I did some bullet testing today. Last year I started using Remington 240gr SJHP in a 5 inch revolver. I was impressed with how that bullet performed at 70 yards with that gun on a whitetail doe. I wasn't sure how it would hold up at higher velocities from a longer barrel.
I brought my 10 inch Contender and 12 inch Encore along for the test. First I checked velocities. The 240gr SJHP over 22gr of W296 averaged 1456fps from the Contender and 1508fps from the Encore. Surprisingly with only 52fps difference between them the bullet performed differently.
This was somewhat of a tough test but I try to simulate impacting bone/flesh while using water filled milk jugs. For the test I used a water filled milk jug, then 1 inch of glossy catalogs, a piece of one half inch plywood followed by several more milk jugs. I fired all shots from 8 yards.
First I tested the round in the Contender. The bullet punched a hole in the 4th water jug but did not exit the third jug. It put a .817 inch hole in the plywood. The recovered bullet lost 78gr with a recovered weight of 162 grains. It expanded to .642 inches at its widest.
Next I tested the same round in the Encore. The bullet hit at the edge of the plywood but didn't penetrate it. The strips of plywood were thin so I put two standing side by side, as a result all shots being fired at the center of the front jug hit the edge of the plywood. It appears that the bullet must have pushed the plywood sideways allowing at least some of the lead core to go into the jugs. It exited the second jug but was not recovered. Looking at the plywood it appeared it hit a knot (far right piece of plywood in pic) so I thought maybe it was tougher on the bullet than the Contender test.
I had enough water jugs along so I repeated the test. Once again the bullet didn't seem to have enough mass to penetrate the plywood (marked as Shot #2 in pic). This time the core did exit the third jug but only the jacket and a small piece of lead was recovered.
With the plywood this was a pretty tough test. I want to simulate hitting bone heavier than a rib. More than likely this round would be fine at the higher Encore velocities especially as velocities drop at longer distances. Still, after this test I wouldn't have faith in it at the higher Encore velocities. I was impressed with its performance from the Contender though.
I had four jugs left and decided to see how a 270gr Speer GDSP over 20.5gr of W296 would perform from the Encore. I've tested this bullet before using a 5 inch revolver and found it to be fairly hard. On a similar test to the one above using particle board it deformed, not really mushrooming and only lost 17 grains.
Prior to that test I killed a bighorn ewe with that bullet using a 7.5 inch revolver. The shot was at a steep upward angle with me 40 yards below the sheep. It entered low in the chest and exited her back clipping the spine. She dropped on the spot but the entrance and exit holes along with the wound channel were not that impressive. IMO this bullet needs to be pushed faster for reliable expansion.
The 12 inch Encore barrel should definitely push it faster than the revolvers. I shot it through the chrony and it averaged 1420fps (the Contender averaged 1366fps with this load). At that velocity this bullet was impressive. It penetrated all four remaining jugs so it wasn't recovered. It did leave an impressive 1.196 inch hole in the plywood. I'll test this bullet more at longer ranges to see where the expansion begins to drop off.
One other thing I found from testing today was how consistent both loads were. The 240gr SJHP averaged a 52fps difference between the two barrel lengths. The 270gr GDSP averaged a 54fps difference between the two guns. That pretty much reflects what I've always read that velocity gains or drops 25fps on average per inch of barrel length. I hope some find this test helpful or at least interesting.
All load listed are safe in my guns but may not be in yours.