Air Gun Home :: View topic - Lee 309-113F as Hollowpoint

rsterne · Moderator

I got a chance to try out my new mold today, here are the results.... I was using 1% tin, and casting at ~800*F....

The bullet is listed as 113 gr., and casts in pure lead at 118 gr., and as a hollowpoint it comes out at 109 gr.... As cast they run 0.3080"-0.3095", the bullet on the right is sized to 0.308".... One thing I like about this design, which as a solid shot well from my DAQ and Hayabusa, is that being a gas-check design the corner of the base doesn't touch the crown as it exits the muzzle, the release point is at the rear of the back driving band, which isn't affected by the force of the sprue-cutter.... My mold is an "Inset Bar" conversion by Erik at Hollow Point Bullet Mold Service.... http://www.hollowpointmold.com/

Erik sells some Lee 2-cavity molds already converted for $99, and can do many different sizes providing the bullet is not too long.... He can also convert other makes of molds, I am having him convert one cavity in my new 3-cavity Accurate .357 Boattail mold so that I can try both solids and HPs.... If you have ever considered getting a mold to throw hollowpoints, give Erik a call or drop him an email.... His communications are top notch, and his machining skills speak for themselves....

Bob

rsterne · Moderator

Penetration test in melt-and-pour soap at 880 fps (187 FPE)....

The penetration was 5.5" and the wound channel is about 0.75" across about 1.25" from the point of entry.... The base of the bullet is intact, but the hollowpoint nose came apart into 5 pieces, which were distributed along the wound channel from the middle to the end.... All of the bullet was recovered, and the base weighed 66 gr. (60% of the total).... The penetration was about 25% more than a 66 gr. HP in my .257 Hayabusa at 130 FPE....

I would expect in tissue the penetration would be greater and the expansion less than in the soap, with the bullet staying more intact.... The BC should, in theory, be about 0.19, which means it should still be travelling ~850 fps (175 FPE) at 50 yards, and about 820 fps (163 FPE) at 100 yards.... I'm very pleased with this bullet performance....

Bob