This time I used slightly heated modeling clay instead of water. Ended up with penetration about 1/3rd that of gelatin. Expansion was a bit more than water with the .357 HiSkor 800-X load, but not very much. Looked kind of like what I'd expect wetpack to do. So the results should be somewhat comparable.
Well, if these tests are any indicator, the real reason I never recovered any bullets in the water tests isn't because the plated bullets failed to expand, but because they overexpanded and fragmented, leaving a bullet core that was quite small diameter, around 0.48". Both unmodified bullets I tried were kind of oval shaped, about .5" one direction and .46" in the other. Weight was 139.8 gr and 140.5 gr. They were both missing rather large pieces of plating from the sides of the bullet shank. I guess the copper doesn't actually stick all that well. Those are the two on the right. Calculated penetration is 19.4" due to the small diameter.
The one on the left had the hollowpoint cavity drilled out with a 3/16" drill bit. It also overexpanded and fragmented, but not quite as badly. .57" at the widest point, .49" at the narrowest, so about .53" average, recovered weight about 143 gr. Calculated penetration in gel, 16.9"
The drilled one may actually not be too bad a load. Deep penetration, nasty fragmentation, and a very large temporary cavity size. The blocks kept flying apart. The frags and temporary cavity probably wouldn't have as dramatic an effect as a rifle round, but it would put someone in a world of hurt. The frags were quite nasty and jagged and sharp, and they penetrated about an inch beyond the temporary cavity.
And here's all the fragments I could find. It took awhile to scrape all the clay off. That's about 60 grains of them. They are every bit as jagged and pointy and sharp as they look. Owie.
Oh, yeah, and like an idiot, I forgot to take any .357 magnum ammo to the range with me, except the one shot of IMR 800-X under a 158 gr Winchester SJHP for calibration purposes. So yunz will have to wait until Thursday at the very earliest to see what the .357 magnum plateds do in clay. Next Tuesday is probably a more realistic estimate.
Well, if these tests are any indicator, the real reason I never recovered any bullets in the water tests isn't because the plated bullets failed to expand, but because they overexpanded and fragmented, leaving a bullet core that was quite small diameter, around 0.48". Both unmodified bullets I tried were kind of oval shaped, about .5" one direction and .46" in the other. Weight was 139.8 gr and 140.5 gr. They were both missing rather large pieces of plating from the sides of the bullet shank. I guess the copper doesn't actually stick all that well. Those are the two on the right. Calculated penetration is 19.4" due to the small diameter.
The one on the left had the hollowpoint cavity drilled out with a 3/16" drill bit. It also overexpanded and fragmented, but not quite as badly. .57" at the widest point, .49" at the narrowest, so about .53" average, recovered weight about 143 gr. Calculated penetration in gel, 16.9"
The drilled one may actually not be too bad a load. Deep penetration, nasty fragmentation, and a very large temporary cavity size. The blocks kept flying apart. The frags and temporary cavity probably wouldn't have as dramatic an effect as a rifle round, but it would put someone in a world of hurt. The frags were quite nasty and jagged and sharp, and they penetrated about an inch beyond the temporary cavity.
And here's all the fragments I could find. It took awhile to scrape all the clay off. That's about 60 grains of them. They are every bit as jagged and pointy and sharp as they look. Owie.
Oh, yeah, and like an idiot, I forgot to take any .357 magnum ammo to the range with me, except the one shot of IMR 800-X under a 158 gr Winchester SJHP for calibration purposes. So yunz will have to wait until Thursday at the very earliest to see what the .357 magnum plateds do in clay. Next Tuesday is probably a more realistic estimate.
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