Guys,

I should be getting my 470 from Butch sometime in April. I have already got the dies and some brass. I am now looking at bullets. I have always been a big Barnes X fan. I was wondering what you guys have used ???

I was thinking I would use Barnes X 500 grain bullets for Africa for buff and all the plains game I can shoot with it. I plan to load up and and bring Barnes solids if I am in an area where Ele might be an issue and for following up on buff in thick stuff.

I was thinking on using the 500 grain Hornady DGX expanding bullets for any and all use in North America. This would include bears, moose and feral pigs.

I am curious what you guys have used in Searcy rifles and how it worked. I am open to any and all suggestions.

THANKS

Barnes X.....You haven't read any of the OSR threads huh?
I suggest you read them. Then decide.

Butch uses a lot of Hornaday and Woodleighs for his regulation loads. He likes North Forks and I will be trying them in my 375 Flanged and when North Forks come out with their 500 NE bullets. Tried 570 Gr Hornaday softs in the 500 NE and they shot great.

Mike,

I have read all the threads. Some opinions I found were good and based in fact most were not.

I have heard all to horror stories HOWEVER I have yet to hear about a double comming apart from using Barnes bullets.
What do you use in your doubles??

470drshooter,

I have 0 experience with Woodleighs, I like Hornadys DGX, but I have seen some failures first hand with their solids with buffalo.

If I use Barnes bullets it will only be in Africa. Moreover if Butch Searcy tells me not to use them I will not. I was under the impression that they were OK in a Searcy double??

Maybe Butch can weigh in on this???

I realy like the Northfork design and I plan to load some of the cup and flat nosed solids for my Chapuis.

Thanks Again Guys...

Please keep the info flowing..

I re-size .410 Hornady DGXs in a Corbin die for my .408 450.400 3 inch. They are very accurate and I am pleased with them.

If you are shooting a modern double then you should shoot whatever bullet you'd like.

Of course I'm a big fan of Woodleighs. I don't shoot a lot of solids through my rifle. I would only use Woodleigh or Hornady solids for DG.

Remember it isn't about how fast you can drive a bullet in a double it's all about regulation. That's all that counts!

Thanks Rusty,

I agree 100% with .... "Remember it isn't about how fast you can drive a bullet in a double it's all about regulation. That's all that counts!"

I have never been a guy who chaces the fastest load in any rifle. When working up loads I always stopped when I got the best accuracy, not the hightest velocity.

I do not use Barnes X in my only other double, the Chapuis in 9.3x74r because I was specificaly told not to by JJ from Champlain arms who works on those guns. With the Chapuis I settled on the Hornady SP for North American stuff, and I plan to use the 286grain Nossler Partition and either a Woodleigh solid or a North Fork for Africa.

I don't plan on using a lot of solids in my doubles (or any rifle for that matter)

Thanks again for the advice.

Jamie

Honkey:

I don't have a Searcy but I do have a .470. Here is my question to you. Why would you want to fool with a homogenous solid and even take the chance of damaging you gun (even though that chance might be remote) when you have another perfect bullet for your .470, the 500 grain Woodleigh? Trust me when I say that at double rifle velocity, the Woodleigh RN SN is a really fine bullet and the Woodleigh solid will do all that you need to do with your .470. My advice, just have Mr. Searcy regulate you gun with Woodleighs and never look back.

I just bought a Searcy .470 NE last month. I spoke with Butch at Reno and he told me that he regulates with a 500gr Woodleigh bullet in front of 106gr of IMR4831 and a Federal 215 primer. So, I loaded some up. Shot the rifle this week and that load shoots just a touch high at 50 yds, but under 2" for four shots. I also have some Westley Richards ammunition (loaded by Wolfgang Romey I believe) and one each soft and solid went into the same group. Double Rifles, from what Butch tells me, and the experiences of DR shooters here leads me to believe that you cannot hurt your rifle with Woodleighs or the Hornady DGS. Monolithic solids can.

Rich

Honkey,

Let me preface this with I do not own a Searcy. I do have a 470 Nitro K-Gun.

IMO (for what that is worth), if your barrel is of the correct diameter, North Forks would place less stress on the barrels than Woodleighs or Hornady.

As far as regulation this was shot about an hour ago at 50 yards.

Thanks for everything guys.


I guess it will be Hornady DGX and Woodleigh solids for me..

quote:

Originally posted by Honkey:
Thanks for everything guys.


I guess it will be Hornady DGX and Woodleigh solids for me..

The Woodliegh bullets are clones of the old Kynoc bullets of old, and are very good bullets for double rifles. However, if you like Mono-metal bullets the North Fork is the way to go in your 470NE Searcy. The X-bullets have a solid bearing surface, and require the rifleing in your barrel to engrave a solid piece of copper that is pretty tough to engrave and causes a severe spike in chamber pressure just in the first 1" of the barrel till the engraveing is completed. Addtionally the solder joint between the wedges, ribs, and barrels is subject to de-lamination, and has happened to folks who post right here on this website.

The North Fork has the design that makes the mono-metal bullet safe in double rifles, even ventage double rifle that have the proper bore measurements. This is because the rifleing has only to engrave the pressure rings, and the metal displaced by the engraving by the rifleing is dumped into the grooves between the pressure rings, and the rifleing never even pouches the solid shank of the bullet. These bullets are actually easier on your rifle's bore than the old lead core steel jacketed solids. The CPS (Cup Pointed Solid) works like the x-bullet with the front expanding enough to do a lot of tissue damage and retains 100% od it's weight to cause deep straight line penetration. Nort Fork just sent me an E-mail yesterday, that they are offering a 10% discount on their bullets now.

Example:
Look the bullet over closely, and you will see that the rifleing never even touches the solid body of the North Fork bullet.



I just don't understand useing a bullet that can, and has ruined double rifles, when a good bullet is available that will do the same job without the liability.

Thank you,

I always wondered why Notrthforks good, Barnes bad when it came to doubles.

I do like mono metal bullets as I have seen them perform so well down through the years in my rifles.

So now I am thinking, Hornady DGX for North America and Northfork solids and cup point solids in Africa.

Woodleigh softs are fine bullets as well.

For elephants, I prefer a Woodleigh solid for the first shot, then North Fork solids for their greater penetration.

For buff, the North Fork cup point would be a fine choice for a first shot (or a DGX or Woodleigh soft,) and then either a solid or another cup point, either way. Woodleigh solids are plenty adequate for buff. Buff do not require the peentration potential of the flat nose solids, imo.

For smaller creatures you might shoot with your double, a Woodleigh or other soft would be great, but a solid is ok and actually prefered for the tinier animals, like grysbok, diuker or Klipspringer, to miminize hide damage.

JPK