I would first like to thank this forum and its members for providing such a great amount of practical and useful information. I use many websites like this one for not just research, but fixing so many things in everyday life, I don’t know what I would do without resources like this one.
One thing, I am definitely guilty of, is signing up with a user name, but never slowing down long enough to come back and share some of the information I have learned that might help other members. I don’t have the knowledge and experience that many of you do, but hopefully I have some useful information that others might be interested in.
I guess I’ve always been interested in what a bullet/projectile does to whatever it is impacting. I definitely don’t consider myself young anymore, so I’ve been pulling bullets out of whatever would stop them for a good many years now. I have been able to do this in both my personal and professional life.
I have recently had the opportunity to start a guiding career in Alaska, something that occasionally ran through my mind for the last 30 years, but never really thinking I would have the opportunity. I have had a fair amount of reloading supplies sitting around for numerous years, not thinking I’d use them for anything more than my yearly Whitetail hunting in Michigan or trip to one of our western states. Embarking on this new career has led to hundreds of hours of research and a bunch of destroyed water jugs. Hopefully some of you will enjoy and find the below information useful.
After conducting these tests, looking over the results, and studying testing done by others, I discovered that when using 1 gallon milk jugs, the most telling jugs were number four and number seven. Many rifle bullets at the most common velocities would destroy the first 2 to 3 jugs and penetrate into the fourth or fifth and sometimes the sixth. Speed any expanding bullet up, especially cup and core and you get less overall penetration and jug four would just have a hole in it and no rupturing. Slow a solidly constructed bullet down to “normal velocities” and you would get rupturing through jug number three and penetration into and sometimes through jug seven.
The first testing below is from this year, before spring bear season and was follow up testing from last year. If members are interested, and if I have time, hopefully I can post more results in the future.
Thank you to @IdaRam for providing the below form.
I have photos, video and write ups for most of the rounds that I’ve tested.
338 Win Mag, 275 grain A-frame, 72 grains of Reloader 22 in a federal, nickel case. First four jugs destroyed with ruptures in five and six. Bullet went through 7, hit the back of eight and put a hole in nine. It was inside of the 8th.
It is one of the best performing bullets, based on the milk jug test that I can find online. No other bullet has damaged jug five and six like this one in my testing.
30’06, 220 grain partition, 2607 FPS, Reloader 22, 57 grains, first four jugs destroyed just like the 275 grain swift A-frames, however, the bullet weighed 118 grains and was found in jug six.
One thing, I am definitely guilty of, is signing up with a user name, but never slowing down long enough to come back and share some of the information I have learned that might help other members. I don’t have the knowledge and experience that many of you do, but hopefully I have some useful information that others might be interested in.
I guess I’ve always been interested in what a bullet/projectile does to whatever it is impacting. I definitely don’t consider myself young anymore, so I’ve been pulling bullets out of whatever would stop them for a good many years now. I have been able to do this in both my personal and professional life.
I have recently had the opportunity to start a guiding career in Alaska, something that occasionally ran through my mind for the last 30 years, but never really thinking I would have the opportunity. I have had a fair amount of reloading supplies sitting around for numerous years, not thinking I’d use them for anything more than my yearly Whitetail hunting in Michigan or trip to one of our western states. Embarking on this new career has led to hundreds of hours of research and a bunch of destroyed water jugs. Hopefully some of you will enjoy and find the below information useful.
After conducting these tests, looking over the results, and studying testing done by others, I discovered that when using 1 gallon milk jugs, the most telling jugs were number four and number seven. Many rifle bullets at the most common velocities would destroy the first 2 to 3 jugs and penetrate into the fourth or fifth and sometimes the sixth. Speed any expanding bullet up, especially cup and core and you get less overall penetration and jug four would just have a hole in it and no rupturing. Slow a solidly constructed bullet down to “normal velocities” and you would get rupturing through jug number three and penetration into and sometimes through jug seven.
The first testing below is from this year, before spring bear season and was follow up testing from last year. If members are interested, and if I have time, hopefully I can post more results in the future.
Thank you to @IdaRam for providing the below form.
I have photos, video and write ups for most of the rounds that I’ve tested.
338 Win Mag, 275 grain A-frame, 72 grains of Reloader 22 in a federal, nickel case. First four jugs destroyed with ruptures in five and six. Bullet went through 7, hit the back of eight and put a hole in nine. It was inside of the 8th.
It is one of the best performing bullets, based on the milk jug test that I can find online. No other bullet has damaged jug five and six like this one in my testing.
30’06, 220 grain partition, 2607 FPS, Reloader 22, 57 grains, first four jugs destroyed just like the 275 grain swift A-frames, however, the bullet weighed 118 grains and was found in jug six.