Yesterday afternoon the FedEx truck stoped and delivered me a second package of bullets from Lehigh that I had requested. The second new XP ML bullets that Lehigh is going to produce. Actually FedEx got there early enough I could make a run to the farm and get a little bit of shooting in.
I have no idea why, maybe it is just because of bulk, but the .452x250 gr. XP looks to me like it would be more deadly than the 40x200 XP. Trying to imagine how the nose of the XP works, I am thinking because of the size of the flutes/cavities in the 452 - they will collect more fluid a direct a larger intensity swirling stream of liquid up and out of the nose cutting and rupturing adjacent organs. Anyway it seems that would be case. I have not shot this bullet through a chrono yet but from past experiences with a 250 grain bullet I think I was shooting it right at 1950 fps at the muzzle. That velocity should create a really decent energy force to force the fluid into and out of the flutes on the nose of the bullet. I am hoping to shoot some form of medium later in the week if the weather permits.
This is what the bullet looks like - From the Lehigh Defense web site.
This is the bullet statistics as listed on the site
Caliber: 0.452
Bullet Weight (gr): 250
Length (in): 0.910
BC (G1):
Minimum Twist Rate: 1:30
Velocity (fps): 750-4000
Box Qty: 25
I guess I felt confident enough in the rifle and the bullet + plus I was short on time, I set the target at 150 yards+/- a few. I wanted to find out right away how the bullet flew. The WIND - it always blows down through or across the draw I shoot in at the farm - today at the gravel where I shoot it did not seem that bad, but when I got higher on the slope it seemed at one moment to be blowing directly back at the bench - but then would switch to quartering right to left. There is no changing the wind... so the shoot went on.
I know I am not probably shooting the MOST accurate load from the rifle, but I am shooting the load and achieving the velocity that I want for hunting. If in doing this the bullet is hunting accurate I am good with the accuracy. In most cases I am sure if I were to reduce the load the bullet would be more accurate.
As it turned out and for the first time shooting it - it passed my test just fine. Like it's counter part the 40x200 it really is accurate for me and my shooting abilities and equipment. In fact I wonder if the shape of the nose actually might help the bullet cut through the air - both have turned out to be very accurate for me.
Here is what my quick setup looked like... Shooting birds is so fun I just gotta set some birds up... so I guess basically I shoot for fun!
This is the target for my rush shooting trip to the farm...
I shot the three birds straight away - did not have a problem at all with them - then I started the paper target. I really wanted and hoped that I would get a decent group + I have some confidence after shooting the birds. You can see I was feeling really good after the first two shots... then I start thinking now do not screw this target up on the 3rd shot... Shot #3 - I would really like to blame on the bullet - the sabot or something other than me. After that I decided 'what the heck' you already screwed the target up might as well take another shot. #4 was at least back in the right area but I was still steaming from shot #3.
Hopefully, late in the week I will get back to the farm and shoot some form of medium to verify the action of the bullet through something like the chest cavity. I really want to know if the flutes/cavities do what they are suppose to do.
