80gr HP .257 Slugs From KnifeMaker :- )

[wll2506]

Got my .257 slugs in from KnifeMaker .... man alive they are nice .... 80gr HP with a BC of .225, the mold line is very nice and very, very thin also. Have not shot them yet, will this weekend, looking to push them out in the 950fps+ area which should not be a problem. Mike (KnifeMaker) says they hit like a ton of bricks and I believe him,  said the coon that he hit was louder then the sound of his gun going off ;- )

Here is a pic of what they look like:

These are very nice slugs made very well and are very clean. They are .around .260 as I got them, I will resized them.

I may buy a few more too, as I don't cast and the supply I get may be the last I ever buy because the gun and the slugs will be used for hunting only ...... no target shooting, no plinking or anything like that. My .257 Condor gun and my .357 Bulldog are single purpose guns.

I'll let you know how they shoot by Monday !

wll2506

[dyotat100]

I have the same mold but not HP and they are 85 gr. I had HP but mold was decked and is now 67 gr HP and 71 gr FN.

I think a BC of .225 is on the high side for any 257 bullet. I have my 92 gr .257 bullet and I don't think it's that high.

The Lyman 257420 is in the .160 area.

I use .230 on my 165 gr .338 bullet and it takes 20 moa less to shoot 220 yds then the .257 with the same mount setup.

[wll2506]

I have the same mold but not HP and they are 85 gr. I had HP but mold was decked and is now 67 gr HP and 71 gr FN.

I think a BC of .225 is on the high side for any 257 bullet. I have my 92 gr .257 bullet and I don't think it's that high.

The Lyman 257420 is in the .160 area.

I use .230 on my 165 gr .338 bullet and it takes 20 moa less to shoot 220 yds then the .257 with the same mount setup.

You may be right Doug, I'm going by KnifeMakers findings. I'm impressed by the quality of the slugs for sure, and for my use they will be more than fine.

I plan on taking them out this weekend with your new hammer installed and see how they do :-)

wll2506

[KnifeMaker]

Thanks for the Pic Will! I don't advertise the bullets I cast. Not looking for a another career. LOL But do like doing them up for friends and members. 

They do hit very hard. Very hard for a .257 dia bullet. The HP that Eric at Hollow Point Mold Service did on them is very well executed, and really open up. Well over .40 is very common on game. 

The B.C. I got with them is probably a good bit off. I used the simple bc calculator on the Yellow. Only thing I ever go there for now days. LOL  I noticed that there is a B,C. calculator here. I need to give it a try.

The slightly grainy look to them is not from antimony as one might expect. None in there. Just 2% tin. It is from the mold release agent I like to use. The bullets look like polished  Sterling Silver when I don't use it, but I have found that with the texture, they hold the 10 WT Silicon RC Lucas Shock Oil that I use. RockCreek tested many different types of lube, and no lube, and constantly got better results than any other combination with the silicone lube.
I have found the exact same thing!  Iit is very inexpensive on The Bay. Around 7 bucks a bottle.

When I first started shooting a .257, I would only get 25-35 shots before having to clean the bore for best accuracy. ( I'm a real stickler for Accuracy).  Once I fire lapped the bore, and polished it, when the bullets are lubed with the 10 wt I can get well over 250 or more. A very handy thing when out shooting for a day or two.

Knife

[Tofazfou]

Got my .257 slugs in from KnifeMaker .... man alive they are nice .... 80gr HP with a BC of .225, the mold line is very nice and very, very thin also. Have not shot them yet, will this weekend, looking to push them out in the 950fps+ area which should not be a problem. Mike (KnifeMaker) says they hit like a ton of bricks and I believe him,  said the coon that he hit was louder then the sound of his gun going off ;- )

Here is a pic of what they look like:

These are very nice slugs made very well and are very clean. They are .around .260 as I got them, I will resized them.

I may buy a few more too, as I don't cast and the supply I get may be the last I ever buy because the gun and the slugs will be used for hunting only ...... no target shooting, no plinking or anything like that. My .257 Condor gun and my .357 Bulldog are single purpose guns.

I'll let you know how they shoot by Monday !

wll2506

Those bullets in HP format by far are the most devastating on game bar none in 257 caliber.  They have the biggest meplat of any 257 cast bullet out there much like the 7mm THOR.  And that's what NOE's RANCHDOG model of bullets are.  BIG MEPLATS for caliber.  The are like cowboy action styled bullets.

Those would be my top choice for hunting coyotes out to 100 yards.  But you have to test accuracy in your rig out that far.  They will provide the most shock and mushrooming.  On jackrabbit they are absolutely disastrous

[KnifeMaker]

An disastrous in that the simply destroy jacks. As in Heads literally explode!!!

I get well under an inch at 100 yards. On my personal range, which is only 80 yards, they are consistently under 1/2" and often much smaller groups than that! 

I and Roach Creek found them to be the most accurate within 200 yards and in good wind, much further.

Tofaz has better accuracy with the 257420, where it is my #2 bullet. Which just goes to prove what we all know. Different barrels, different results.

I will say, that these two particular bullets have more often than any other, proven to be the most accurate in the most guns.

Tof is playing with a new offering in a mold right now. I'm awaiting another sample from him, as I had the gun set up wrong to give them a proper test. And this was entirely my fault!
It is a Heavy bullet, and requires a strong gun to get the best from it. unfortunately, I has my guns set up for bullets that are 10 grains lighter at the time, and neglected to re-tune it. Grrrr!!    But it promises to be a superior bullet in the wind!

I do have one other bullet that I cast a lot.  It is the most accurate bullet that I have ever fired out of an AG. But it does NOT like the wind. LOL!!!   which in Texas, can be a problem. 


Knife   

[wll2506]

Thanks for the Pic Will! I don't advertise the bullets I cast. Not looking for a another career. LOL But do like doing them up for friends and members. 

They do hit very hard. Very hard for a .257 dia bullet. The HP that Eric at Hollow Point Mold Service did on them is very well executed, and really open up. Well over .40 is very common on game. 

The B.C. I got with them is probably a good bit off. I used the simple bc calculator on the Yellow. Only thing I ever go there for now days. LOL  I noticed that there is a B,C. calculator here. I need to give it a try.

The slightly grainy look to them is not from antimony as one might expect. None in there. Just 2% tin. It is from the mold release agent I like to use. The bullets look like polished  Sterling Silver when I don't use it, but I have found that with the texture, they hold the 10 WT Silicon RC Lucas Shock Oil that I use. RockCreek tested many different types of lube, and no lube, and constantly got better results than any other combination with the silicone lube.
I have found the exact same thing!  Iit is very inexpensive on The Bay. Around 7 bucks a bottle.

When I first started shooting a .257, I would only get 25-35 shots before having to clean the bore for best accuracy. ( I'm a real stickler for Accuracy).  Once I fire lapped the bore, and polished it, when the bullets are lubed with the 10 wt I can get well over 250 or more. A very handy thing when out shooting for a day or two.

Knife

KnifeMaker, where did you get your Lucus 10wt Shock Oil, all I see it in is the 2oz little bottles ?

wll2506

[rsterne]

What bullet design is this 80 gr.?....

Bob

[rintafile]

My quess.. it was orginal Ranch Dog's mold from NOE without HP pins..

[Tofazfou]

What bullet design is this 80 gr.?....

Bob

Yes siiiir!  Its the: 260-80-RF (RD) 2 cavity GC

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=26_172&products_id=108

This bullet is really accurate in flat nose OEM form out of many 257 barrels and In HP form its still as good if you have the tune to push them.

[rsterne]

Thanks Ced!.... I see that the Meplat is 0.143" on the drawing (56%).... which is actually a bit smaller than the 257420 by Arsenal at 0.150".... Do the HP bullets shown above have the Meplat pushed back by using a larger HP pin, and if so, what is the diameter of the Meplat on them?....

Bob

[Tofazfou]

Thanks Ced!.... I see that the Meplat is 0.143" on the drawing (56%).... which is actually a bit smaller than the 257420 by Arsenal at 0.150".... Do the HP bullets shown above have the Meplat pushed back by using a larger HP pin, and if so, what is the diameter of the Meplat on them?....

Bob

No way Bob.  One of those drawings is off.  The 257420 has a much smaller meplat than the NOE bullet IIRC.  Doug has my mold so maybe either him or Knifemaker can chime in on which is actually bigger.  The NOE is IIRC which is whats been stuck in my head for a while now.

And no, Eric doesnt open up the HP by going further down in the OGIVE.

[rifle50]

Thanks Ced!.... I see that the Meplat is 0.143" on the drawing (56%).... which is actually a bit smaller than the 257420 by Arsenal at 0.150".... Do the HP bullets shown above have the Meplat pushed back by using a larger HP pin, and if so, what is the diameter of the Meplat on them?....

Bob

No way Bob.  One of those drawings is off.  The 257420 has a much smaller meplat than the NOE bullet IIRC.  Doug has my mold so maybe either him or Knifemaker can chime in on which is actually bigger.  The NOE is IIRC which is whats been stuck in my head for a while now.

And no, Eric doesnt open up the HP by going further down in the OGIVE.

You are correct Cedric............I have that NOE and and an Eric Hollow point version too. NOE is not smaller than the .257420 in Meplat diam. Just looking side by side and the NOE 80 gr is a wider nose....

Carl

[rsterne]

Drawings can, and very well may, be wrong.... If they are, somebody please measure both bullets, in their original FN form, and post the Meplat diameters.... Even a photo placed nose to nose would help....

Bob

[KnifeMaker]

Thanks for the Pic Will! I don't advertise the bullets I cast. Not looking for a another career. LOL But do like doing them up for friends and members. 

They do hit very hard. Very hard for a .257 dia bullet. The HP that Eric at Hollow Point Mold Service did on them is very well executed, and really open up. Well over .40 is very common on game. 

The B.C. I got with them is probably a good bit off. I used the simple bc calculator on the Yellow. Only thing I ever go there for now days. LOL  I noticed that there is a B,C. calculator here. I need to give it a try.

The slightly grainy look to them is not from antimony as one might expect. None in there. Just 2% tin. It is from the mold release agent I like to use. The bullets look like polished  Sterling Silver when I don't use it, but I have found that with the texture, they hold the 10 WT Silicon RC Lucas Shock Oil that I use. RockCreek tested many different types of lube, and no lube, and constantly got better results than any other combination with the silicone lube.
I have found the exact same thing!  Iit is very inexpensive on The Bay. Around 7 bucks a bottle.

When I first started shooting a .257, I would only get 25-35 shots before having to clean the bore for best accuracy. ( I'm a real stickler for Accuracy).  Once I fire lapped the bore, and polished it, when the bullets are lubed with the 10 wt I can get well over 250 or more. A very handy thing when out shooting for a day or two.

Knife

KnifeMaker, where did you get your Lucus 10wt Shock Oil, all I see it in is the 2oz little bottles ?

wll2506

Yes Will, That's it!

Knife

[KnifeMaker]

Bob, the NOE is the Ranch Dog 80 grain Flat Point, "modded" by Eric of Hollow Point Mold Service.

I just measured them, while talking to Cedric on the phone.

This is a rough measurement, as I am old and  blind. LOL!

Noe Meplat=   .188"
Lyman 257420   .140
Arsenal version  .155 (Ones here from Cedric)


NOE RD Cavity Hp opening=  .130 
Lyman 257420 HP opening=   .092

Knife     

[rsterne]

Thanks, Michael.... I guess the NOE drawing is out of whack....

Bob

[KnifeMaker]

You're very welcome Bob!

Trust but verify. Good advice then. Good advice now. LOL!!! 

Knife

[Tofazfou]

Bob, the NOE is the Ranch Dog 80 grain Flat Point, "modded" by Eric of Hollow Point Mold Service.

I just measured them, while talking to Cedric on the phone.

This is a rough measurement, as I am old and  blind. LOL!

Noe Meplat=   .188"
Lyman 257420   .140
Arsenal version  .155 (Ones here from Cedric)


NOE RD Cavity Hp opening=  .130 
Lyman 257420 HP opening=   .092

Knife   

Thanks Mike.  That .140" from the Lyman 257420 sounds pretty familiar.  I remember getting the HP mold back from Eric and wondering if those things would ever expand...lol.  But oh man do they.  That lil bullet is such a great all arounder in 257.  I wonder why Arsenal made the meplat bigger?

I will also add Bob that Knifemakers HP cavity on the NOE is on the conservative side.  My HP was somewhat bigger than mikes.  Eric will and can make the HP to whatever you ask.  If you say EXPLOSIVE, he will give you an EXPLOSIVE HP Cavity.  If you say, "give me a decent HP but keep the bullet really accurate", he will HP your cavity with a slight rim to it.  Like Knifes NOE bullet in the picture.

I forgot that i have pics of just about anything airgun related a person could ask for lol:

[KnifeMaker]

For whatever unknown reason, When testing the 257420's from a mold that Cedric sent me, I found the HP to be even more accurate than the fp. Unusual to say the least!   And they were both very accurate. As is typical of the 257420.

I also tested the clone of the 420 from Arsenal, and it was not as accurate as the Lyman. However, it was the BoatTail version. If I remember correctly, Cedric had the same results.

I still want to re-try the 257388 from Arsenal. I was foolishly anxious to try it, and shot them in less than favorable conditions. My fault entirely.
About to pull the trigger on a mold for them.

Knife