Picture attached is of the Dzombo Solids made by Danie Joubert. At present, they are made in the following caliber / weight combinations:


505 cal - 550g
458 cal - 500 en 475g
404 cal - 400g
416 cal - 400g
375 cal - 300g
9,3 cal - 286g
308 cal - 180g

He sells them in high volumes to the Kruger National Park, and reports from the wardens are that they work extremely well.

Other caliber / weight combinations should be available soon.

Brad

Brad, are you able to purchase these now and how are they to be delivered into the states?
Frank

Frank

They are available now, and there are no problems on this end exporting them to the US.

Let me know if you would like more info.

Brad

Do they make any softs?

Brad,

Can you let me have a phone number or e-mail address for him please......

Jarrod

Unfortuantely he only makes solids at this time.

These solids are used exclusively by all the wardens and rangers in the Kruger National Park.

He hopes to start on softs at some point during 2006, once the full range of caliber / weight combinations is complete for most of the big bore cartridges.

Brad

Brad,

Do you know if he has anyone distributing in Europe? What is cost of .423 caliber 400 grain solid?

Steve

Danie's e-mail is fineguns@lantic.net.

He will be away until about January 3, and unable to answer any e-mails. If you need any info until then, I will try to answer as many of your questions as possible.

Brad

They look nice. I would be interested to hear how they work on game.

Wink

Up until now they have only been used by the staff of the Kruger National Park, as well as a few local hunters. He will be looking for distributors in the USA and Europe early in 2006.
I should receive the pricelist later today, and will send it to you.

Brad

Thanks Brad,

I've sent him an e-mail and am not in a rush for a reply.......

Brad, please post the price list when you get it.
Thanks, Peter.

Dzombo solids, Barnes FN banded solids and other flat nose solids are simple follow ups of the Superpenetrator , introduced 1999.

What is the exact brass or copper alloy they are made from and do they feed in an unmodified CZ550 action. (Worst peice of shit for unconventional bullets made)?

Most Kruger rifles are FN Mausers. Good, if getting on in years rifles.

The bullets are probably made from "free machining brass" which is quite soft for elephant.

Andy

Andy

The composition is 36% zinc, 3% lead and 61% copper.

Most of the rifles used in Kruger are Brno, 602's in 375 and 458. There are also anumber of custom bult rifles, as well as FN semi auto's in 308 cal.
Danie says they feed fine in the Brno 602's, but is not sure about the new CZ 550's.

Brad

Brad,

Thank you for your prompt reply!

I checked the Copper Development Asociation Alloy Selection Guide and this is a typical alloy of C3600 "free-cutting brass" which has the highest machinability of all copper alloys.

MAchinists love it but it is really too soft for an elephant bullet I think. Here is a picture of almost identical alloy as used by A Square and TCCI taken from my 19 year old cow.



The deformed TCCI RN was taken from the elephants jaw bone which it completely broke in two after passing just in front of the brain. It only penetrated 29 inches.

The undeformed bullet went about 34 inches including through the zygomatic arch of the left eye, one of the thickest parts of an elephants skull and was found underneath hide on opposite side.

The copper FN is the North Fork which had alot more penetration than the RN bullets made from C3600 free-cutting brass.

Andy

Andy

I have used TCCI solids for more than a decade, and have only had this deformation problem, both on elephant and buffalo, if the bullet makes contact with the teeth of the animal. I have seen this with TCCI, A-Square and Barnes solids. This problems is much more severe when using FMJ's, even the bonded variety.

I have 3 friends who are KNP wardens, and I will contact them, and try to get detailed reports which I will post. Maybe this post will help us to find the "perfect alloy", that will both drasticly reduce deformation, and at the same time be able to be used even in doubles. I have ordered a new Searcy, and past experience tells me there is too much chance for something to go wrong when using FMJ's.

I will try to post pictures of a few monolithics I have recovered in the past, in about a week or so.

Brad

Brad, the deformed TCCI did not hit any molars. Check my hunt report for photo of broken jaw.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6321043/m/779104273


Andy

Andy,

Is the NORTH FORK product available in larger than .458? I looked on their web site, and it seems .458 is the largest he's going right now

quote:

Originally posted by Brad_Rolston:


The composition is 36% zinc, 3% lead and 61% copper.

TCCI bullets are 61.5% copper, 35% zinc, 3% lead and 0.5% of tin.

Aren't A-Square solids in fact made by TCCI?

Norbert,

quote:

Dzombo solids, Barnes FN banded solids and other flat nose solids are simple follow ups of the Superpenetrator , introduced 1999.


Norbert

This is not correct. Our FN range was launched in 1997.

And it works very well, Gerard. Have not recovered any though. Shot through a elephant bull (backup) just last week with my .450 Rigby using 500gr FN GSC.

Mrlexema,

When I ordered my TCCI's I was told that they owned the patent on the A Square solids and had previously made them for A Square. I have both and the new A Square which are made somewhere else (dont know where), have a taller and deeper crimp groove and are highly polished, otherwise looked identical. I suspect it is difficult to protect a patent of a bullet made on a lathe with free machining brass.

THis is what it takes to stop a .458 solid in water. 30 - 120 inches of water!



Here is A Square recovered in water tank. Both bullets are slightly bent and exited sideways. Note the taller crimp groove on A Square compared to TCCI photos I posed above.



The only reason I used the TCCI was that it fed reliably in my rifle. (My CZ has a very crude feed ramp). Would much rather have used a North Fork or GS FN both of which penetrated in a straight line in my tests, (The TCCI and A Square veered off track after only 30 some inches).

Here are A Square and NF FN and CP recovered in wood stop box. (Expanded NF is a Cup Point).



Andy

Gerard,
Glad you got that correction on Norbert's comment. Jack Carter had his TBSH solids before your FN's, but your design is of course the best version out there so far. Ross Seyfried in print described your FN as "perfection from South Africa" or something like that.

Andy,
I have not seen a North Fork Flat Point solid with a grooved appearing shank such as you are showing (below). Is that an old prototype or the newest design? I hope the latter, as the skimpy driving bands on the FP and Cup Point that I have from North Fork (like the other picture of yours above) do not do the bullet justice. They usually work fine, and do in all my rifles that I have tried them in, but a loose barrel with shallow rifling (such as my friend's Winchester Custom Shop .470 Capstick) will keyhole every time, whether .474 or .475 caliber.

To Mike Brady: Please make your solids and CUP points with grooves like on your soft point, or copy the driving band design on Gerard's FN and HV.

quote:

Originally posted by Andy:



The copper FN is the North Fork ... Andy

Ron,

That is one of three North Fork FN I shot into my elephant cow. Twice the penetration of the TCCI RN!!!



Here is the link to my hunt report.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6321043/m/779104273

500 grains was right about elephant skulls being quite wet and penetration was more similar to the water tank than the spaced boards.

Mikes FN and CP are super accurate in my rifle with original driving bands, but they fed more reliably when seated quite long (3.73 ocl).



He made some like you see on this thread w many grooves like on his bonded softs for my hunt.

Any further details should really come from Mike. They are virtually the same bullet and I would hunt w either of them and Gerard's GS too.

Andy

I have had good luck with the North Fork bullet with minimal driving bands, so I theorize that the Winchester Custom Shop installed an out-of-spec barrel on that .470.

Thanks, Andy. I missed your report until now, but have read it and learned some things. Well done.

I used to whine to Mike about wanting solids like he made for you. I see they are the latest.

I never had any problems with them accuracy wise in any of my rifles, or THE IRON BUFFALO. Mainly I wanted more friction of the bullet in the case neck, better grip besides the crimp, so they don't shift under recoil in the magazine box, or move forward in a double rifle chamber before being fired.

I think 500grains is right about a defective barrel on Chief Thunderstick's Winchester Custom Shop .470 Capstick.

Your report, linked above, was great. I'm taking notes.

Brad,
Where can I buy the Dzombo's in Limpopo or Pretoria?
Thanks,
Eugene

young_ph

Send Danie an e-mail at fineguns@lantic.net - he is in Pretoria, and can explain to you how to get to him, or he could ship directly to you.

Brad