Belt Mountain Punch bullets

[josquin]

I was just reading an article in African Hunter on hunting elephant with a Marlin 1895 in .50 Alaskan, using lead-cored brass bullets from Belt Mountain (beltmountain.com). There's a article on them at gunblast.com/BeltMtn_PunchBullet.htm.

Not that we can get 'em up here, of course, but an interesting read nonetheless.

Stuart

 

[ben hunchak]

Haven't read the article but maybe you could elaborate on the benefit of that bullet over a hardcast Wide flat point bullet of 420-500grs. at 2000fps. Most of the big bullets designed for African use are poorly designed usually being round nose and solid, lately some authors are realizing that a large flat pt. does far more damage, not sure about belt mountain.

 

[josquin]

...lately some authors are realizing that a large flat pt. does far more damage, not sure about belt mountain.

That's the gist of the article- a very hard bullet with a wide meplat that drives straight in without deforming or deflecting. At something lke BHN 40, those bullets won't be damaged by any amount of bone. The specs on the load he was using was a 460 gr. Punch Solid @ 2000 fps.(in a 7-lb rifle! OUCH!) In the penetration tests only the 416 Taylor (shooting a Trophy-bonded Solid @ 2365 fps.) out-penetrated it. It certainly did the deed on the elephant.

GS Custom bullets in S.A. does a sort of "wide flat Barnes" (ie copper, with driving bands) which is supposed to be deadly, too- same principle.

More to your way of thinking, I believe Dave Scovill of Rifle Mag. has taken some impressive African big game with WFN hard cast out of a Turnbull-restored 1886. I can't find the article so I can't remember the calibre. I think it was a .50.

Stuart

 

[Pepperpopper]

I think the thing is that the African talkie crowd likes controlled expantion bullets of some description for soft skin DG, and they want drill rod bullets for the harder boned animals. They are not fans of hard cast bullets which certainly get wide discusion on the various African forums. I'm not saying that is right or wrong, but it is in character with the kind of guns and bullets thay have prefered, and continue to prefer.

I would settle for a source of Starline Brass right about now, though I suppose the 348 Brass is a starting point. I'd buy some Ben Bullets in 50 AK sizes if you have them.