Cor Bon vs Federal HST expansion test (yes, another video.)

[Jackpine Savage]

I don't think that was Corbon DPX, or was it? I think DPX is Corbon's current premium hollowpoint. I've heard lots of good things about it from guys like Farnam, etc.

[Stradawhovious]

I will let Vlad say which Cor Bon it was, but I'm pretty sure the box accurately reflects the round. This was just with what we had on hand, if anyone would like me to do the same type of comparison with their PD ammo, I would be happy to do so. Just give me a couple of rounds of your flavor, and I will have ballistic evidence, and video documenting performance. Any chance I get to turn stuff inside out at the range and make a mess is a good day for me.

[Belgiboy]

Strad, I will get you some of the 185 gr HSTs to compare against the 230 grainers.
On the subject of expansion and weight retention there is another factor to consider. Supposedly, bullets that break up will dump their energy into the target faster resulting in a greater hydrostatic shock (shockwave travelling through the major bloodvessels knocking out the central nervous system). There is some good info on this on the Berger website for their VLD hunting bullets. These penetrate a couple of inches and then break up completely, showing impressive cavitation.
In my own experience, only once have I seen a deer (big buck) drop in his tracks and that was with a .243 with a Super-X powerpoint. That is a bullet that does not stay together, shed a lot of weight but get the job done. I have shot only 4 deer in my lifetime but all of them were double lung and heart shots with fancy Winchester Ballistic Silvertips. They all ran at least 50 yards into the brush before collapsing. I consider myself lucky that I was able to find them at dusk. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that one shouldn't disrespect bullets that break up because they are very effective.
A perfectly mushroomed bullet is of course way cool and if I were Strad, I'd be hanging that thing around my neck on a gold chain as a nice conversation piece

[JFettig]

DPX I believe uses the barnes expanders.

Belgiboy, this is where rifle and handgun ammo is very different, the pieces of the rifle bullet are traveling at much higher velocity where the handgun parts just move a short distance with minimal cavitation and stop, the core that remains continues with minimal cavitation through to the end. There is still a significant but not as much as if they had stayed together.
The point where they break up they are at maximum cavitation then it drops from there.

The VLD hunting bullets are made to have huge cavitation at a specified depth which is good, a balance of penetration and expansion where its necessary. With PD ammo you want that expansion right away.

Jon

[Belgiboy]

DPX I believe uses the barnes expanders.

Belgiboy, this is where rifle and handgun ammo is very different, the pieces of the rifle bullet are traveling at much higher velocity where the handgun parts just move a short distance with minimal cavitation and stop, the core that remains continues with minimal cavitation through to the end. There is still a significant but not as much as if they had stayed together.
The point where they break up they are at maximum cavitation then it drops from there.

The VLD hunting bullets are made to have huge cavitation at a specified depth which is good, a balance of penetration and expansion where its necessary. With PD ammo you want that expansion right away.

Jon

Point taken, that makes a lot of sense.

[Holland&Holland]

H&H, do you have a link to the article?

The reason that a bullet that holds together is better is that it retains its weight all the way through for a bigger punch and more cavitation. Cavitation is key. HST bullets open up real quick and stay opened and cavitate real nicely.
I can imagine that the Corbon bullets open up, made a nice big shallow cavitation and then continued with small cavitation through the rest of the way.

Those EFMJ bullets are worthless unless your stuck with FMJ. I've shot some into ballistic gel, they flatten out and only increase in size just a little bit. They do create cavitation but not much, definitely more than a regular FMJ which doesn't create any unless you somehow get it to tumble(they usually don't).

Those .45 HST bullets in bare gel usually open up between 3/4-1" I have a couple real big ones.
Every time I've fired HST through denim, it opened up nicely, not quite as nicely because the cavity is full of denim, but still very good.
I'd be willing to bet that those corbon bullets would shred if shot through auto glass, even HST doesn't look that great(still better than most others).

I have some 9mm Barnes expanders, if you guys do this again but shoot through barriers, I'd be interested in seeing how they do.


Jon

I do not have an electronic link the article. It is in this months Sports Afield (May/June issue) page 49 by James Barsness. Incedently there are quite a few good articles in this months issue including one on the 7mm's and one on poaching that I have not read yet but looks very interesting. Just to beclear the author is contending that some of us tend to lean towards more "premium" bullets that are adverstised for penetration and weight retention over some old standbys that in his opinion actually kill game such as deer quicker. I am extrapolating this line of thinking and wondering the cooralation with self defense. Pure speculation mind you.

[Holland&Holland]

DPX I believe uses the barnes expanders.

Belgiboy, this is where rifle and handgun ammo is very different, the pieces of the rifle bullet are traveling at much higher velocity where the handgun parts just move a short distance with minimal cavitation and stop, the core that remains continues with minimal cavitation through to the end. There is still a significant but not as much as if they had stayed together.
The point where they break up they are at maximum cavitation then it drops from there.

The VLD hunting bullets are made to have huge cavitation at a specified depth which is good, a balance of penetration and expansion where its necessary. With PD ammo you want that expansion right away.

Jon

Very good point.

[Pat Cannon]

I've been saving milk jugs all winter.