Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 16 of 16

Thread: .357mag Monolithic Solids

  1. #11
    Site Supporter richiecotite's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Woodbridge, VA
    Quote Originally Posted by entropy View Post
    From what I have found online and the previous discussion in the HK USP .45, it appears in some cases they penetrate better than hard lead for larger critters.
    From my understanding, it’s less about the Lehigh penetrators being more terminally effective, it’s about they work and feed better in semi auto guns due to bullet profile and not having to load it super hot loads outside of the guns performance window.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    "I'm a tactical operator and Instructor and also retired military."

    -read on another forum

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by entropy View Post
    From what I have found online and the previous discussion in the HK USP .45, it appears in some cases they penetrate better than hard lead for larger critters.
    No they don't, no even close.
    We could isolate Russia totally from the world and maybe they could apply for membership after 2000 years.

  3. #13
    Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Behind the redwood curtain
    I've loaded the Cutting Edge solids in 45 Super and in 357 Magnum, but not a lot of them and no real data yet. The former fed reliably in a full size USP45 but would need to look up the load, it was a while ago. The 357 was an H-110 load. Both were fairly accurate but again limited data so far... just enough to know where they hit relative to the sights.

    My Xtreme Penetrator experience is all with factory Underwood loads, have used those in 9mm, 357, and 45.

    Here in California non-lead is a thing, I have some hardcast but don't carry it in the backcountry anymore. After talking it over with a couple of CDFW game warden acquaintances when the regs were new a few years ago, the consensus was that while the regs are about hunting, for defensive or other backcountry use it's at the discretion of the game warden. Both of the guys I talked to said if it was them they wouldn't care, but that not everybody in their office was a gun person and some interpreted regs differently than others. Their advice was carry non-lead when away from town, and be sure. With the recent Condor release not far from here, it may be taken more seriously now.

    The only grizzlies here are on the state flag, and up here in the northern counties black bear are afraid of humans and run on sight. Dogs associated with illegal grows are usually the greatest risk. So it's not like I need to wring every last inch of penetration out of a load. Where those things matter, if I travel to those places I can bring large bore hardcast.
    Last edited by Salamander; 05-13-2022 at 12:57 AM.

  4. #14
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    NW Arizona
    Without knowing what the OP wants out of his "field load" it's a difficult question.

    The mono metal solids (and the composite bullets like the now unavailable? Punch solids) are the darling of the Africa handgun hunting folks, because they don't deform or come apart on very heavy bone like even the best hard cast slugs can do. Because of that there's a LOT more data with them fired out of the really big bores at high (handgun) velocity. Much less in say a ,357.

    In my opinion, based on real world results from the Bovine Bash's, you can't do any better in .357 than the 180 grain A-frame, when heavily muscled, large boned animals may be a target. That ammo is expensive but available from mainstream ammo companies (Federal loads it) and of course as a reloading component.
    In North America the mono metals have limited utility as I see it. Large meplat, tough cast bullets work well on most of our critters and are a lot cheaper.

    The A-frames and the Barnes XPB have made expanding handgun bullets a good choice in some areas that were formally "non expanding cast only".
    Last edited by JTMcC; 05-13-2022 at 03:30 PM.

  5. #15
    I just started working on a CA load with 140 Xtreme Penetrator and CFE Pistol. I am not where I want to be, but will update if I find a good combo. I am trying to come up with a backcountry load for my 3" GP100. I have a lot of H110, so that might be my next choice.

  6. #16
    Member jtcarm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Texas Cross Timbers
    Yeah I’m not sure what performance improvement the OP is looking for.

    For a bigger wound channel, go to a WFN. Or a bigger caliber.

    More penetration, go to a bullet with higher sectional density (generally heavier).

    I can’t see spending $1-per for bullets, but I cast most of my own and over 10-cents seems expensive to me.

    I occasionally buy jacketed bullets, but the pain is probably similar to what people in the 19th-century experienced going to the dentist.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •