bullet testing question

[Divernhunter]

When you test bullets shot into one gallon water jugs:
Do you take the cap off or leave them capped tight?
Do you tape them together or just stack them one behind the other?
Do you place the jugs at 100 yards?
How many should I use for the load listed below roughly?

Thanks for any help. This will be my 1st (and probably only) time I plan to do so. Not sure the expansion I can expect with the 210gr Sirocco out of my 338Fed at 2486FPS.

 

[RL338]

Leave the caps on. I’ve shot them at 50 and 100 yards , for me it depends on what cartridge I’m testing. For a 338 Fed a single row should be fine. Distance would be what kind of results you’re looking for. If you’re looking for the strength of a bullet 20 yards give you a good idea.

 

[Divernhunter]

thanks.
How many should I use if I want to recover the bullet to see how it expanded?
Should I tape them together?

 

[KinleyWater]

I tend to keep the first few single file, but I like to double up beyond that, as the chance of the bullet veering goes up. *edit* I do not tape them together.

Also, I like making a pork shoulder my first target; nothing like shooting through tissue to simulate shooting through tissue.

 

[jimbires]

I usually shoot from 20 yards . I keep the caps on . I place the jugs tight together , but not taped , or fastened in any way . I've had bullets go to 30" penetration .
give the jugs some room , sometimes they fly .


EDIT to add ;

I have a friend that does catering . a few times I've asked him to save wine boxes for me . they fit tight and work well for bullet testing .



oil jugs work well too .

 

[JD338]

I keep the caps on and line them up. I've shot them at 25, 50, 100, 200, 300 yards. Tried using chem jugs at 800 yards but the bullets went out the side. You have to have the jugs lined up perfectly. This means sometimes re adjusting 2-3 times to get them aligned. Putting jugs on a 2x6 will help out a lot. Keep the jugs handle all the same too.
I shot a 375 300 gr PT into some DEF jugs at 30 yards the other day I had placed a 3/4" pine board behind the jugs and the bullet split the board.
I used more jugs for the second recovery.

Have fun and post your results.

JD338

 

[ShadeTree]

I keep the caps on and line the jugs up tight against each other. Not right or wrong but I always use gallon milk jugs. Only because that gives me a consistent reference and others a reference if I put up a result of X number of jugs. Beyond that any jug will work, water is water, but it obviously changes the amount of total penetration figured, if just referencing X number of a different type of jug.

If stress testing a bullet, I do it at 20 yds. Again, not set in stone right or wrong, but that always seemed to be the common distance used by most others, so to give a consistent reference of my results for both myself and for others, that's the distance I test at.

 

[Divernhunter]

thank you very much for all the help

 

[noslerpartition]

I'd rather have them at my normal shooting distance.
Closer you can test how solid thy are.
At 150-200 y you see if they still perform.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Caps on, not taped or tied together. Stacked together kind of like bowling ball pins. Sometimes the bullet will go sideways, up maybe even down. Just make sure to have plenty of jugs stacked wide enough and deep like 6-8 to catch your bullets. Depends on caliber and velocity of course. Have tried at 100yds with less sucess so started testing at 50yds. Just what works for me. Dan.

 

[TackDriver284]

Leave caps on. I spread out a tarp to catch any fragments which may pop out the sides or the bottom. Line up the gallon jugs with handles pointing east or west, and stack them together. A 2 x 12 board on each side of the stack will be good to catch the bullet / frags popping out the sides and a board at the end in case the bullet continues to chug on through all those jugs. I would use 8 jugs in a stack which is more than enough. I use 100 yards as a starting point since its the normal range I would see game. Fifty yards would be the least I would try to stress a bullet, but never tried that close. Building a box out of plywood or fence boards to stack your jugs in will be a good idea. Slant the front up 5 degrees to keep all the jugs in a line to your bore otherwise they would come out the bottom at the end. It would be a neat little project for those who do a lot of jug tests.