The 375 Winchester
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| At the request of fellow shooters, and to
continue in the quest for the best elk bullet for the 375 Winchester, I have cross
sectioned three bullets. Two are factory made for the 375 Winchester and the third
is from a self cut design, based on bullets for the larger 375 caliber rifles.
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| Below is the layout of measurements that I used to
compare these three bullets. Each empty copper casing was measured at points A, B, C, and
D (with one exception). Measurements were recorded and passed on to you.
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I thought this would come out a bit cleaner then it did and
for that I apologize ahead of time. I tried cutting these with my trusty high speed
Harbor Freight cut off saw, but it had a nasty habit of grabbing the bullet and flinging
it. Luckily, it flung it AWAY from me. One ruined! Next I tried my Dremmel, but it cut too wide a path and seemed to melt it more than cut it. Maybe with a different type of blade. Being the patient type that I am I decided then and there to use the hacksaw. Best choice all day. I ruined one learning how to best cut it with the hack saw. two ruined! Finally on the third bullet I got it right (sort of), at least they still LOOK like a bullet. More than I can say for the first two. Many thanks to Carl form the Leverguns website forum for the donation of the 220 Hornadys. Once the method was learned the other bullet sizes were quickly bisectioned as you see below. There are notable differences in bullet design and each seems to have its own merit. As for the best overall? You decide. I was told by the Sierra representative that their 200gr bullet was built heavier than the Hornady 220gr. His statement is true, to a point, at least according to my measurements. but what I do NOT have the ability to measure is the hardness of the lead or the copper jacket around it. |
| This is all three bullets side by side for comparison. They are in order left to right; Sierra 200gr FN Hornady 220gr FN Hornady 270gr CoreLokt cut to 250gr FN |
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| Right is the Sierra 200gr FN On the left side of this photo, is the half bullet with the lead still in the jacket. Center is the other side of the jacket with the lead removed and on the right is the lead that came out of the center jacket. Note on the top or mouth of the jacket, the crimp marks placed there by the factory. It has been pointed out to me that these crimp marks are actually cuts into the jacket to aid in expansion. You can also see the crimp marks at the top of the lead core. There is one canelure in this bullet. It seems to derive its strength from the thickness of the jacket and possibly from the hardness of the jacket and lead core. This bullets cross sectional measurements are as follows;
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Right is the Hornady 220gr FN On the left side of this photo, is the half bullet with the lead still in the jacket. Center is the other side of the jacket with the lead removed and on the right is the lead that came out of the center jacket. Note on the top or mouth of the jacket, the crimp marks placed there by the factory. It has been pointed out to me that these crimp marks are actually cuts into the jacket to aid in expansion. Note these crimp marks are of a different pattern than Sierra uses and I'm sure makes little difference in overall bullet performance. You can also see the crimp marks at the top of the lead core. There are two grooves in this lead portion of the bullet (the interlokt ring). Hornady seems to use this as a means to slow down expansion at this point, since the jacket is somewhat thinner at points A, B and C, as opposed to the Sierra 200gr. If you notice the lines on the note card you can sort of tell the differences in overall length. This bullets cross sectional measurements are as follows;
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| Right is the Hornady 250gr FN cut from the Hornady 270gr spire point On the left side of this photo, is the half bullet with the lead still in the jacket. Center is the other side of the jacket with the lead removed and on the right is the lead that came out of the center jacket. Note on the top or mouth of the jacket, there are no crimp marks on this jacket. There were there originally, but since I cut the spire point off to make this bullet, they do not show up on the jacket. This Hornady bullet has a much more consistent jacket thickness, top to bottom (note I added an "extra point" that was measured between A and B to emphasize this) and also has the canelure groove and the interlokt ring. The bottom groove on both Hornadys, is cut with sharper edges, to get a better purchase on the lead core. Although, the lead core came easily out of all three bullets. Also note, the bottom groove does NOT show up on the outside of the bullet. I did not take a photo of this but you can see it on the previous page. You CAN see the crimp marks at the top of the lead core. If you notice the lines on the note card you can sort of tell the differences in overall length. This bullets cross sectional measurements are as follows; |
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