Comet Tail

[Reloader762]

On another forum a gentleman was inquiring about some strange patterns around some of his bullet holes on his target. From what I can gather he was shooting a 300 BO, 11.4 grs. of AA1680 1:7 twist using a Berry's 220 gr. plated bullet. One poster in particular keep insisting it just a dirty barrel and it gun oil and powder spinning off the bullet. My theory is that for some unknown reason the bullet is coming apart.

Original target


Close up of the worst offender.

 

[Winelover]

Strange. Doubt the bullet is coming apart. I shot a lot of Berry's plated bullets into my backyard sand berm. I sift to recover and smelt. They won't melt unless they are scared. I have to use a hammer and chisel, to make a cut, on the perfectly intact bullets

 

[Rick]

Would be interesting to know at what distance these targets were shot?

 

[Reloader762]

Would be interesting to know at what distance these targets were shot?

According to the OP it was at 25 yds.

Here is a pic of the whole target with multiple tails.

 

[Rick]

I agree with John, doubtful the bullet is coming apart. Possibly a poor barrel is scraping copper plating off the bullet.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I would so quickly discount bullet problems. Plated handgun bullets mostly carry a MAX VELOCITY. These are rifle bullets yes, but @ 1:7 they are spinning MUCH faster then thru a reg twist of say 1:10.

IMHO Plated bullets are plinkers at best.

Again MHO, but a powder coated cast is a FAR FAR better choice.

CW

 

[Reloader762]

Some further information AR suppressed with a 9" barrel.

 

[Reloader762]

I would so quickly discount bullet problems. Plated handgun bullets mostly carry a MAX VELOCITY. These are rifle bullets yes, but @ 1:7 they are spinning MUCH faster then thru a reg twist of say 1:10.

IMHO Plated bullets are plinkers at best.

Again MHO, but a powder coated cast is a FAR FAR better choice.

CW

I don't think casting and powder coating are something he is interested in at the moment, seem just fine shooting plated or store bought bullets for now. They are plated rifle bullets, never shot any of those personally so I have no experience with them other than shooting some in a 45-70 and they did fine. I also have no experience with the 300 BO and what the proper twist rate for that particular caliber / bullet weights would be. All that copper spray on the target looks like a blowout just looks like a jacket failure to me.

 

[Winelover]

Plated handgun bullets mostly carry a MAX VELOCITY.

Exactly! I purchased Berry's Thick Plate 9 mm bullets, for the express purpose of shooting out of a carbine, where velocities are much higher than those generated by handguns. Hard to tell the difference from jacketed bullets, as far as construction, when smelting.

 

[Ian]

Baffle strike near the exit end of the can. Either misalignment or excessive bullet yaw.

 

[Rick]

Some further information AR suppressed with a 9" barrel.

Ah . . . Now that could explain a lot. See post #10.

 

[RBHarter]

It looks like it is either getting progressively worse or better as shooting went along .

I had a barrel with a burr on the gas port . Which eventually lead to a chunk in the bolt carrier . After a later discovery of a broken drill bit in a gas port I suspect that the chunk was tool steel not lead . Kind of a Lee AR kit gun ......
I also had one foul the crown behind the muzzle device to such a degree that it degraded accuracy and may have been dropping bits enough to effect flight .

Whatever the injury it appears to be non-uniform . If it were a burr or some other goober on the gas port it would either clean up or get worse and clock the same place .

To the baffle strike I can't speak but the damage would have to be pretty big to make it get worse , as in contact with damage .
Half don't show up damage .

I'm going to go to go with trash disrupting the exit flight .