Diy hollow points

[bigpete]

I've just had a bit of a bad experience using 210gn rnfp bullets thru my 44 mag so I'm thinking of trying to drill a hollow in the tip of the others using a drill press to see if that improves their performance. Has anyone tried that or have any advice ?

[AusTac]

I dare say unless you get it 100 percent, the'll at the very least tumble and group erratic.. but hey you could always hollow a cylinder load and see what happens

[bigpete]

That certainly is a worry. I did find something called the extreme diy hollow point kit online but it only does 22lr and 30 tokarev. But the idea seems sound

[pomemax]

1) off what was the bit of a bad experience

[bigpete]

Let's say I just had to shoot something 3 times in the head to put it down 2 shots were point blank other was no more than 10m away all were well placed I've never seen anything like if

[on_one_wheel]

Have you considered selling your under-performing projectiles and buying something more explosive?

I regularly see people selling projectiles on Facebook shooting buy swap & sell type pages.
Typically they sell close to new prices, people like things to just roll up in the post rather than driving to town for them.

If your lucky someone here might even want them.

[bigpete]

I'm paying $50/500 so I'd much rather try and modify them

[bladeracer]

I used to drill holes in 6.5x55mm FMJ's with no measurable loss of accuracy.
Haven't tried with cast bullets, although I often think about it.
But soft lead disrupts so well that I just don't see a hollow point offering any improvement.
Maybe your bullets are too hard? What velocity are you shooting them at?
Have you recovered any from dirt to see how deformed they are?
Stand one on a vice and hit it with a hammer, should give you some idea of how soft it is.

[brett1868]

Let's say I just had to shoot something 3 times in the head to put it down 2 shots were point blank other was no more than 10m away all were well placed I've never seen anything like if

Must have been a project manager, brain the size of a pea and hard to hit

See if you can get your hands on Hornady 240Gr XTP's rather than going the DIY path.

[bigpete]

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So I fired 4 rounds into 20litre drums full of water today. The projectile passed thru 3 thicknesses of plastic and about 2 feet of water with enough force to dent the last wall of plastic,actually penetrating in one case. All with zero deformation. The rounds are 210gn coated rnfp lead on top of 7.5gn of Trailboss for ~900fps.

[bigpete]

Let's say I just had to shoot something 3 times in the head to put it down 2 shots were point blank other was no more than 10m away all were well placed I've never seen anything like if

Must have been a project manager, brain the size of a pea and hard to hit

See if you can get your hands on Hornady 240Gr XTP's rather than going the DIY path.

Actually have been keen on trying the 300gn xtp but for now I'd rather mess around with what I've got

[bladeracer]

I would expect them to deform in water though.
Shooting into water is how you recover an undeformed bullet for analysis.

EDIT: I mean't I would NOT expect deformation in water - sorry.

[Mick280]

I'm with Brett!!
I use the XTP's as a hunting projectile in my 45 Colt.
Great little performers and not that pricey!!
Mick.

[bladeracer]

So I fired 4 rounds into 20litre drums full of water today. The projectile passed thru 3 thicknesses of plastic and about 2 feet of water with enough force to dent the last wall of plastic,actually penetrating in one case. All with zero deformation. The rounds are 210gn coated rnfp lead on top of 7.5gn of Trailboss for ~900fps.

If you're only shooting at 900fps I would definitely be using pure lead, not hardened.

[bigpete]

All true but at the price these are its hard to give them up hard to argue with shooting a 44 for the price of a 22

[bigpete]

I guess I'm trying to get reliable expansion at subsonic speeds. As usual,I'm trying to achieve something outside the norm for as little as possible,so I'll have to make it myself

[bladeracer]

All true but at the price these are its hard to give them up hard to argue with shooting a 44 for the price of a 22

Cast your own.
Casting lets you shoot just about anything at rimfire prices.

[bladeracer]

I guess I'm trying to get reliable expansion at subsonic speeds. As usual,I'm trying to achieve something outside the norm for as little as possible,so I'll have to make it myself

I don't know about getting hollow points to expand at subsonic velocity.
But a pure lead ball or bullet will.

[bigpete]

All true but at the price these are its hard to give them up hard to argue with shooting a 44 for the price of a 22

Cast your own.
Casting lets you shoot just about anything at rimfire prices.

I plan too ! Eventually !

[bigpete]

For ranges from point blank to 10m i can't see drilling them is gunna screw your accuracy and at that price experimenting a bit won't break the bank

EXACTLY! but hopefully I can keep the accuracy too

[Oldbloke]

Just guessing here. But if you look at 22RF projectiles the HP often looks a bit rough or off center. So perhaps there is a greater tolerance than you might expect.

[bigpete]

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My first rough attempts using a drill press as you can see one is very slightly off centre the other 2 are fine hollow is roughly halfway into the bullet and about 6mm in diameter. Bullets weight between 192 and 195gn. Starting weight was meant to be 225gn so they lost around 30gn. That ought to bring bullet speed up a little too. Just need to load a few and test them again, then check their accuracy. I think they'll work just fine for what I want.

[Oldbloke]

Will be interesting to see the result. I suspect a smaller drill would do the job, say 4mm. But look forward to pics

[bigpete]

Yeah probably but its kinda what I had at the time. I've ordered a centre drill bit which I'll use in future endeavours. I kinda like the idea of a massive hollow point,it should open up pretty well plus have a fairly thick base and walls to maintain a bit of structural integrity. But time,and tests, will tell

[Oldbloke]

The center bit should be the go.

[AusTac]

Those hollows are monsters, be good to see some carnage with them!

[Gamerancher]

Here's a hollow point .44 bullet for you. Mate in Tassie has the mold and made some for me. Work real well on "critters" at low velocities.

[Gwion]

Holy crap... they should call that a Cavern Point... you could park a truck in that cavity!

[bigpete]

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here's some I just did using a ¼" centre drill bit. I really need a jig to hold them straight as a couple got off centre and I'm sure won't shoot straight. Finished weight is 200gn. How heavy are your mates bullets gamerancher and does he take orders

[Gamerancher]

They're pretty fat, come in at 260grains. Don't know about orders but I could find out what mold he used if that will help.
Those ones you've drilled look alright. At 200 grains, they should work well. Try 'em and see!