someguy2800
Member
I have been saving up milk jugs for a couple months to do some ballistics testing prior to deer season and finally got around to doing it today and thought I would share the results. Here is my sled full of fun getting ready to test.
They are just used gallon milk jugs filled up with well water. From what I have read water jugs are very destructive to a bullet and will tear up a bullet significantly more than ballistics gell does so take the results with a grain of salt. The 4 guns I wanted to test are my ruger sp101, my contender pistol with a 13" 357 maximum barrel, my Tikka T3 lite in 25-06, and my AR15. I shot two of each of these tests but I failed to capture a few of the bullets.
First the 357 magnum. This is a 4.2" ruger sp101 and I've been trying to decide between a 125 grain XTP and a 140 grain XTP.
125 grain XTP hp, starline brass, 21.5 grains win 296, fed SPmagnum primer, 1490 fps muzzle velocity, 15 yards from jugs
140 grain XTP hp, 18.5 grains win 296, 1290 fps
The difference in impact between the two was dramatic, the 125's blew the first two jugs to pieces and the bullet bounced off the 5th jug and was sitting on the table. The 140's were both found in the 4th jug. They split the first jug and there was 1/2" diameter hole exiting the 2nd and penciled its way into the 4th. The 3rd and 4th jugs were reusable. I shot a deer a couple years ago through the lungs at 50 yards with the 140 xtp and the deer ran off and took half an hour to die. The bullet exited but the wounding was not dramatic.
Next gun was my 16" 223 AR15. I just shot one round through this. This is one of my favorite bullets and I knew from experience with this bullet that its not quite as explosive as a fragmenting varmint bullet but not quite tough enough to be a big game bullet. It came appart more than I expected. These pieces were in the 3rd jug with some chunks in the 2nd and lots of little pin holes from fragments exiting.
Hornady 55gr SP, 24 grains accurate 2015, 3015 fps, 15 yards from jugs
Next was actually a couple tests I did a few months ago under the same conditions. This was with a 14" contender pistol in 357 herrett.
Sierra 158 grain JSP, 34 grains IMR 4198, WLR primer, 2000 fps at muzzle. This is one very tough little bullet, would be great deer bullet for a 357 magnum lever rifle. One of these was at 15 yards and the other at 100
Hornady 180 grain XTP, 31 grains IMR 4198, WLR primer, 1800 fps at muzzle. One was at 15 yards and the other at 100
Back to todays testing, a 13" MGM 357 maximum barrel which I like alot better. Same 180 grain XTP seated in the second canelure. I specefied the throat dimensions on this when I got it built so I could seat these bullets out long and get more powder volume than saami spec.
Remington 357 max brass, 180 XTP, 24 grains win 296, federal small rifle magnum primer, 1990 fps muzzle velocity. This disintegrates the first two jugs and sends pieces 20 feet in the air. The two on the left were at 15 yards and the one on the right was at 100 yards. I have seen results of people shooting this bullet on game with 357 max rifles at as much as 2400 fps muzzle velocity and the bullets did not come apart like this. I don't think the hollowpoints expand as fast hitting game as they do on water.
Last was my Tikka T3 lite in 25-06. Bullet was a speer 120 grain bonded bullet. These were pulled bullets I bought from American Reloading and were advertised as being 120 grain Federal Fusion factory bullets. I used to shoot federal fusion factory loads in this gun before I started handloading and these were the best performing bullet I ever used so I was excited to find them as a component bullet. Federal fusion's are probably the best deal out there on factory ammo considering they use a premium bonded bullet.
Federal 25-06 brass, 120 grain fusion, 53 grains Reloader 19, WLR primer, 3006 FPS
I recovered the first bullet so I shot the rest of the 4 I brought out on my 100 yard target. This Tikka never disappoints. By all account this barrel should be shot out but it just keeps on shooting.
They are just used gallon milk jugs filled up with well water. From what I have read water jugs are very destructive to a bullet and will tear up a bullet significantly more than ballistics gell does so take the results with a grain of salt. The 4 guns I wanted to test are my ruger sp101, my contender pistol with a 13" 357 maximum barrel, my Tikka T3 lite in 25-06, and my AR15. I shot two of each of these tests but I failed to capture a few of the bullets.
First the 357 magnum. This is a 4.2" ruger sp101 and I've been trying to decide between a 125 grain XTP and a 140 grain XTP.
125 grain XTP hp, starline brass, 21.5 grains win 296, fed SPmagnum primer, 1490 fps muzzle velocity, 15 yards from jugs
140 grain XTP hp, 18.5 grains win 296, 1290 fps
The difference in impact between the two was dramatic, the 125's blew the first two jugs to pieces and the bullet bounced off the 5th jug and was sitting on the table. The 140's were both found in the 4th jug. They split the first jug and there was 1/2" diameter hole exiting the 2nd and penciled its way into the 4th. The 3rd and 4th jugs were reusable. I shot a deer a couple years ago through the lungs at 50 yards with the 140 xtp and the deer ran off and took half an hour to die. The bullet exited but the wounding was not dramatic.
Next gun was my 16" 223 AR15. I just shot one round through this. This is one of my favorite bullets and I knew from experience with this bullet that its not quite as explosive as a fragmenting varmint bullet but not quite tough enough to be a big game bullet. It came appart more than I expected. These pieces were in the 3rd jug with some chunks in the 2nd and lots of little pin holes from fragments exiting.
Hornady 55gr SP, 24 grains accurate 2015, 3015 fps, 15 yards from jugs
Next was actually a couple tests I did a few months ago under the same conditions. This was with a 14" contender pistol in 357 herrett.
Sierra 158 grain JSP, 34 grains IMR 4198, WLR primer, 2000 fps at muzzle. This is one very tough little bullet, would be great deer bullet for a 357 magnum lever rifle. One of these was at 15 yards and the other at 100
Hornady 180 grain XTP, 31 grains IMR 4198, WLR primer, 1800 fps at muzzle. One was at 15 yards and the other at 100
Back to todays testing, a 13" MGM 357 maximum barrel which I like alot better. Same 180 grain XTP seated in the second canelure. I specefied the throat dimensions on this when I got it built so I could seat these bullets out long and get more powder volume than saami spec.
Remington 357 max brass, 180 XTP, 24 grains win 296, federal small rifle magnum primer, 1990 fps muzzle velocity. This disintegrates the first two jugs and sends pieces 20 feet in the air. The two on the left were at 15 yards and the one on the right was at 100 yards. I have seen results of people shooting this bullet on game with 357 max rifles at as much as 2400 fps muzzle velocity and the bullets did not come apart like this. I don't think the hollowpoints expand as fast hitting game as they do on water.
Last was my Tikka T3 lite in 25-06. Bullet was a speer 120 grain bonded bullet. These were pulled bullets I bought from American Reloading and were advertised as being 120 grain Federal Fusion factory bullets. I used to shoot federal fusion factory loads in this gun before I started handloading and these were the best performing bullet I ever used so I was excited to find them as a component bullet. Federal fusion's are probably the best deal out there on factory ammo considering they use a premium bonded bullet.
Federal 25-06 brass, 120 grain fusion, 53 grains Reloader 19, WLR primer, 3006 FPS
I recovered the first bullet so I shot the rest of the 4 I brought out on my 100 yard target. This Tikka never disappoints. By all account this barrel should be shot out but it just keeps on shooting.
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