Bullets tumbling

[longwinters]

Over on 24 Hour Campfire and Graybeard Outdoors a guy who guides in Africa posted his results from this past season concerning the Barnes TSX.

He thought, from the results on several animals, that perhaps the bullets were tumbling (after entry into the animal) because the exit hole was only about the diameter of the unexpanded bullet. Perhaps it was actually exiting backwards, pushing the petals back to a somewhat forward position.

I guess I had never thought of that before. When I think about my results last year on whitetails I also had very small exit holes with the Accubonds. I figured because of the close distance of the shots that the impact was too hard on the bullet petals (quartering toward thru the near shoulder on both). But while gutting etc... I noticed that the entry rib hole and exit rib hole were both better than 2". But the exit hole thru the hide was quite small. Could these bullets have tumbled?

I don't know if it makes any difference or not, but just curious.

Long

 

[Guy Miner]

Maybe the bullet is just going through various stages of expansion, and exiting when the mushroom/petals are folded back, tight against the shank?

The Barnes TSX & X bullets don't seem to expand much, although they penetrate like a carbide bit drill...

I know the 175 gr/7mm Nosler Partition that I used on my big elk a few years back left a devestating path through the elk's vitals, but only made about a .45 cal exit wound. Not much of an exit wound at all, but man, it put him down for the count.

Don't know - just thinking through it... Hmm..

 

[JD338]

long,

I doubt it if the bullets are tumbling. They most likely are not opening up that much and the hide streched open and closes back up.
I have shot many WT deer (in da UP ah) :wink: with Remington Core Lokt, Nosler PT and BT bullets. Post mortem inspection reveals the wounds under the hide on both sides are always much larger (1.5"-3") than the calber size hole in and quarter size exit hole out. I beleive the root cause of this is directly related to velocity, how fast the bullet is moving through the target, as well as the expansion forces. And if you hit a rib going in, it creates secondary projectiles that increase trama to the wound. All of this combined is what "jellies" the lungs.

JD338

 

[Jon A]

I tested several Triple-Shocks in the bone-imbedded media trying to sort this out and penetration ranged from a depth of 18 to 22 inches. In every case, the Triple-Shocks lost all their petals and tumbled inside the media after hitting bone. All of them were recovered base-forward.

http://www.gunsandhunting.com/articles/ ... sbone.html

 

[Guy Miner]

Well heck, might as well quote it all. Not that long an article, and very informative!

"Like bonded bullets, Triple-Shocks have a reputation for high weight retention and all of the testing I have done with them as well as field results support this reputation. Still, I have heard campfire tales from hunters claiming that Triple-Shocks will lose their petals. I’ve found no evidence that this loss of petals dramatically changes the Triple-Shocks in-game wounding potential, but I think I have found out why it happens.

As the Triple-Shock expands the petals peel back and are stressed toward the base of the bullet. Like any bullet, when the Triple-Shock strikes bone there is a potential for tumbling. During this tumble the petals are stressed in the opposite direction and can sheer off. When the petals sheer off the diameter of the bullet is drastically reduced and therefore so is resistance in the media or animal. The result is deep penetration, and if in an animal, very likely a very small exit hole.

This deep penetration and itty-bitty exit wound is likely the reason that some hunters have claimed that the Triple-Shock failed to expand in an animal lying at their feet. I have tested enough Triple-Shocks to know they initiate expansion very fast and always expand if velocities are more than 2,000 feet per second.

I tested several Triple-Shocks in the bone-imbedded media trying to sort this out and penetration ranged from a depth of 18 to 22 inches. In every case, the Triple-Shocks lost all their petals and tumbled inside the media after hitting bone. All of them were recovered base-forward. With a volume of 110 ml, the wound cavity created by the 100-grain, .257-caliber Triple-Shock averaged about 15-percent larger than wound cavities created in boneless media."

I particularly like that part about "deep penetration and itty-bitty exit wound is likely the reason that some hunters have claimed that the Triple Shock failed to expand in an animal lying at their feet."

Sorta brings back memories of all the guys slamming Ballistic Tips for rapid expansion, while they're posing for photos with their big trophy bucks brought down by those same Ballistic Tips...

Unless a guy really tracks the bullet wound through the animal, and even then sometimes, it's pretty hard to tell exactly what the heck happened inside the critter when it was hit with that chunk of metal. Fascinating stuff though...

Regards, Guy

 

[longwinters]

This is interesting. I suppose it can/does happen on many different bullets.

Long

 

[Greg Nolan]

I agree with everything said here. I'm more on the side of shedding energy in the animal to kill it now instead of leaving a nice long trail to follow from a shoot thrue. The A/B sheds weight and energy as it passes thrue so the exit wounds I've seen are about 60% weight retention and slower/ smaller exits. The tripple shocks have only the petals to loose and then exit real good taking the most of thier energy/ shock with them. The proof, unfortunately isn't in the animal laying at your feet. It's in the animals that aren't.
Good Hunting