90 gr. HP producing strange things on paper?

[gamestalker]

I've been loading for the .270 Win. for a long time really enjoy doing 90 gr. HP's with a stout charge of RL19, IMR4350, and some other slow burner's. Over the years I've always noticed that at 100 yds. and out to just past 200 yds. I get small spects of holes in the paper around the primary projectile's hole. It doesn't happen with all the light weight HP's, but deffinitely with the Sierra 90's every time. These are chronographing at just over 3700 fps. I have continued loading them for more than 25 yrs. and am not concerned, just curious if this is evidense of the bullet coming apart. They make a mess of a coyote and anything else that gets in their path. I once shot a coyote at 200 and some yards that was standing at the top of a hill and found him smeared across the under side of a large cedar tree, barely identifiable.
It was suggested that I'm seeing unburned powder considering these are very compressed loads, but I find that unlikely at 200 yds., and I'm not finding any other evidense suggesting it's unburned powder. Maybe I'm pushing the core out of the jacket to some degree?

 

[Steve Koski]

Be careful, you might ignite the atmosphere with that load. Burn us all to death.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Um
maybe a little less, I doubt loosing 100FPS would hurt you much
At that speed I'd almost expect the yote to be skinned for you, just sucked out the exit hole

 

[788Ham]

Yeah......... think I'd slow it down a tad bit, 3700 fps is screamin'! Your bullet is quite possibly coming apart on you, leaving other holes in the paper, I'm surprised its not happening sooner. Might be burning the barrel up too, my thinking, no need for that much speed with a .270.

 

[Huckelberry75]

3700 out of a 270, Holy Hot Tamale!! That thing is getting out of town in a hurry.

 

[gamestalker]

I would bet that the barrel on this 700 ADL is probably toast after 25 yrs. of eating those little 90's. But it's just too much fun to see a coyote explode. I'll see if I can get one of my Son's to help me post a pic of a coyote that got in the way of one. It's pretty cool!

 

[Chuck Dye]

I might communicate directly with Sierra to satisfy curiosity, but barrels are wear items I assume will need replacement sooner or later. If the load is safe, enjoy it.

About that coyote "that was standing at the top of a hill," my first reaction to the OP was the clanging of the Rule 4 alarm, not the hardware issue. Can you elaborate, please?

 

[Tim the student]

I'd echo 788Ham and think the bullet is coming apart.

No way I would believe that granules of powder weighing less than a grain are making it 200 yards.

Any chance you remember what the targets of lower loads looked like when you worked them up?

 

[243winxb]

High mileage barrels can leak gas past the bullet in the barrel. The lead core becomes liquefied by heat & friction from the rough throat/bore. Air friction will keep the core liquid on the way to the target if the bullet does not blow up in midair. I have only seen this in spitzer type bullets with an exposed lead meplat. The target had what looked like a greese smear around the bullet hole. Something might be coming out of the target backer to make your holes?