I certainly see your point. The 7.1" neck length concerns me, but doesn't disqualify the bullet either. I was just hoping for something a little faster opening. Ideally it would have a very short neck but still show cavitation out to the same depth it did in this test. That said, when working with less energy from the start (this is a 300 BLK, not a .308) you don't have the luxury of excess energy to work with.
While most shots aren't necessarily straight on, I prefer a bullet that will work well in that situation as well as with the full sideways shot. So if you go with an average chest thickness of 9" and width of 20" (including an arm) you would want the largest amount of cavitation to occur between 4.5" and 10" and ideally would run from about 2" to 12". The Barnes TSX performed the best in that regard with cavitation starting essentially immediately but continuing through most of the bullet's travel (shot 1: 0.0"-14.6", shot 2: 0.0"-14.8", shot 3: 0.0"-15.1"). The Barnes didn't have the largest permanent crack diameter, but performed very consistently, which they are known for.
I was surprised that the 125 Nosler penetrated as much as the Barnes. That said, I think it shows some promise in this velocity window. I had high hopes for it as well since it is known for performing well at lower velocities and is a favorite of handgun hunters for that reason.
In the end, I'm grateful that this testing was done and I learned from it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 320pf
You are correct about the average straight on chest thickness. However, I would ask to to stand in front of a mirror and mock-up like you are shooting a rifle at your image. What would be the entry angle to the target? Most likely not straight on but more side-to-side and quartering. The average chest width is about 14-17 inches without considering the thickness of an arm. An arm would add about another 4-5 inches. Hence why I think that the penetration is about right.
Now for four legged critters the average chest thickness is 8-18 inches... Now think of a quartering shot which would add more apparent thickness.
Here is a summary of the gel data.
The Speer TNT
Figure 10&11 max cavitation depth 3.1"-13.6"
Figure 13&14 2029fps max cavitation depth 7.1" – 18.5"
Figure 16&17 2190fps max cavitation depth (7.1 – 18.5 typo??) ~3.1-~12.6 measured from the figure.
Nos125
Figure 19&20 2011fps max cavitation depth 2.7 – 14.8
Figure 22&23 2026fps max cavitation depth 4.3 – 18.1
Figure 22&23 2152fps max cavitation depth 0.8 – 18.1
320pf
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