So this weekend, with the wind blowing hard which precluded group testing, I decided to run a bullet performance test in my .308 with some different bullets I had laying around. I loaded up 2 rounds of 6 different bullets and proceeded to shoot them into wet newspaper.

Now before all the folks come out of the woodwork and tell me all the problems associated with shooting into wet newspaper, I know it isn't perfect. I don't plan on trying to use this test in court , it was just a little "what if" kind of test for my own personal knowledge.

The bullets I shot were a 165 Hornady Interbond, 165 Rem PSP, 150 Sierra Game King, 150 Rem PSP, 150 Nosler Ballistic Tip, and 125 Sierra Pro Hunter in a reduced load. Powder charge for the 165's was 44.7 grns of IMR-4895, for the 150's it was 45.3 of IMR-4895, and the charge for the 125 was 40 grains of IMR-3031. The last is a light load my son used when he was much younger.



As a note, the Ballistic Tips used were old, maybe even some of the earliest ones which were known to be pretty thin and soft. They sure came apart easy, anyways. One of them penetrated much better than the other, but it was probably because it was too close to the top edge of the box and part of the wound channel was exposed.

One of the 125's came out the side of the box and was lost, it was too close to the edge, but it was doing very well before it came out.

The interbond that penetrated deep was following very close to the wound channel of one of the rem 150 psp's, and infact even veered into it and grazed it on the way by. It seems that even though they retained weight very well, they are really pretty soft and open up very well as evendenced by the shallower penetrating one which was not interfered with.

As an aside, after this test I would not be afraid to shoot the remingtons into any deer or hog, i was actually pretty impressed with them.

If anyone has questions, just ask away.

Thanks for the info.

I would like you to do the test again and include a 165 and a 180 Nosler Partition.

Your results of @12 to 15 inches, with these "standard" 308 bullets mirror many, many, other tests I have seen over the years with the same bullets in the 308.

Which means you have done a good job, and have produced valid info.

WELL DONE.

quote:

Originally posted by JTPinTX:
...before all the folks come out of the woodwork and tell me all the problems associated with shooting into wet newspaper, I know it isn't perfect. ...

Looks like a fine Test to me. As long as the Test Medium is the same for all the Bullets, the results will provide some good comparisons. Also agree it is not the same as real Game, but getting the exact angle of entry and exact distance to the Game for some "valid" comparison testing could take a good bit of time. You are probably right that some would complain that you didn't soak the paper in Avion instead of tap water though.

It sure puts a heavy dose of reality to how "fragile" Sireea GameKings are in comparison with Nosler B-Tips. Seems the regular old Remington bullets typically work well in comparison tests too. Nice to see it verified once again - good testing.

JTP

Don't let anyone tell you that wet print is not a good test medium. Anyone that tells you that is inexperienced, not a shooter. It is a very valid test medium to test one bullet against another. I have tested in wet print for 20 years now and as far as being flesh--no it is not flesh--but I have hundreds of bullets to compare from wet print and flesh--in the vast majority-95% or more-the only difference is one bullet will have remnants of paper and one will have remnants of blood and flesh! Other than that little difference. Penetration is the difference-the wet print is more dense and penetration in animal flesh will be deeper. From my study from 90-100% deeper in flesh. So nearly double with expanding bullets.

It is a great test, you have done very well and are to be commended for your effort and work.
Thank You
Michael

Thanks Guys. Newsprint works well for my purposes. I know it is hard to compare day to day, but when I test I shoot everything into one batch at one time. If I want to cross-compare results, then I shoot a couple rounds of a known load into the new batch of medium to get a feel for it. I don't know if I put it in there or not, but the distance in this test was 75 yards. This was out of my 18" barreled brush gun, so I wanted the test to reflect the true average distance this rifle is shot at. I was going to get velocity data, but we were shooting from inside a barn going out the back door due to the wind, and the chrony didn't have enough light to get readings.

To me the real suprise winner was the light 125 grain kids load. 116 grains remaining out of 125 starting weight give a retained weight of 92%, a nice mushroom, and pretty fair penetration. Wound cavity was good too. I will definitely keep some of those loaded for recoil sensitive shooters for controlled range/conditions.

I would like to test some newer Ballistic Tips to see how they compare, like I said I think these were some of the original ones that were really soft. I have seen several deer shot with this batch of bullets out of my 30-06, and have not been impressed. IMO the Hornady Interlock I am currently shooting in my 30-06 is a much better bullet for deer and hogs.

The Remingtons shed alot of weight, at least in the 150's, but they did penetrate pretty deep and the cup/core stayed together real well. Not a bad bullet at all.

I was suprised at how well the Sierras retained weight, they were recovered in one piece, but the cores would pop right out of the jackets, and you could definitely tell where they had come forward in the jacket as lead was peeled off the nose. I may try and get a pic of that for you guys.

If you happen to cont. testing and have any swift aframes and/or sciroccos on hand, I'd be curious to see those results.

quote:

Originally posted by JTPinTX:
...I would like to test some newer Ballistic Tips to see how they compare, like I said I think these were some of the original ones that were really soft. ...

I believe I've used 4 generations of Hunting Grade B-Tips, not the Varmint Grade B-Tips. Each time they seemed to get a bit tougher and the Exits increased accordingly.

Not sure what generation Nosler is on now, but they have always been very accurate for me.
-----

The Internal Taper on the Sierras tends to cause the Core to become loose and occasionally separate. But, they also Kill just fine for me. Haven't used any Hunting for a few years, but it was not because of any perceived problems with them.

With the luck I've had trying to find components I wouldn't have done any testing.

I'm trying to find bullets, brass, primers, powder...............

Obummer must hit the road and fast.

I have used several of the first 165gr Nosler Ballistic Tips on deer and antelope.

My load in the 308 was 39.5gr of IMR 3031, which was not a hot load. I also used the 165 Sierra HPBT Gameking with the same load.
I found the Ballistic tip quite a bit more frangible than the Sierra. I have shot a lot of game with both bullets, from under 100 yards to over 350.

I also used it [the early 165 Nosler Ballistic Tip] in a 300 WBY Mag on antelope, it was VERY distructive on the meat.

More recently I have shot several deer, wild pigs, and a few javillina with the Winchester factory 168gr Ballistic Silvertip.

This new bullet seems more sturdy than the older NBT.

I have also shot a few pigs with the Remington factory 180 Nosler Ballistic Tip [with excellent results], and find that they are a little tougher than the original issue.

I would not use a Ballistic Tip on an elk sized animal [ but I am a heavy/premium bullet kind of guy, as it is the bullet that does all of the real work], but I use LOT of them on deer and wild pigs in my 308, with excellent results.

I have found the factory Winchester 308, 168gr Ballistic Silvertip so accurate, in so many different 308's that I buy it by the case.