Got a build in process and want to work up a load for the rifle with a solid.

Looking for recommendations for best all around solid.

I’m always impressed with the GS Customs bullets. They do allot of ballistic experimenting.

North Fork Cup Point Solid, 300 gn.
So far this bullet shoots very nicely in my Blaser. Accurate and consistent. I believe it has quite a reasonable reputation from field use. Have not yet taken or followed up on any game with this bullet but hope to rectify that on an upcoming Zim hunt in a few weeks.

Woodleigh 350gnr FMJs work well in my old Parker Hale 375H&H. I also tried the 300grn FMJs and was pleased with their accuracy, but I settled on the heavy projectile.

Cutting Edge Bullets 300 gr Safari Solid.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Cutting Edge Bullets 300 gr Safari Solid.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Spartan:
Woodleigh 350gnr FMJs work well in my old Parker Hale 375H&H. I also tried the 300grn FMJs and was pleased with their accuracy, but I settled on the heavy projectile.

Agree. My BRNO 602 loves the Woodleighs.

There are two primary considerations in choosing a solid load.

1) Feeding a flat nose solid.
It is essential that the cartridges feed smoothly from both sides of a magazine. It is also essential to use flat nose solids if you might shoot the south side of a wounded buffalo running north. The terminals thread made it pretty clear that only flat-nose solids can be relied on to go 6-8 feet in a straight line. A round-nose solid "may" go that far before getting squirrely and veering off, but they may only go 3-4 feet before veering off, or worse.

The reason that Barnes quit making flat-nose solids and re-introducing roundnose solids was to cater for the inevitable 20% of shooters who will never check the feeding, and fix if necessary. Facing a buffalo charge is not the time to find out that the flat nose hangs up on the feeding ramp. Rifle makers, too, don't like flat-nose solids because they cannot guarantee that a client won't pick an inappropriate solid (say with a 75-80% meplat). In reality, it is not too difficult to check the feeding of a 67% meplat solid and to fix if necessary.

Basically, the sides and bottom of a feed ramp may need a little dremel work. Last year, I needed to put about 1/32"-1/16" bevel on both sides of the ramp approach and on the bottom of the ramp approach.
Here is a picture of the result with a 500 AccRel Nyati in a Ruger Hawkeye:


The feed ramp work is the bright metal on the left, at the front of the feed ramp. (The light on the right is from the flashlight.) The solids are now slick as can be. It was easy to do, even as a non-gunsmith. [While at it, I also touched the underside of the rails very slightly to ensure that they were smooth and that the cartridge popped up easily. However, touching the rails is potentially dangerous and should be done in a thousandth of an inch, not hundredths or tenths. If too much is taken off of the rails a cartridge may 'self-eject' and not wait for the bolt to come and push it forward. Just smooth things up unless you are converting an action to a wider case body.]

2. The second consideration is to match the solid to any spitzer bullet that may be chosen as a first shot, assuming that the whole hunt will not be with solids. For plains game, many prefer a 250-270 grain spitzer, especially if a monolithic, which tends to penetrate a bit more than its traditional weight class. These can be run at 2700-2850fps and provide a flat trajectory out to 300 yards. If that is the set-up, then Nosler makes an excellent 260grain flat-nose solid. It shoots to within 1/2" of the 250grain TTSX in my wife's rifle.
If you are going to use a 300 grain spitzer, then a 300 grain solid is more likely to hit the same point of impact.

Show us some pictures when you are ready.

I have used and like most of the above in 375. I have not used Woodleigh but would be happy to use them on DG.

CEB and NF are about 68% meplat, as I remember, and have always fed well for me.
I like CEB on buffalo.
I have had trouble with GS custom terminal performance in 30 cal. and below.
I have never heard of problems with GS bullets of .375 cal and larger.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Cutting Edge Bullets 300 gr Safari Solid.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Cutting Edge Bullets 300 gr Safari Solid.

+2

Since a couple mentioned Woodleigh, here's a link to some loaded 350 Grain that you could sample. I have purchased from them and they are GTG.

Loaded Woodleigh 375H&H

300 grain Cutting Edge Bullet, without a doubt! Not a better solid out there that I have tried.

Im going to go out on a limb here ! ( Brave or plain stupid )

How much penetration is enough penetration ?

Many years ago when 350 gr 375 Bullets were proposed by some the point was made by those who culled elephant for a living that " all a 375 does not need is more penetration "

This for a number of valid reasons.

Now one could argue that when it comes to the mechanics of wounding ( read ability to produce a wound) only energy ..... ( yes I dare use the dreaded E word ) expended in the target has the potential to do harm and once a missile has passed through any energy it still possesses plays no further role in the wounding process.

The terminal ballistics study community have benchmark penetration depth requirements for human targets which have been validated as being enough to give high probabilities of incapacitation and or fatality.

Animal targets are not infinite targets they have finite dimensions and generally it is accepted that shots should penetrate vital area zones. Shooting a large animal from behind through the gut to reach the vital zone is generally not recommended for obvious reason.

So this then begs the question: Does a FN monometal which we know to exhibit superior penetration and thus "overpenetration" ability lead to a situation of "being better" than say a old style RN FMJ ?

The object of the exercise is and should always be to bring about incapacitation and death and not just simply penetration !

If penetration is the object of the exercise then I would argue that a arrow is a far better penetrator than a stubby bullet ( how is that going out on a limb ? )

This last statement not made lightly !

Few know that Newton more known for his laws actually proposed that a arrow or spear would penetrate to the depth of it's length. Thus the longer the projectile the better the penetration ?

In the world of bullets the best penetrators are in fact arrows fired from guns..... ie the Flechette ! These are in use, fired from shotguns and part of the military arsenal.

both the CEB 300 and the Nosler 270 monos are good bullets

I have shot a number of bull ele with PMP 286 grain mono brass solid. A bullet designed and used extensively by the late Bruce Bryden who was chief ranger in Kruger park. He and other rangers culled many many ele with it and spoke of its phenomenal penetration on bull ele heads. Nik de Goede ran Tembe elephant park a couple of years back. He culled a number of bull ele with same bullet. Tembe ele are amongst the biggest in the world. That PMP solid penetrated right through the skull of bull ele from any angle. I think he only ever recovered one. The PMP solid exited the head of just about every ele I have shot. Only one that I recall didn’t was a full frontal when I was standing on top of mound so almost at same angle as ele head. That bullet was recovered in back of neck. I used Barnes flat nosed solids in my 375 for a while but stopped when they failed to exit twice on side brain tuskless cows

Phil.

Bruce Bryden's solids turned in the workshops at Skukuza was actually not the same shape as PMP's turned solid . I know this because..... I was there

The Skukuza bullets were different and I will post pictures to show.

The PMP turned in target as evidenced by the fact that there were many reports of them fracturing at the cannelure groove . The mechanics of this fracture only possible if the bullet turns sideways in the target.

I will be interested to see your pictures as I still have some of the first bullets turned in skukuza during the experimental stage which Bruce gave me They were slightly heavier than 286 grains but Bruce told me they didn’t group all that well. They have a cannelure . PMP loaded the solid in factory ammo that Bruce Successfully used on elephant for many years. When he retired he gave me some of his factory ammo. The only report I have ever seen of one breaking is here on Accurate reloading posted I think by Ganyana. I followed up with him and spoke personally with the zim PH who gave him the bullet. It was found in 2 pieces after full penetrating the skull. I raised this with Bruce too and he said he had never experienced this ever with the factory round in all his years of extensive use of it. Perhaps that particular batch of brass was a little brittle

No mention of Woodleigh Hydo stabilized solids with the nose cap for feeding.
No-one tried them, or not impressed?

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Bruce Bryden's solids turned in the workshops at Skukuza was actually not the same shape as PMP's turned solid . I know this because..... I was there

The Skukuza bullets were different and I will post pictures to show.

Please do, that should be very interesting as to nose shape, etc.

Rip ...

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
No mention of Woodleigh Hydo stabilized solids with the nose cap for feeding.
No-one tried them, or not impressed?

I used them in the .458 Win, in a M70 that feed them flawlessly without the tips.

They whipped through buffalo like they weren't even there. The buffalo typically acted like it never even happened. That's about what I expect from any solid.

Woodleigh Hydros are my choice in any cartridge. Brilliant performance. My last three buffalo have been one-shot kills including a Texas heart-shot - down and dead in five metres.

I like the flat nose solids by GS Custom and the cup points from North Fork..Both have worked for me over the long haul..but test them in your gun, some won't feed that flat nose and the worst time to find that out is in the bush.Do your homework.

The old woodleighs are also as good as it gets, most of todays solids work just fine, all that conversation ended long ago in the 40s and 50 and earlier..If Geoff at Woodleigh makes a solid and he made the Hydro, I'll bet my life on it, wouldn't hesitate and never shot one yet.

I might also mention that any of todays solids and 99% of yesteryears solids will work on Buffalo and Hippo, Elephants have historically been the problem..