Hornady VMAX and steel targets

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herkyguy

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So I was shooting a swinging steel target with some .223 Hornady VMAX bullets last weekend at 200 yards and after each shot, in addition the steel swinging a bit, there was a very obvious cloud of 'particulates' (for lack of a better word) that would rise up from the target like a dust cloud and then drift off with the wind for a second or two before disappearing. It put a big old smile on my face.....

My question is this, what is that stuff drifting off? Is the bullet disintegrating and is that lead dust? Or is the impact stirring up dirt from the ground? The target is spray painted, but otherwise clean and it sits about a foot off the ground.

With some .45 ball ammo and pistol steel targets, there were bits and pieces of lead and small pieces of the jacket in the dirt all around the targets, but I couldn't find even the smallest bits from the VMAX bullets.

I know they're geared towards varmints and have a pretty thin jacket, but it got me thinking.....
 
Yup, pulverized bullet. And vaporized paint. Probably kicked up some dust from the ground, too. Shoot at a plate for a while and you will find a slash in the dirt or sod from spatter coming off the plate at a flat angle.
 
D) all of the above

The bullet fragments are called spall.
 
I thot "spall" was stuff knocked off the back of the target by a hard but non penetrating hit.
Like HESH anti tank shells.

I used the term "spatter" from an old account of small but sharp and fast fragments slipping through the gap in riveted armor.
 
Yup, pulverized bullet. And vaporized paint. Probably kicked up some dust from the ground, too. Shoot at a plate for a while and you will find a slash in the dirt or sod from spatter coming off the plate at a flat angle.
I see the most pronounced 'slash' at the bottom of the targets after a day of shooting lead cast .38 spcl, but also from most pistol rounds and heavier calibers like .308 and 30-06, but those VMAX bullets left little to any indications of cutting into the dirt at the base of the target and the cloud of "spall" was more visible than most. New word for me, so thanks for that...

It was pretty cool to see what amounted to a cloud of lead drifting off with the breeze.
 
it definitely doesn't come off the back of the target, if we're talking about normal rifle stuff.

for examples, read through body armor threads where they discuss using ar500 steel and ways to prevent spalling, which generally consist of putting some sort of coating on the front.
 
i think 'spatter' is a perfectly acceptable synonym

it's not like the editors of Harbrace college handbook and the oxford english dictionary really have their finger on the pulse of the steel plate shooter community :) maybe you should suggest an entry for them
 
Shoot 1 into a 5 gallon bucket of water. All you will find is dust in the bottom of the bucket.
 
Only if you're shooting a bullet made of "dust".
Otherwise you will find mostly copper and lead fragments
 
Thanks for that video link, Walkalong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
A plated pistol bullet after hitting AR 500. A rifle bullet will not stay partially together like this, it will come completely apart at rifle speeds. This is a pic of the rear of the bullet.
 

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