.454 LFNGC 335 gn vs. 300 gn in an Alaskan

[mewachee]

earlier this year, I had a thread on how to get the 335 gr LFNGC up and out of a Ruger Alaskan. Found some very nice loads with faster powders. Now, I am wondering if there are any opinions on heavier vs. lighter bullets out of a short barrel (2.5 in)?

My point here is to get the most penetration. Of course, heavier bullets tend to penetrate further. Also, I have a hunch that the heavier bullet gets moving slower, which I believe helps with building pressure; all together I believe that the heavier bullet is going to give better results.

Am I wrong? Remember, we are talking about .454 pressure out of a 2.5 in barrel. I am going to run some tests, but first am interested in your opinions.

I guess a second question could be this, Given a heavier bullet and a lighter bullet, and shooting them a velocities that will give both bullets the same amount of energy, will one penetrate better through most mediums? Or, will they have the same general effect?

 

[plinky]

Here's some food for thought...Wiley Clapp did an article in June 1991 G&A on barrel length vs. velocity in a Ruger SBH .44 Mag which started with a 10.5" barrel. He shot three factory loads at each barrel length and had a gunsmith on hand who quickly took an inch of the barrel and recrowned it. The factory loads and their velocity in the 10.5" barrel:

Pro Load 300gr. - 1388 fps - 1283 fpe
Federal 250gr. - 1478 fps - 1213 fpe
Hornady 200gr. - 1453 fps - 938 fpe


When shot at a 6.5" length, the 300gr load passed the others in muzzle velocity and the edge only increased all the way to the final 1.5" length where the figures were:

Pro Load 300gr - 1032 fps - 709 fpe - total velocity loss: 356 fps
Federal 250gr. - 947 fps - 498 fpe - total velocity loss: 481 fps
Hornady 200gr - 886 fps - 349 fpe - total velocity loss: 567 fps

I had always figured that heavier bullets were more efficient in short barrels and this seems to illustrate that trend well. All things being equal I would go with the heavier bullet, especially as you are mostly concerned with penetration. I know this test was not run on a .454 but I think the .44 Mag is similar enough that these trends will hold true. I'll be interested in your results.

 

[rcmodel]

Assuming both bullets have the same energy, the bullet with the highest Sectional Density will penetrate far better. And in almost every case, that will be the heaviest bullet.

An example:
30-06 150 grain @ 2910 = 2820 F/P.
30-06 220 grain @ 2410 = 2837 F/P.

Likely the 220 will penetrate at least twice as far as the 150 in a big animal.

rcmodel

 

[mewachee]

Plinky, that is very telling. I need to line up some super redhawks for this test.