Why avoid Hornady DG bullets and ammunition?

[WAB]

Wow, thirty one pages and still alive! That’s better performance than they ever got in the field!

 

[tarbe]

Very nice bull @Foxi

I killed the bull in my avatar with a 550gr Woodleigh that failed. Bonding did not hold and the bullet only retained 59% and did not make it past mid-thoracic on a slightly quartering to shoulder shot.

Fortunately enough bone and bullet fragments did enough damage to end the bull quickly.

Do failing bullets sometimes give great kills? Certainly...depends upon the circumstances.

 

[IdaRam]

I was under the impression, but don't know for sure, that Hornady had redesigned the DGS range of projectiles specifically due to these issues. @IdaRam was your experience with the new or old style?

I have a few boxes of the old style 500g .458 projectiles which I'm relegating to practice only. Having said that, I'm yet to be convinced that a solid is needed given the quality of A-Frames and some of the mono-metal designs.

I could be mistaken, but I don’t think Hornady has made any changes to the DGS line of bullets. The bullets I was using are probably about 2015 vintage.

 

[booker]

This post has leg's! As for the this round it was redesigned 7 years ago and reintroduced in 2018. If you still have the old non-bonded and shooting them well shame on you. The redesign works pretty damn good from the other threads I had read and from personal experience.
Just shoot what you and your guns like (if you can find it) and everything will work out just fine.

 

[Scott CWO]

This post has leg's! As for the this round it was redesigned 7 years ago and reintroduced in 2018. If you still have the old non-bonded and shooting them well shame on you. The redesign works pretty damn good from the other threads I had read and from personal experience.
Just shoot what you and your guns like (if you can find it) and everything will work out just fine.

You are saying the DGS solids were redesigned? The DGX were redesigned but the solids as well?

 

[PeteG]

I’ve shot the bonded out of my 458lott and they have not held up as well as hoped at short range. Better than the old model but still a terrible choice of DG bullet unfortunately, especially when you consider the options that are available.

Let’s ask this question.
would anyone pick a DGX/DGS over any of the following based simply on being better?

Woodleighs (safe in doubles)
Swift AFrame
TBBC / TB sledgehammer
Barnes tsx/ttsx/banded solids
Northfork
Rhino
Peregrine
And so on…

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I will use Hornady bullets/ammo on pigs. Head/neck shots only. I did use their GMX 7x57 ammo on pigs and whitetail does. I had one shot kills and exits on all the does (40-120yds) and no exits on the pigs. The does had minimal internal damage compared to Barnes bullets that normally explode hearts and lungs.

A friend of mine wrote for several gun magazines and I helped with a lot of his field data. In return, I was given a lot of products to try. Hornady is very generous with writers (or was then) and I was always getting plenty of their bullets. So, in my experience, Hornady bullets are fine for shooting a deer behind the shoulder (no shoulder bones!) off the feeder.

When Mama got her 275 Rigby, I bought a case of Hornady 275 Rigby ammo. We use it for practicing and then we have 275 Rigby stamped brass to reload.

Other's experiences may vary but the only way I will use Hornady bullets in Africa or anything bigger than a whitetail will be if Hornady is picking up the bill for the hunt.

Safe hunting

 

[IdaRam]

As for the this round it was redesigned 7 years ago and reintroduced in 2018. If you still have the old non-bonded and shooting them well shame on you. The redesign works pretty damn good from the other threads I had read and from personal experience.

Are you referring to the DGX (soft), DGS (solid), or both?

 

[booker]

Are you referring to the DGX (soft), DGS (solid), or both?

soft

 

[booker]

Are you referring to the DGX (soft), DGS (solid), or both?

soft

 

[booker]

You are saying the DGS solids were redesigned? The DGX were redesigned but the solids as well?

soft not sure on the solids

 

[Hunt anything]

When I saw this thread resurrrected I dug my bullets from my first buffalo, maybe I was fortunate in the results. This was in 2014 and I don’t recall much of a selection in .375 Ruger at the time. The expanding bullet entered his left shoulder and was found beneath the skin of his right shoulder. The solid entered 2” left of his anas and was found in his dewlap, about 8 feet of buffalo. Hornady DGX and DGS 300 grain.

 

[Tanks]

I have had no issues with bonded or non-bonded DGX bullets. Guess it depends on placement.
Non-bonded.

Result, dead in 20 yards.

 

[Rafiki]

These bullets were recovered from 2 buffalo just a few months ago. I took both Woodleigh (Weldcore & FMJ) and Hornady (DGX & DGS) all of which were 570gr and handloaded for .500 Sharps 2-1/2” (50-90 Sharps). All were made to be ballistically equivalent to the usual ballistics of the .500 NE (2150fps).

From a handloading perspective I liked that the Hornady bullets are configured the same regardless of being soft or solid, and in my admittedly limited case performed very well, and yes the DGX were the newer bonded version. It was fairly easy to achieve the velocity I was looking for in a case that is ½ inch shorter than a NE. I was a bit surprised that they lost so much weight although the shank held together well; one of these went right between the Boss.

The Woodleigh’s I really like. They are more traditional and obviously hold together as advertised. Unfortunately, I don’t know where in the buffalo they were found since they were returned to me from the skinning shed but it looks to me that a lot of bone was involved. Are the Weldcores over expanded? Hard to say without knowing penetration and bullet path.

As I said, from the point of view of the results they both ultimately worked well for me. The trip was planned and executed as a close quarters hunt on “Dagga Boys”. I fully understand the reticence of using Hornady softs due to the history especially when the chips are on the line.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

The Hornadirs look to have held up well. What happened to the buff - drop dead, run off?

 

[Rafiki]

Kevin, the smaller of the 2 (36") was initially hit straight on, didn't go down and charged. That's the one that was then hit between the horns. These there the Hornady's.

The second bull (43") was hit broadside and went a ways before turning back. Pretty evident it wasn't going anywhere but took 2 more, the last unnecessary.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Kevin, the smaller of the 2 (36") was initially hit straight on, didn't go down and charged. That's the one that was then hit between the horns. These there the Hornady's.

The second bull (43") was hit broadside and went a ways before turning back. Pretty evident it wasn't going anywhere but took 2 more, the last unnecessary.

What rifle did you use?

 

[Rafiki]

Rifle is a custom Ruger No 1, 500 Sharps 2-1/2" (50-90 Sharps). Taking a single shot rifle with iron sights, chambered in an "obsolete" cartridge specially hand loaded was part of the challenge.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Rifle is a custom Ruger No 1, 500 Sharps 2-1/2" (50-90 Sharps). Taking a single shot rifle with iron sights, chambered in an "obsolete" cartridge specially hand loaded was part of the challenge.

So you faced down a buffalo charge with a Ruger No1? And won!

 

[Rafiki]

Well, I did have backup but he missed. Pretty exciting few seconds.