Looking for an Accurate Hollow Point for my Disco

[PyroMonkey]

By now I'm pretty familiar with the fact that my .22 discovery loves JSB 18 gr and H&N barracuda.  These pellets are awesome, they are very accurate and penetrate extremely well, especially the barracuda.

How about a hollow point though?

I want something that might stop inside a crow or squirrel if I hit them in the torso.  I've tried crow magnums and crosman premier hollow points.  Crosmans shoot pretty good but they don't function as a hollow point.  Crow magnums are the opposite, they expand like crazy but they don't shoot straight.

What functional hollow points shoot well out of your .22 discovery?


I appreciate your insight - Andy

[Big Bore Bart]

  Well I do not have a Disco... but the barrel on my pumper is from a 2260.     It does pretty well with the Beeman Kodiak HP's/ H/N Barracuda Hunters.     These are an 18.2gr HP with better BC than the Crow Magnums.   They are a lot softer than the CPHP's, and hit with a smack.

[Nomadic Pirate]

H&N Baracuda Hunters are great Hollowpoints if the shoot well out of your gun

[Bicycleman]

Monkey Boy, my totally stock Discovery .22 loves the Crosman Premier Hollow Point pellets.  On average, about one out of three kills still have the pellet inside (Fox Squirrels).  So far this season, I have found five pellets in the far side.  That indicated to me that almost all of the energy of the pellets is being absorbed by all the squirrels I shoot; and 1/3 of the time all of the energy is spent inside.   

You said:  "Crosmans shoot pretty good but they don't function as a hollow point."  I am not sure what you mean by the statement.

[selittle]

You said:  "Crosmans shoot pretty good but they don't function as a hollow point."  I am not sure what you mean by the statement.

I think he means they don't really expand, which is something that I have noticed.  I have dug a lot of CPHP's put of wooden and rubber backstops after shooting at our range and find they don't hardly deform at all. 

[PyroMonkey]

You said:  "Crosmans shoot pretty good but they don't function as a hollow point."  I am not sure what you mean by the statement.

I think he means they don't really expand, which is something that I have noticed.  I have dug a lot of CPHP's put of wooden and rubber backstops after shooting at our range and find they don't hardly deform at all. 

Bingo, they don't change shape at all.  Others experience may vary, but in my case they pass through every time. 

I've done a few tests by shooting milk jugs or clay.  On both mediums the crosman hollow points penetrate better than the JSB domes lol

[Rico14]

If Predators are accurate in your Disco, they are one of the best pellets for hunting

[Ribbonstone]

No sure you’re going to get them to stop inside a  crow or squirrel at their normal speeds, even when they expand well, those aren’t real thick targets.  Good news is that an pellet mangled and expanded won’t go as far after exit, esp after losing a great deal of velocity in passing though.

Going to miss a few, as I've not tried them all, but of the ones I have tried. Mostly tried 5mm and .22, but have tired some of the .177 and a few of the .25 offerings as well. 

Benjamin HP's won't normally expand (.177/.22).  Will expand if you shoot them really fast against something really stiff, but so will round noses under those conditions.

Predators (pointed hollow point) work great if your gun will shoot them well. Especially like the 5mm and .177 versions. Not all barrels seem to like them, but most shoot them OK.  Bonus here is that their shape (BC) is better for energy retention.

Crowmags won't shoot well in many guns (OK..."most" guns).  In the few that do shoot them well enough to use, they will expand well.  My .25 shoots them well enough and one 5mm likes them, but aren’t accurate in anything but these two guns (our of about 25).  Shape isn't great for velocity retention, and they are heavier than normal, so aren't going to be great longer range choices.

RWS H-points shoot well in some guns and will expand, but I’ve only tried the .22 versions.  First Disc really liked them, current Disco is “so-so” with them. Normally they'll expand enough for the base to detach and continue on, leaving a mangled ring of lead (what was the nose) along the way. Got about the same BC as a wad cutter.

Silver Bears have barely expanded. Are  bit on the lite side, and can be accurate, but  expansion is about like the Crosman HP’s . At worst, it acts like a wad cutter an cuts a clean hole, but like a lite WC, it slows down like a ping-pong ball.

Baracuda hunter have been a disappointing in .25 (only caliber I’ve tried).  Just couldn’t get it to expand on soft targets even at +900fps impact speeds.  Others evidently have (or have used stiffer test material). Good news is that they shoot just about as well as the solid nosed version.

Some test pictures:

For testing, try to get a unifom substance that’s not water-loose or clay-solid, something in the middle. 

Settled on soaking wet news print, just about the stage where it starts to turn back into pulp, but can still be handled.  Too dry, and it acts like wood. Too wet, and it acts like oatmeal.

Test rig:
 Capture the velocity at impact so you aren’t estimating the speed.




Measure the depth of penetration.

Dig out the pellets.

Compare the results:







 (was looking at 12 foot pound guns only here):





JUST HAVING FUN:

I’ve shot a lot of odd things for comparison.

Spoiled hot dogs (sometimes they fall out of the grovery bag and are discovered a day later):




Rotten Limes:

[rsterne]

You may find that the Disco overpowers the RWS SuperHollowPoint, causing it to disintegrate, leaving a ring behind with the conical skirt portion blowing right through.... The Predator and H&N Baracuda Hunter and Hunter Extremes are likely the best chance to find an accurate HP, but it will just depend on your individual gun.... Crosman / Benjamin HPs and the H&N / Beeman 12.2 gr. HPs are a waste of time, they just blow right through without expanding.... You've already found that Crow Magnums aren't accurate enough....

Bob

[Mark Mowrey]

No sure you’re going to get them to stop inside a  crow or squirrel at their normal speeds, even when they expand well, those aren’t real thick targets.  Good news is that an pellet mangled and expanded won’t go as far after exit, esp after losing a great deal of velocity in passing though.

The H&N Barracuda Hunters are just about the only thing I shoot out of my Marauder.  They are very accurate for me.  I generally shoot my Marauder from 2700 psi down to 2000 psi and, I have no idea of the speed it is shooting, but the Barracuda Hunters stop inside of squirrels nearly 100% of the time.  The photos below are of pellets that have been extracted from actual biological bushy tailed targets; none of that ballistic gel testing here.   They have all stopped just under the skin of the opposite side of entry.  I can feel the pellet under the skin.  I just pinch the skin next to the pellet and make a cut with a pair of side cut wire cutters.  The pellets usually pop right out with a little squeeze.

I recently sold my Discovery and I do not have any extracted Barracuda hunters from it.  It is possible that they won't expand as well from the Discovery as the examples from my Marauder due to lower velocities

[Big Bore Bart]

  Now that's some real world expansion testing!!    Thank you for the pics.

[amb5500c]

I don't have a Discovery rifle but my Marauder and several of my other guns shoot the Baracuda Hunters very well.
Richard

[PyroMonkey]

Thanks for the data guys, this forum is awesome!

It's looking like the barracuda hunters and polymags are my best chance.