My New Hunting Load! Barnes 100gr X

[JFettig]

If you read the "Favorite bullet for supersonic hunting? " thread, cav_scout_tj pointed out the barnes 100gr X bullets for 30 carbine. I picked up a box of these, due to the large tip I didn't think they'd feed real well so I turned some delrin tips and an insertion tool. I've turned about 10 tips now, shot a few to work up the load then one into water.
This is what the cavity of this bullet looks like:


Heres a pic of the results!


I filled up a 1 gallon ice cream pail full of water then set a full 1gal milk jug behind it(all I could find to sacrafice) then shot through those into my gravel backstop. The water from the ice cream pail shot up at least 12-15 feet! It went through both and into the backstop about 3-4". When searching for the bullet I was getting wet because the tree above me was all wet.
It opened fully, final diameter of .540".

My load development was a little dissapointing, if you look at that flatened out primer, those are mil-spec CCI #41 primers and they are flat! I only got it up to 2150fps. 18.2gr H110. These are loaded just off the lands and the final OAL is still only 2.05". I haven't shot for SD, ES, or accuracy yet. I'll load a few samples and take them to the range sometime soon.

Jon

[kurtz]

that is AWSOME

are you going to make the tips and insertion tool available?????

that bronze sunflower is AWSOME !!!!!!!!

[JFettig]

The insersion tool I made is super simple to make, the main thing is not to push on the end of the tip. I used a #0 center drill as deep as it would go, then opened up the end with a .09" drill so it pushes farther down on the tip.

If theres a real interest in these, I can do them. The tips are super easy to insert, I put a step on the shank so that by hand they can be put in straight, then I use my drill press as an arbor press(low pressure) to insert them the rest of the way just by chucking up the tool and setting the bullet on the table.

I ran out of the delrin I had on hand, Amasingly i had exactly enough material to make all 50 tips and 2 throwaway setup tips.

Jon

[cav_scout_tj]

Those look great. Nice mushroom. How much does he tip add to bullet weight? 5grains?

These are the original X-bullet style, no rings like the tripple-X.

I believe Barnes says optimum is like 0.05" off the lands to start and best results between 0.03" and 0.07" for all X bullets

Please keep us posted on this little mushroom machine.

[JFettig]

I just weighed one bullet, it weighs 101.1gr, so the tip adds about 1 grain.

The first shot I took was .02" off the lands, I backed them off to about .05".

I'm a little dissapointed that I couldn't get a little more velocity out of them, any recomendations for powder? I've only tried H110. I have AA#9 but its much hotter, would a slower powder be better? The primer is flatter than normal but it doesn't seem to cycle the action quite as hard as my 125gr TNTs at 2000fps.

Jon

[Pitt300]

What is your barrel length/manufacturer?
Using .223 or .221 cases?
I get about 2100 fps w/17.7g H110 & 125g Sierras out of my 16" M1S.
@18.4g of H110 I got 2184 + HIGH pressure signs.
I have some .308 110g M1 carbine bullets i'll try to load for velocity comparison.