Testing 250 Grain North Fork SS Bullets

[North Fork Technologies]

Izak Niewoudt:
Dear Sir,

I have recently performed tests on a North Fork bullet and compared it to the performance of another bonded-core bullet. This information was very useful to me and I figured it might be useful to you as well.
As I was preparing for an African non-dangerous game hunt, I was wondering what the maximum ethical distance would be for my 9.3x62 using the 250 grain North Fork SS bullets.
Based on calculations, I should be able to get 1800 ft/s (548 m/s) at 280 yards (250 m). To simulate this, I loaded the bullets with Reloader 26 powder to achieve this velocity at 10 yards. I shot it into calibrated gel blocks, and the performance was amazing. I got 37" (0.94 m) of straight line penetration and the bullet expanded to 14.5 mm, which is an expansion ratio of 1.56. The wound cavity in the first gel block was very good. The expansion of the bullet was perfectly symmetrical and this caused the perfect straight line penetration. The bullet retained more than 99% of its weight.

I then attempted the identical test with a polymer-tipped bonded core bullet. Due to the higher ballistic coefficient of this bullet, I set up the test for 1900 ft/s (579 m/s). The first 2 shots gave violent expansion at about 3-5 inches into the fresh gel block, but it veered off, and exited the gel block and could not be recovered. Only the third bullet was recovered. It also veered off, but not to the point where it exited and was lost. The bullet was turned sideways at the point where it was recovered. The way the front expanded in a shredded, non-symmetrical manner is what most likely caused it to veer off. The penetration was approximately 20" (0.5 m). Due to the non-symmetrical nature of the expansion, it is difficult to calculate an expansion ratio, but it is in the order of 1.8 times. The weight retention of the bullet is approximately 85%. From the photos it can be seen that the recovered bullet is much shorter.

Please see the above photographs of the two different bullets from these tests.

I will use the North Fork bullets with confidence on this African hunt.

Thank you for keeping the North Fork bullet line alive and available to handloaders in the USA.

Sincerely,

Izak Nieuwoudt
Wichita, KS
USA

https://www.northforkbullets.com/customer-reviews/

 

[Riflecrank]

"Before" images would add some zing to the "after" images of recovered bullets above.
So thought I would add some here.

I started stocking up on North Fork bullets over 22 years ago, from Mike Brady, originator,
and I trust that North Fork has only gotten better if any changes have been made,
like the nose shape on the FPS inspired by Michael and Sam in South Carolina.
Hopefully the .423/380-gr SS bullet is unchanged.
This one is 22 years old at least, a mate to the one that killed a bison bull so handily,
my stores are aging well, tarnishing little and barely oxidizing the exposed lead tips.
Today:

22 years ago:

Not quite as pretty as one from ballistic gelatin,
but it broke ribs on both sides of the chest, and bison ran a few yards spraying a geyser of blood from the entrance wound.

Heart shot on the run at only 80 yards, lucky me.
The bison was running, not me.
I continue to buy the Swedish North Fork bullets from Reloading International, waiting on some .474/500-gr SS and FPS right now, to supplement my ten-box stash of the .474/500-gr CPS.
One can never have too many bullets.

North Fork Bullets gets the nod over CEB and Hammer for that excellent .474/500-gr trio (SS, CPS, FPS).
I wish they would offer a .474/500-gr PP (Percussion Point) too. Heh-heh-heh.