.375 Ruger African and Hornady bullets

[Velo Dog]

The curious thing is that Hornady publishes loads using the .375 DGX in their manual for velocities all the way up to 2900 fps (378 Weatherby).

Hi CTDolan,

If I were to bet some beer money on the result of a Hornady DGX bullet, impacting the shoulder bone of a buffalo, eland or giraffe, anywhere near 2900 fps, my money would be on it (the bullet) shattering.

I base my guess on how thoroughly well they reportedly deform, at much lower velocity than anything the Weatherby cartridges generally launch their projectiles at.
(Two DGX performance "reports" are from me - LOL, but a couple from other posters here as well).
I liked the performance I got from the two that I shot a buffalo and a zebra with but, I am not a high velocity man, at least not for big game anyway (If I was hunting ground squirrels at long range, I would sing a different song).

Several brands of reloading manuals, including Hornady brand have shown data for Weatherby and other "super-velocity" cartridges, at least since the 1960's through today's publications, using each their own brand of bullets.
History has shown that more than one brand of bullet will not hold together when impacting heavy bone at such screeching velocities.
If I was a fan of such cartridges, I would be sure to only use extremely tough bullets in them, unless just shooting rodents and other farm pests.

It is my shade tree opinion that, if you are only shooting medium to large bore, heavy for caliber bullets, then the old fashioned "cup and core" types, especially the blunt shaped ones are a pretty good choice.

But conversely, I you feel the need to shoot any of these extra high velocity type cartridges (such as the .378 Weatherby you mentioned) for big game, then you owe it to the animals to use a very tough/appropriately modern bullet, that will be likely to hold together well enough to penetrate through big game muscle and bone, and thereby quickly dispatch your animal.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[CTDolan]

Oh yeah, I agree, completely. I once had a 378 Weatherby and shot factory ammo, which was loaded with Hornady solids and softs (the old solid and soft-nosed bullets from Hornady).

The idea behind the DGX is the same as the Partition (Nosler or Swift)...easy expansion up front, stopped by an unyielding base (in the case of the DGX, by virtue of a very stout jacket). The issue with the DGX is that the core is one, which means that (Interlock or not) it is subject to separating from the jacket.

By the way, the image? Notice how tiny the Interlock band is...it's almost indecipherable.

 

[Velo Dog]

Nice advertisement / bullet photo and gain, I do like the DGX but, with the caveat that I am not a "high velocity cartridge for heavy game" type of hunter.

 

[CTDolan]

Neither am I (a high velocity guy), not in the least. The 378 Weatherby, I had that one 30 years ago (followed by a 460). Today, I prefer a more middle-of-the-road approach.