George asked for a phot of the NorthFork Solids. I just got a batch of .416s.

Here are a couple of links.
Stay well,
Paul

Side view

Oblique

price weight ??

Do you have a link or address.

Cheers,

Andr�

Hello Andre,

They are 370g (and damned but ever one I weighed came in exactly at 370g by the PACT electronic scale).



Here is the website:



NorthFork



Mike makes them in batches. Best to email him for price and availability.

Stay well,

Paul

Thank you Paul

I am always looking for new stuff

Cheers,

Andr�

Great pics. They appear to be bore diameter except for the bands on the side and at the base. Am I right? Are we looking at an alternative to GS Custom bullets?

Feeding problems are action-dependant. I'd like to see a bigger meplat also. At least .320, maybe .340. The current meplat is .300.

The minor diameter is .402. I'd like to see the sections in front of and behind the driving bands have a .408 diameter. The grooves around the driving bands need to be .402-ish for copper displacement during engraving into the lands.

I guess the .416 ring at the base provides the same function...only shooting will tell, and that will be a while for me.

But the bullets are VERY well-made.

Now if Mike would just make some up in .423, I wouldn't have to use a Barnes.

And .475.
Take care,
Dave

Just tried the box of North Fork solids in .458 450gr for 458 Lott..As I loaded two in the magazine and tried to chamber them the top round would catch and not go into the chamber...A single round would chamber...I tried it a couple of times and will be heading to gunsmith with the rifle and ammo...Also had 500gr round nose solids and they chambered perfectly..
Confused but will find the answer....

Mike

Don,

It may be action dependent but like the other reply, there will be a mountain of guns that they won't chamber in and the wailing will begin.

There is nothing to prevent anyone from just cutting them off square if they want them that way. Could do the same thing with Barnes for that matter.

The large, flat meplat gives better penetration, but how far do you push it? If they don't chamber each and every time, fast and slow, they are useless.

The driving bands are a cute idea, but really necessary?

The copper bullets, it seems to me, need a lead core to shorten them up.

But nobody asked me!

I commend North Fork for their use of driving bands. Driving bands lower pressure for a given load. They also allow hotter loads to be used. Finally, driving bands allow mono solids to be used in older doubles.

But I disagree with North Fork's use of an ogive. Instead, North Fork should use a frustoconical design, like GS Custom. Norbert's research showed that when a RN solid had its nose ground flat, leaving an ogive with a flat nose, penetration was no better than with a RN solid. But when the solid was a GS Custom style, penetration was improved. Ultimately Norbert found that a protruding penetrator disk was the best. Therefore, I think North Fork should consider either a GS frustoconical design or a penetrator disk design.

As far as feeding, the GS design feeds in many rifles with no problems at all. Ultimately, those building a custom rifle should have it built to feed the particular bullets they plan to use, and then lay in a lifetime supply of those bullets.

The driving bands reduce contact with the rifling by about 50% I understand, and it must work because in my old 450-400 I had to add 1.5 grs. of powder to bring it to zero at 50 yards..They did not generate the pressure I got form my Woodleigh softs. With Woodleigh solids I had to cut back a grain. I had the same experience with GS FN solids, they also generated less pressure and I increase the powder charge to get them to zero...so I am convienced.

But I also agree with 500grs. I like the shape of the GS and Bridger bullest with the cutting shoulder...I have used both the GS and the Bridger on quite a few Buffalo the last several years and I am impressed to no end with the killing effect they exhibit, even on plainsgame and they feed fine in my guns with that simi wad cutter shape..

I have also used the Speer FN and it didn't really impress me at all over a RN solid so thats my comparison and the reasoning behind my opinnion...or maybe I was still ticked off over the cost of the Speers and had a closed mind

Bottom line is the GS and Bridger shape is what I like..I also agree with Will about the length, it is bothersome, but todate it has not been a problem at all, but I use them in long necked cartridges like the 300 H&H, 404 Jefferys, 375 H&H, 416 Rem, and double rifle cartridges...

I don't know how they would work in short necked rounds as I don't have any short neck, short action rifles..I seriously doubt the GS or Bridgers would work in them as well as they work in my guns, as short magnums are too short by design for these bullets and the bullets would interfere with powder space thats critical to short case and neck rounds...

it would be neet to see what one of those would do in say 700 caliber 1000 grains with a .585 dia flat nose.

I just got my .416-370s and .375-300s from Mike. I think they're fabulous. I can't believe some of you guys are nit-picking things like the meplat diameter and the diameter between the bands. Mike never does anything without a reason and a lot of experimentation behind that reason. It isn't haphazard or a seat-of-the-pants estimate of what should work. How much evidenciary basis do you have for your dimensional preferences? Norbert did his research in fluids, so flow separation is a significant effect. You won't see that in solid matter. C'mon, buy `em and try `em before you declare them deficient in design.

His design philosophy was to make solids that mimic the loads and the short-range trajectories of the North Fork soft points. It isn't worth his trouble to make solids for "what ifs" in oddball calibers. Any one who can afford a .700 H&H NE can have solids hand-turned on a lathe, so don't ask how it would be, just do it. Independent makers like Mike can't afford the time to scratch the itch of someone who is going to order maybe 2 boxes of bullets ever. He has to make a living and he serves a market where there is a real demand (that means sales, not just a demand in a hypothetical sense). The solids are almost a favor to his regular customers who shoot his soft points. If he isn't making .475s and .423s it is because he doesn't get many sales in those calibers for soft points. He isn't trying to take over the solids market. There isn't one to take over. The solids are not money makers. I am impressed that he has taken the trouble to refine them so far.