So then the .44 magnum said to the playdough....

Have you ever thought you were about to sneeze and get all set to just to find yourself all tearing-eye, snot-nosed and sneezeless? Well, I think if bullets could ever have such experiences, this one did.

This morning I tested a 240gr Hornady XTP from my Marlin against play dough to get an idea as to how inclined it was towards expansion and fragmentation. In this particular test, it looked like the JHP wanted to fragment, got prepared to fragment... just to get stood up by the fragmentation fairy.

Aside from the interesting "expansion", the reaction of the play dough after being hit by this monster was practically identical to the reaction I observed when it was hit by a 12ga foster style slug last year.

Granted, this is nothing spectacular, but it is a little odd and I decided to share.

Ouch
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid124/pb07f3591f0f240ad609f5a96f0f2e99e/f814e34d.jpg

Eeeek
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid124/p2574400cf8633a7f34d75b1ac41b57dd/f814e483.jpg

Almost, but not quite
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid124/p34e0d32990eaf628fda98e346f60ad9c/f814e55c.jpg

Aren't Hornady bullet cores and jackets glued together to prevent fragmentation?

How deep was the penatration? My guess is <20".

Do you have the picture of the playdough box after the firing?

Thanks for sharing...

Yeah, I want to see the playdough.:D

Have you weighed the slug? I would be interested to know how much it retained.

Thanks for sharing - good stuff!

240 Gr. Hornady XTP factory ammo. What is the listed FPS?

Next time I notice crazy disruption of the play dough blocks, I'll be sure to take a picture of it as well. As for a play dough box, I don't use one, but in retrospect, that might not be such a bad idea (in case the plastic wrap splits).

I didn't get to weigh the recovered slug either, but while examining the "wound channel", I didn't notice any large chips of lead which tends to be rather conspicuous after testing a fragmenting slug. After examining the slug more closely, I'll wager the retained weight to be somewhere around 95%.

The listed velocity found on the box has this slug pegged at 1350 fps, but no indication as to the length of the test barrel. I'm sure they're scootin' by a bit faster out of my Marlin 1894 though.

How much playdogh did you use?

...shouldn't you test it on silly Putty instead?

:neener: