31, 2020 1:18 pm

Headhog wrote:
Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:10 pm
Interesting experiment. I believe the water jug offered less resistance than the magazines so flattening/expansion is minimal, at those velocities. I think pushing that bullet at a higher speed, like you're suggesting with the Unique, will result in better expansion. Keep experimenting and keep reporting. This is all good stuff.

Paul
I believe so Paul. I saw a similar result shooting a .44 Magnum load using the Speer Jacket Soft Hollow Point loaded with 10 gr. Unique and clocked at 1030 FPS thru my 4.2 inch S&W Model 69. Had a rolled look to it with just a little expansion and stopped in jug 6. Probably better suited for rifle speeds.

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