Guns & Outdoors Forum

my money's on the 1911 to win the race

GrapeApe wrote: ↑Thu Jan 08, 2026 10:46 pm my money's on the 1911 to win the race

Oh I'm sure you are correct but it's a curiosity. The 325 is more fun though 1911 is kind of a BBQ gun so it does not get out much.

GrapeApe wrote: ↑Thu Jan 08, 2026 9:37 pm Well, that was interesting. From my 5" gov't model 937 fps. From my 4.25" Commander 860 fps averages Proof that barrells are a breed unto themselves. I would not had figured that 0.75" of barrel would yield a 77 fps difference. Concerning the PentaPoints (PP) Mixed results, first one from the 5", zero expansion and straight through my 16" block of 10% ClearGel

First PP from the commander, 10" penetration and nice expansion. I scratched my head and decided I HAD to try another through the gvt model, There's no way a faster cast lead bullet should expand LESS than a slower one into the same medium. Second PP from the govt went 9" and expanded nicely

Regular HPs, first through the commander. Minor expansion, 14" penetration. Through the gvt, NICE expansion and 12" penetation.
Now for 2000 quick words
Commander.jpg

Govt.jpg

An unfired round is next to its fired version, black grips are the commander.

While the 2/3 of the PPs that expanded did so quicker than the HP version. The one zipping through with no obvious expansion, from the wound channel, gives me pause. While the HP from the 4.25" didn't expand as much as the PP, it DID expand. The 1/3 PP that didn't expand from the 5" greatly reduces my desire to use them as my all purpose bullet

Yeah. . .I didn't want to dampen your enthusiasm straight off... This is largely why I've gone to jacketed store bought for my hollow points, and tend to mass produce cast WFN's and LFN's for playing around. The HP molds have been fun to play with, but you've got so damned many variables to dink around with - - having an alloy that will expand; getting it to a velocity at which it will expand; hoping you have a nose cavity that works with that alloy at that velocity; wondering if it will still have enough of that velocity to still expand at the distance at which it impacts; and then hoping it will penetrate enough if it does. If you've got a multi-million dollar lab in which to do your research, and have the ability to make skived copper jackets with variable thickness throughout their length, it's probably a great way to spend your time. For this home hobbyist anyway, it was a little too brain-bending.

On the topic of using our bullets to create blood loss, I've come to think of the task not so much as making a drain hole in a liquid-filled bag, but rather trying to make a drain hole through a collection of pressurized hoses (arteries) inside that bag. The biggest hose (aorta) is no more than about an inch in diameter and the rest are smaller. The meplats on our WFN cast bullets will range between .25" and .33" for duty calibers and they penetrate with boring consistency whether going fast or slow. Making that size hole through a pressurized 1" or smaller hose creates a SERIOUS problem for that hose continuing to do its job. Yes, a hollowpoint expanded to .60"-.80" is theoretically "better", but at the point the hose is 30% or more ruptured, I don't know that it's so much better as to be worth the reduction in penetration and the lack of certainty about how much penetration it will give. There's so much head-scratching that has to go into engineering a hollowpoint to properly work that I've often wondered if the "dumb" answer (solid flat points) isn't actually the smart answer - at least for the home bullet caster.

Jay wrote: ↑Wed Jan 07, 2026 2:48 am I loaded some 320gr cast gas checked bullets from Matt’s in my 45-70 Sharps. They had the penta style HP like that. At 2120 FPS, they are EXPLOSIVE!!! I recovered a chunk of lead and the gas check inside the second jug. Combined, they weighed 82 grains. Probably a good thing to run them at slower speeds..

After it was pointed out to me that Matt’s doesn’t offer the bullet I mentioned, I double checked and have to post a correction in case anyone was interested in that bullet. I was mistaken and those bullets were actually from Montana Bullet Works. It appears they are no longer in business. I’m unsure if someone else has taken over the business or if that bullet is available any more.

After attempting to go to the website on the box, here is the message that comes up.

Thank you Jay