Berrys 121 HPHB for Steel

[Farmer]

Reading through many of the concerns of splatter, fragments and ricochets on steel has anyone tried the Berrys HPHB bullets to see if there’s any reduction? I would think that between the hollow base and hollow point they would lose or release a lot of energy onto a properly set target or am I overthinking this. I know many here don’t like their bullets but it was just a thought. Are plated worse than coated for steel challenge or vice versa? Any ideas on this? 

Edited December 19, 2022 by Farmer
Added

[zzt]

Plated over soft, swaged lead are the best.  Plated over harder lead in the 12 Brinell range are next.  JHP and jacketed are next.  Hard cast lead, or Poly over hard cast are the worst.  They break down into chunks that hit harder and carry farther than the little slivers plated breaks up into.

 

This info comes by way of experience and a test.  For a silly reason, my home club banned jacketed and plated on steel.  To get them permitted again, I set up a test to demonstrate to the new Chief of Ranges the policy was backwards.  I set up a 12" round GT Target (AR500) on their stand 4 yards away.  I placed a USPSA target with an 8" diameter hole cut out of the center 1' in front of the steel plate.  I placed USPSA targets on the left and right of the plate, about 3' away.

 

I filed the top off a plated bullet to show him how thin the plating was.  I then fired five of them through the hole at the plate.  We examined all the boards.  Nada.  No holes, just a few marks.  Same with heavy plate bullets.  Then I shoot my steel challenge Open load through.  124 heavy plate at 144PF.  Same.  Next I fired five of my USPSA Open loads through.  115 JHP @ 169PF.  Marks on the cardboards, but no holes.  Lastly, I shot the poly coated.  Lots of dents on the side boards.  The Chief was flabbergasted to see the bullet they recommended, poly over hard cast was the worst from a splatter standpoint.  In this case it was poly coated, hard cast, 21 Brinell lead.  We are now allowed to shoot plated and jacketed on steel.

[Farmer]

I knew hard cast would be bad because of the large chunks they shatter into. I also know that many of the plated are pretty soft as I’ve tested some for hardness and some run down in the 7 Bhn range. Here’s a 45 230g FMJ that was shot into the side of an old combine at 850 fps. The area where it hit is laminated with three layers of metal about .035 thick each. It’s tougher that hell and this left a large dent but the bullet was laying only a foot away. Proves your point that they stay together and don’t go far. 

[zzt]

2 hours ago, Farmer said:

Proves your point that they stay together and don’t go far. 

 

If you shot it against AR500 steel it would shatter.  Against something that gives, like your door or a swinging plate, they look like your pic.  You can pick the deformed blobs off the ground.