.470 N.E. Bullet Test By Bullet Safaris

[BULLET SAFARIS]

I think many of us support Hornady because they support us. In many cases they are the only game in town. They have brought back many cartridges that were very hard to source. Just a couple of years ago 404j was very hard to find. I for one thank them for their support. Do I think they make the best bullets out there, no I do not but I do thank them.

I like many of their products. They are good and a good company for sure. Also good folks from what I understand.
So YES support Hornady!

But I can't use or recommend them in Africa for dangerous game when my client/ tracker/ my life is potentially at risk.

 

[ActionBob]

But, you have to ask why Hornady has not been able to match several others with both softs and solids.?

Attitude. And economics/greed.

 

[Major Bonkers]

Very interesting, but you have left out Rhino and Woodleigh bullets, which would have been interesting to compare. As for OEM ammunition, it would be interesting to look at the Kynoch, Norma, and the various German brands.

 

[BULLET SAFARIS]

Seems like my best choice for backing my wife and her 375 is going to be my 404J with the 430 gr NF cup points.

Depends on what animal and the circumstances really
Will work fineni think but I havnt tested them on real animals.
Less penetration that a monolithic, more knock down most likely?

I was impressed with them not 100% sure where most applicable

 

[BULLET SAFARIS]

Very interesting, but you have left out Rhino and Woodleigh bullets, which would have been interesting to compare. As for OEM ammunition, it would be interesting to look at the Kynoch, Norma, and the various German brands.

Agreed. Really should do them all. And will! Help me compile a list of solids and a list of expandable.
Will get it done!

Right now I'm shooting them through hippos and buffalo!

 

[BULLET SAFARIS]

Some of us may have been more (or less) lucky than others with the DGX Bonded, I guess...

500 gr DGX Bonded launched by a .470 NE sitting on the horns of a nice Buff after a one-shot kill...

View attachment 693317

This being said, since I moved to Barnes loaded ammo -- and replaced my KGun .470 with a .458 Lott Selous barrel for my Blaser R8 -- I now shoot the 500 gr TSX...

View attachment 693319

I do have a few boxes of .458 Lott Barnes ammo 500 gr Banded Solids collecting dust in the ammo locker, but I must say that I have never needed to shoot one at a live animal, the TSX being so effective and already penetrating so deep... Heck! it has proven itself effective all the way to frontal brain shots on Elephant during culling operations................... (I know, I know, eretic thought )

But I continue to credit Steve Hornady for having almost single handedly resurrected the classic big bore British calibers when he decided to restart loading them at a time when nobody wanted to touch them with a 10 foot pole...

That DGX did the job for you. Looks pretty - But thats not great retention of lead weight. Surface area trimmed back/reduced due to the same.

New TSX looks great and have done well for me and my clients. I have had failures with them. Can't say if they were older or newer but sometime they dont open - seems to be mainly on angles shots and maybe was the older ones

 

[sgt_zim]

Depends on what animal and the circumstances really
Will work fineni think but I havnt tested them on real animals.
Less penetration that a monolithic, more knock down most likely?

I was impressed with them not 100% sure where most applicable

M'bogo.

Trying to figure out a way to get over to eastern Limpopo for a day or 3 for a tuskless in 2027. My outfitter has a lodge practically on the banks of the Crocodile River. Definitely solids for that, and probably leave the missus at camp.

 

[BULLET SAFARIS]

The cupped solid penetrated a hippo head from the front ending up in the neck.

The North Fork soft went into a big cat.

Both performed excellent.

 

[Ray B]

About 30 years ago I did a similar bullet test for every .30 bullet I could get (in USA) for some articles I was doing for Handloader and Handloader Digest. I found interesting the comment that the Barnes expanding bullet had issues. When I did the articles the Barnes X bullet had just come out. My impact medium was 1 gallon milk jugs filled with water. the cartridges were .30-06 and 300 Wby. Most bullets needed only a row of milk jugs, 4 to 8 in a row. the bullets would travel in a straight line so recovery was simple- EXCEPT for the Barnes X. Near as I could tell the issue was the four petal didn't open equally and would break off but didn't do so uniformly. The result was the remaining petals would act like a rudder and steer the bullet well off course. It took several shots to finally catch some bullets and instead of a single row of jugs I had a pile of about forty jugs. It's nice to see Barnes recognized the issue and appear to have corrected it.