Well, I bought a .404J a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday the ammunition, dies, brass and bullets included in the deal showed up. Included in the package was a box of Hawk bullets. I've never seen or heard of these before. Are they any good and what are they comparable to? While I'm asking about bullets I've no experience with I may as well ask some 401 gr RWS solids that also arrived yesterday. From what I can gather from the boxes, the bullets appear to be called V-Mantles. Any one have experience with these? Are they reliable buff bullets or practice rounds?

Thanks,
Dean

quote:

Originally posted by maki:
Included in the package was a box of Hawk bullets. I've never seen or heard of these before. Are they any good...
Thanks,
Dean

Use them for practice.

Hog Killer

I also have a 404 Jeff. I recommend you try either the NorthFork 380 grain Flat Point Solids or the 400 grain Barnes Banded Solids for your solid bullets. For the softs I think the NorthForks are a good choice as well. I haven't tried them but the Woodleighs in the softs are considered good as well.

http://www.northforkbullets.com/423-380.htm

http://www.woodleighbullets.com.au/Bullets.html#Anchor-65250

Maki,
the RWS V-Mantel is the Woodleigh FMJ.
RWS doesn´t make their own .423 bullets.

Martin

www.hawkbullets.com

We call them hawkgrenades!!
SOFT doesn't begint to describe them, they are SOOOO soft.. (how soft are they jeffe?) that they TRADEMARKED them being soft.

quote:

Hawk is the original developer and producer of "SOFT"â„¢ copper jacketed hunting bullets

For example, rercovered .458 400 gr (yes, 400gr) with a .065 jacker, launched at 2200FPS from a 450 alaskan (off a browning 71) ...

opened up to OVER 1.2" .. spit the jacket, ...

sounds cool, right... but it was shot into a warthog!!! recovered "under the offside hide" of a warthog!!!

shoot a pig or a deer with them, they are amazing...

or.. they WON"T open up and go sailing through like a solid.

Practice bullets only

jeffe

The Hawk is a decent practice bullet but I wouldn't hunt anything bigger than deer, maybe hog size game w/ them, just too soft. Woodleigh's are exc. & my favorite is the NorthFork. Barnes now makes a banded FP solid that looks good, but nothing wrong w/ the Woodleigh either.

maki
What is the weight and jacket thickness of the Hawks.
I have used Hawks in my 9,3x74R double in 285 gr .035jkt on deer wild pigs and Impala. Also a baboon.
In my 450/400 double I have used 300 gr with the .025jkt on deer and wild pigs and a 400gr .035jkt on one pig, all with excellent results.
They give tremendious expansion, and have given proper penetration when used at @2330 for the 300 gr 450/400's and @ 2200 for the 9,3 and the 400 gr 450/400.
They are soft as the others above have stated.
I find them to be the perfect bullet when I want to shoot smaller deer sized game and even wild pigs as big as 285lbs with a big bore. [Broadside shots only, I would use a tougher bullet for going away shots].

I have had almost 100% drop to the shot kills with Hawk bullets. One pig ran about 20 yards.I have killed about 20 to 25 animals with Hawk bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
maki
What is the weight and jacket thickness of the Hawks.

The Hawk bullets I have are 350 gr, with jacket thickness of .050. I'm not really interested in in 350 gr bullets for this rifle, but thought I might try a Hawk 400 gr soft point. With the new U.S. export laws, getting good bullets in African calibres is a bit of a challenge and I think I have a line on an importer of Hawk bullets.

Thanks for the info. folks,
Dean

Gas pressure might push the lead core out and leave the jacket in your bore because of that stupid hole in the base. Tney are made from copper tubing as its easier.

A jacket caught in Tod Bartells rifle and it blew up with the next shot.

Woodleigh makes bullets for you.

Woodleigh

Yep, the Martians are comin to get us.
-----------------------------------------------
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

maki
I would think that if you shot those 350 grain Hawks at 2300 to 2400 fps they would do very well on game up to broadside shots on Moose.
For shots from any angle on moose and for grizzly or brown bear I would use Woodleigh softs.

The 400 gr Hawk with the .050 jacket should work on that game also.