FX Hybrids .25 cal. Expansion Test On Dead Pigeon

As a final test to confirm the results I got in ballistic gel regarding expansion or lack there of the FX Hybrid .25 cal. slugs I shot into a dead pigeon. My ballistic gel testing did not show any expansion or mushrooming of these slugs so the next step was to affirm my testing. I will say I have watched a few videos on YouTube hyping these slug for being very explosive and fragmenting but the testing in my opinion was flawed. I have made my mind up on the performance of these slugs regarding expansion you can make yours. Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa3fYjz4lsw&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=GunPowder%26AirPower
 
Funny, Ken Hicks (SPAW) posted a picture of an fully expanded FX slug he recovered from a gray squirrel shot at 70yds with a new Wildcat MKIII. It was a .25 FX slug going only 850fps. I really don't know what to think. I value and believe your results but I believe Ken's too. Got to be something going on? Have a good one.

Stoti

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAdtZoIB1zY/
 
Someone please explain. How can Mr. Hicks & AirgunBill show entirely different results from the same run of this product?


Good question, that's what's got me baffled. Two trustworthy, straightforward guys with completely different results. 



Wahoowad --- Varmint Knocker makes 2 different slugs of the same weight that come off of two different presses. Dale and I were talking about the performance of the two different hollow points the other day. Both expand extremely well and perform almost exactly the same even though they look very different but it's because he uses very soft lead, not necessarily the hollow point design. They are devastating!

Stoti


 
Okay guys I would say the different results may have to do if Ken's slug hit a bone. Of course there is a big difference between that and flesh. Now for me shooting pigeons and small birds at times you will not have any substantial bones to make a slug open up at least shooting the .25 cal FX Hybrids. As I showed in my ballistic gel test the .22cal. FX Hybrids did open up to about 40 cal. or more as I remember as well as the Griffin and Varmint Knockers. As I said just looking at the new FX .25 cal. Hybrids it appear they may have more tin in them or are not as soft as the other slugs that did expand. If FX decided to go a different route on the construction or composition of these slug as oppose to their .22 cal. that would make them less effective at delivering more energy to the target. For some the lack of expansion may make little difference. For the purpose I was hoping to use them for it does. Let's see how things goes and be beware of some of the hype we are seeing. Bill
 
AirgunBill, I appreciate the effort and don’t dispute your results. Mr. Hicks has a slug in hand showing uniform expansion from what he says is heart/lung, suggesting it was recovered from the chest cavity. It could have caught a lot of shoulder I guess, but something feels off. You’re probably right that they changed composition to improve accuracy. 
1590201639_10851607725ec88d27735871.20886109.jpeg

 
Very intersting again Bill. Thanks for your efforts and post. Do you have experience with the JSB Hades in .25 as well. Also here there are rather different results on youtube . One guy from the UK reprted even inward deformation ( in contrast to outward material mushrooming) . Is the hades indeed making a difference in hunting use of pellets in comparison to normal round head pellets ?



cheers
 
Very intersting again Bill. Thanks for your efforts and post. Do you have experience with the JSB Hades in .25 as well. Also here there are rather different results on youtube . One guy from the UK reprted even inward deformation ( in contrast to outward material mushrooming) . Is the hades indeed making a difference in hunting use of pellets in comparison to normal round head pellets ?



cheers

yalel I have and have shot the JSB .22 cal. and .25 cal. Hades in my rifles. They do not expand much or mushroom but damn they are effective in taking out pigeons to 100 yards. I believe they are effective because that cross hatch head on them slows down penetration allowing them to dump their energy. I have seen in my ballistic gel test they don't penetrate like a dome head pellet does because of little resistance. If you have not tried the Hades you will be surprised in their take down ability plus they are very accurate, almost on par with the JSB 18.13 grain jumbo heavies. Bill
 
Thanks. Yes it is moreover proven that the hades does not penetrate as far as the domed heads hence dumping more energy in the target and less risk of shooting through things. Mushrooming has been shown and not shown in many comparable situations. Here the results do vary and the jury is still our on consequent results. . When I started using then.25 hades they did not group as well as the JSB Kings ( standard) but after a barrel clean they were the same again. Shooting very accurate . Does anyone know why the cleaning made such a difference ? ( LW barrel on a Edgung Lelya) 

cheers

Yalel
 
Bill,

your testing is levelheaded and cut down on the hype and myth-by-flawed-testing. 👍🏼

Keep up the good work.

Matthias



PS:

I suppose that taking 5 or 10 shots in game or ballistic gel will indicate with much higher certainty what performance to expect — by statistically lowering the chance of "bad luck" and "good luck" results (as in "hit a thicker bone" and "hit purely flesh"). 😊
 
You should do a comparison between them and the JSB diablo pellet. You'll find that the JSB skirt edge will cut wildly as it spins leaving a much bigger, more destructive wound channel in the ballistics gel..

Truth. Pellets don't just "push" through tissue like unexpanded slugs. They cut in a spiral fashion. Quite effective. 
 
You'll find that the JSB skirt edge will cut wildly as it spins.

Truth. Pellets don't just "push" through tissue like unexpanded slugs. They cut in a spiral fashion.



triggertreat and Pickzilla, 👍🏼

this sounds good to me, that the three mini hollow points of the Hades spirals through the flesh — and therefore it cuts flesh better than if it just hit the flesh without the spin.

➔ I have to admit that both my experience and training have not prepared me to evaluate the validity of that claim...!! 😄



❌ Maybe you two — between the years of experience and the doctorates — could shed some scientific light on the validity?

I would very much appreciate it. Hollow point design and performance have been fascinating me! 😊





🔶Another terminal ballistic issue I'd wish I could see something more than seat-of-the-pants reasoning is the permanent wound cavity of wadcutters — how much bigger is their permanent wound cavity when compared to unexpanded slugs?



Cheers!

Matthias