HornadyDGX vs. Norma A-frame

[Karamojo Bill]

My safari is in less than 110 days. I have lioness, oryx, impala, & blesbok on my permit. I have obtained 2 boxes of Norma A-frame and 2 boxes of Hornady DGX. I need to blast some for sight-in & practice w/ my .416 Rigby. If it were you, (experience preferred), which ammo would you shoot up?

 

[Calhoun]

Bill.. I myself would shoot a group of 3 or 5 with each brand & go with the most accurate. If you read my stuff i mostly was a cast bullet shooter , but when I use jacketed bullets I have pretty much stuck to nozler & Hornaday bullets. I have never tried A frames but all I have ever heard was good about them. I have always been a little on the cheap side & stuck with the brands I've used for a long time. I'm not totally convinced unless you are shooting dangerous game - dead is dead. They all crack their bullets up to be the best but a well placed shot will do the job safely for you 99% of the time!!
With the animals you are hunting & the caliber you are shooting I think the bullet will be going through the animal mighty quick. With a big bullet wound channel, Opening up for expansion I don't think will be a big concern!! A well placed shot should pretty much anchor them in their tracks!!

 

[jaustin]

Hello Bill, I have used the Hornady DGX to hunt buffalo with my .416 Rigby. Bullet performance was perfect. I shot my buff twice although it was on its way down with the first one. I only recovered one bullet but it was a perfect mushroom and probably about 95% retained weight (I did not weigh it). The shot was broadside at about 35 yards, and the bullet was recovered under the skin on the off side. Not sure what happened to the other bullet as I did not stay for the complete skinning job. Besides great performance these bullets shot very well out of my rifle from the bench. Hope this helps. Jim

 

[Frederik]

I'm sure you would have no hassles with both loads just take the one your rifle enjoys the most.

 

[Karamojo Bill]

Results

Thank you for the input, gentlemen. I couldn't find my post to check on reccomendations. It had been moved and I didn't know this one existed.

I took both to the range. Both seemed to group about the same, in the same spot:clapping:. I shot up both boxes. After the initial sight-in and accuracy check of both with cool barrel, I shot the rest off-hand and off sticks at balloons on 1 foot strings blowing in the wind.

Let's just say both the gun and myself are ready for Africa

 

[Calhoun]

Sounds good Bill!! By the way which ammo are you going to use! I think either choice will be great!!

 

[RayAtkinson]

Ammo

I really like those Hornady DG bullets.

I am not a real fan of the Swift bullets. They do expand with regularity and all of them look the same with an expanded base behind the perfect mushroom, but therein lies a problem IMO..Having shot quite a number of animal with them I have found that they sometimes don't leave a good blood trail and animals sometimes make too many tracks to satisfy me, and I account this to the the fact that the expanded portion of the bullet is just too smooth and round and does little internal damage!

On the other hand a bullet like the Woodleigh that expands with ragged cutting arms extended out wide all the way around and that bonded core to keep it together is a literal buzz saw and makes a vicious wound with a lot of blood going out everywhere...

My all time favorite bullets are Woodleighs, Nosler partitions, North Fork Industries, and RSA's GS Custom monolithic HPs...My favorite solids are GS Custom and Northfork flat points and the Northfork cup point is in a class all its own, it will do anything a solid or a soft point will do on big game of any kind..

Just my personal opinnon based my experiences only, and I know many folks who love Swift bullets, but guess that whats make fords and chevys, dog fights and horse races...