Hi,



Since some time back I've been questioning whether a so called varmint bullet really has the time to expand in such small creatures as crows and foxes (side shots).



To make this clear to myself I did the following:



Bought two honey melons of regular size. Length-wise they were about eight inches.



Then I went up into the forest where my brother lives with these two melons, and brought the following two 222 Remington cartridges:



- Hornady V-Max, 50 grains, v0 = 3250 f/s (hand loaded and chronographed)



- Norma Jaktmatch (FMJ), 50 grains, v0 = 3200 f/s







Then I shot both melons lying down (thru their length axis) with 'me' old Sako Vixen Varmint from about ten inches. This to assure that I would hit dead center of both melons.



First out was the full metal jacket:







Here we get four nice slices. The only thing that's actually destroyed is the core (and hardly that!). It's actually possible to endulge ourselves on the melon meat, and we did!





Let's give the other melon hell with the V-Max!







As you can see the devastation is somewhat more extensive. As a matter of fact, only the skin and some minor flesh is left of the melon. At the blast, melon juice is dispersed from the melon, even backwards over the rifle, shooter, and audience standing about 12-15 feet behind the shooter!



The conclusion can only be that varmint bullets really do work!



And: if you prefer some meat from your honey melon to chew on, you'd better stick with the full metal jacket



Come to think of it, this goes for any animal of that size, birds in particular

Cool!

i too have shot with water melons @100yds shooting 87grn V Max outof .243 unbelivable explosion & spred my friend thought id put a explosive charge under them

just got back from two more days on the prairie shooting prairie dogs..........you outta see what they do to a short tailed rat. Your same 50 Vmax at 3900 fps ....center mass will spread one out over considerable distance. They not only have time to expand it actually looks more like they explode.

I have experienced the same phenomenon of the melon shooting juice and pulp in the direction FROM WHICH the bullet came. In disposing of some overripe cantelopes (similar and size and shape to your honey melons) one time, I placed them about a hundred yards down range and shot them with various varmint-type bullets from a .222 up through a .243. Some exhibited juice/pulp blown toward the shooter as much as 25 feet or more. I can't remember which loads exhibited this behavior most strongly, but I was surprised at how far, and how concentrated, the stream of debris was. I'm VERY glad I was a 100 yards and not 10 inches.

Im using 70gr blitzking from my .243 on seagulls and they turn into a pretty big red/white cloud!
Just got a box of Berger 68gr hp bullets that im going to load up and try, btw, does anyone have any loads using N160 powder under those bullets? Im using rp brass and cci 200 primers!

Regards

"Because they are the only birds that can shit on John Kerry and get away with it"