quote:

The bullets basically cost the same if they were made here (in SA) or not.

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Originally posted by Gerard:
I must confess to being confused by the obsession with bullet weight. When a bullet is required to do a certain task, it is important that, for that task, it must have:
1. The required momentum to cross sectional area relationship that will allow sufficient depth of penetration.
2. A kinetic energy level high enough to allow it to do the work required of it.
3. Dimensions that will assure linear penetration.

Now consider:
1. A 540gr .510 FN can traverse a Cape Buffalo from behind the ribs on one side and out the shoulder on the other side or shoot clear through an Elephant's head from any angle.
2. A 380gr 416 can smash a shoulder on a Cape Buffalo and still exit on the opposite shoulder with enough energy to cause larger than caliber wounds in the heart.
3. The same 380gr 416 FN can penetrate 28" of live thorn tree and remain on course. (Building material tests are irrelevant but I mention it for those who are interested.)
4. A 416 FN produces a profusely bleeding exit hole on a raking shot on a 3+ Ton Rhino.
5. 450gr .458 FNs regularly exit Cape Buffalo on any angle shot you care to take.
6. A .510 FN was twice proven to shoot a grown Bison end to end (exit holes)
7. As described by Ross Seyfried, an FN is capable of penetrating the length of a 6 ton bull Ele.
8. A .375 265gr HV or .338 200gr HV (expanding monos) shoot clear through an Eland and the 375 HV will go almost the length of a Cape Buff.
9. A 200gr .338 HV is seldom recovered from any plains game.
10. A 40gr .224 HV punches through a black wildebeest from second rib to opposite side fourth rib at 345m.

I have to ask: What does the weight matter? If a bullet is well designed and tested for a particular application and so recommended by the manufacturer and has been used sucessfully for more than a decade in that application, what more is required?

Has anyone ever heard of or seen a GSC FN bullet fail to complete the task that the hunter started? Has anyone ever seen a GSC FN shatter, break up or turn in the target?

If you can have all the above and, at the same time get it with a bullet that will not strip the rifling from your rifle, or make the lands appear on the outside of your double, that is a bonus.

Until I start getting reports of such failures, I will continue to build bullets along the guidelines I have researched for myself over the last 4 decades and use at present. I firmly believe that if it ain't broke, I am not going to fix it.

quote:

Originally posted by Kwan:
Yeah,

I know, personally I do not like Monolithics but do use them ,

I love the Dzombo Solids made in Pretoria ,

But in the back of my mind there is still that conservative that likes the old fashioned solids

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There is only one truly banded bullet, North Fork, and they're gone. Not Barnes, not GS, not Nosler, not anything else.

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The body of the bullet rides precisely in the bore of the rifle, while the driving bands are a perfect fit up to groove diameter of the rifling.

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There is only one truly banded bullet, North Fork, and they're gone. Not Barnes, not GS, not Nosler, not anything else.

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Originally posted by Will:
There is only one truly banded bullet, North Fork, and they're gone. Not Barnes, not GS, not Nosler, not anything else.