Test results 200 gr. 45 colt bullet test...very interesting!
Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:03 pm
Well got down to the range to test out my modified Speer 230 gr. LRN bullet which is now a 200 gr. hollow point loaded with 5.5 gr. of Red Dot powder.
Test revolver was my Ruger Bisley Blackhawk with 5.5 inch barrel.
First test was of 4 one gallon water filled jugs backed up with a stack of car magazines and then a box full of sand to catch bullet.
Bullet speed was 770 FPS and target was 10 ft. Result was the nose of bullet tended to roll inward with a minimum amount of outward expansion diameter of .460, Bullet stopped in 4th jug.
Next test was to setup a stack of 22 car magazines of same thickness and back that up with the sand box.
Result was great expansion of bullet and it had stopped at the backside exit of 11th magazine and lightly pierced Harry Gant's race car on the sports card!!
Hard to make this stuff up! I had no idea that card was in stack of magazines and it looks like that tough door side roll cage stopped further progress of the bullet.
Harry said " That bullet stops right here right now" !! 
Speed of that bullet was clocked at 769 FPS. the weight of bullet before test was 200.3 gr. and after water jug test 199.8 and 196.4 after magazine stack penetration.
What does this prove?? Well a water jug test maybe not a true test of expansion or is loosely stacked magazine paper closer to skin muscle and or bone?? Who knows??? Might run test again using a ballistic gel media. I did like the expansion of that Speer bullet at the moderate speed and I may bump up that load for another test. What is 2 3/4 inch of penetration into stacked paper magazines equal to? 4 one gallon jugs is good penetration for a hollow point bullet at a medium speed.
As a comparison my 45 Colt hot load of 250 gr. XTP loaded with 20 gr. of 2400 moving 1100 FPS out of my Ruger Alaskan stopped in jug 5 during a test.
Also shot several of the standard 230 gr. Speer bullets with same 5.5 gr. of Red Dot and speeds were 768-780 FPS and accuracy from standing position 21 ft. away was very good as you can see. This bullet and load was mainly for my 1858 Remington BP revolver.
Test revolver was my Ruger Bisley Blackhawk with 5.5 inch barrel.
First test was of 4 one gallon water filled jugs backed up with a stack of car magazines and then a box full of sand to catch bullet.
Bullet speed was 770 FPS and target was 10 ft. Result was the nose of bullet tended to roll inward with a minimum amount of outward expansion diameter of .460, Bullet stopped in 4th jug.
Next test was to setup a stack of 22 car magazines of same thickness and back that up with the sand box.
Result was great expansion of bullet and it had stopped at the backside exit of 11th magazine and lightly pierced Harry Gant's race car on the sports card!!
Hard to make this stuff up! I had no idea that card was in stack of magazines and it looks like that tough door side roll cage stopped further progress of the bullet.
Harry said " That bullet stops right here right now" !! Speed of that bullet was clocked at 769 FPS. the weight of bullet before test was 200.3 gr. and after water jug test 199.8 and 196.4 after magazine stack penetration.
What does this prove?? Well a water jug test maybe not a true test of expansion or is loosely stacked magazine paper closer to skin muscle and or bone?? Who knows??? Might run test again using a ballistic gel media. I did like the expansion of that Speer bullet at the moderate speed and I may bump up that load for another test. What is 2 3/4 inch of penetration into stacked paper magazines equal to? 4 one gallon jugs is good penetration for a hollow point bullet at a medium speed.
As a comparison my 45 Colt hot load of 250 gr. XTP loaded with 20 gr. of 2400 moving 1100 FPS out of my Ruger Alaskan stopped in jug 5 during a test.
Also shot several of the standard 230 gr. Speer bullets with same 5.5 gr. of Red Dot and speeds were 768-780 FPS and accuracy from standing position 21 ft. away was very good as you can see. This bullet and load was mainly for my 1858 Remington BP revolver.