Posted on 08/31/2012 6:00:43 PM PDT by marktwain
The good people at the Mousegun Addict blog have done some external ballistics testing with Lehigh Defense's Maximum Expansion bullets using water and Corbin SIM- TEST ballistic medium, and the results are positive but mixed. Suffice it to say not one of us would volunteer to be shot with this exotic ammunition.
This highly specialized ammo runs about $2 per cartridge, so tests are very welcome. Currently the Maximum Expansion line has offerings in .38 Special, .380 and .45 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W and even subsonic .300 AAC Blackout.
Maximum Expansion ammunition uses a solid copper bullet that is machined to have a hollow cavity and four petals. As soon as the bullet begins to penetrate, the petals fold out perpendicular to the axis of the bullet out to about 90 degrees. The expansion is nothing short of amazing.
These bullets were fired from a .45 ACP Glock 36 and a converted 9mm Glock 27 and recovered from water. These pistols have short, 3.8-inch and 3.5-inch barrels, respectively, and yet expansion was perfect and complete with all samples. The .45 expanded to about 1.3 inches wide, which is just unheard of. Here is the video of the preliminary water jug test.
(Excerpt) Read more at guns.com ...
My caliper measured estimate of the expansion of the 9mm round (from the picture, using the .45 measurement given for scale) shows at .81 inches.
I’d like to see some denim covered gel tests. This looks pretty impressive.
Still have a bunch of Black Talons. They open up in a similar manner.
All copper is a bit lighter than lead. Corbin has developed most of the defense bullets in use today.
Corbins.com
Yes no one is volunteering to be shot by this ammo.
Yes the expansion is impressive but given that you are going to give up mass and thus pounds of force by replacing lead with copper what are the advantages of this ammo over standard safety slugs.
Ouch! Those might sting a tad!
Interesting, I’d like to know what velocities they’re driving these at to get this expansion.
Sadly they probably won’t make it in my favorite caliber, .38 Super.
Glaser safety slugs silver is what I use out of my 44 SPL. IMHO it’s hard to beat.
Remington has been manufacturing a shotgun sabot slug based on this design for a number of years. Very effective.
(I just purchased a box of 5 “Accu-Tip” 12 gauge 3” shells for about $20. Very expensive but supposedly very accurate out beyond 200 yards at close to 2000 fps.)
DRT comes in handgun calibers. Serious stuff with no/minimal collateral damage risks
One of the major concerns with any bullet is to achieve the maximum stopping power at the lowest possible caliber. Stopping power is the bullet’s ability to kill a target by means of ballistic injury. The DRT bullet possesses the power to kill quickly and inflicts massive damage in even its smallest versions. Even though the bullet does come apart, the ability to have a delayed expansion allows this particular bullet to go through light barriers before it expands. It does not act like traditional frangible ammo in the sense that lack of penetration has been the calling card of that type of ammo. We have effectively developed bullets that are penetrating and frangible.
It makes sense but I would like to see a ballistic analysis showing the advantages/disadvantages in muzzle velocity and impact energy of these slugs as compared to more traditional safety slugs.
This appears to be a great piece of engineering but I have yet to be convinced.
marker
Sick.
I’d like to see how these work on Taliban flesh...
Great for putting down rabid animals and zombies...
Just under 1,000fps
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