An experiment to get .22 cal NSA's to pop open easier. It works !!

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Motorhead

Motorhead

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Nov 1, 2018
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First off not my idea, but taken from a few recent posts about low velocity slugs that mushroom easily. Thank you guys !!

So ... taking a #2 Phillips screw driver tip then dressing each blade web with a dremel tool cut-off wheel, we get each web a tad thinner / sharper.
* Took me 3 tries getting my grinding technique right & having control over equal thinning where it would contact the slugs hollow point making a uniform impression.

Placing a NSA slug on a piece of flat and thick leather, gave three TAP TAP TAP's on the end of driver tip with a small tac hammer so the hollow cavity of slug took on this look.
Once establishing how hard to strike was able to go threw a 375 count of NSA 20.2's in @ 45 minuets. Neurotic YES !!!


AS TO TESTING .... O' yes they now POP open where before was not that impressed
tongue.gif

Shot from @ 20 yards into 1 gallon jug of water at @ 1040 fps a stock 20.2 HP passed right threw the jug exiting leaving a round hole ... had tried this prior with a few bottles in line to catch the slug. In the past recovered slug was only slightly opened at HP cavity and in no was mushrooming
tongue.gif


MODIFIED with an X from tool described and shown, slug enters jug and does this !!! POP peeling away to the depth of the HP cavity in a near perfect clover leaf shape. Started as a .22 caliber and opened up to a .380" clover having no measurable weight loss still weighing 20.2 grains.
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Needless to say I'm going to scale this idea down and do some .177 NSA's as well. Same tool and do some .25 and 30's too !!!



Scott S
 
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Ironically, I just ordered a variety of .22 NSA slugs to try in my Brocock Sniper Magnum about an hour ago before seeing this post. I got a few diameters of each of the 17, 20 and 23 grain slugs. I’m looking for higher velocities and flatter shots than I’m getting with the 25.39 knockouts, which are very accurate in .217 for me. I am curious if this modification affects the accuracy at all.
 
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Was the accuracy affected by the change? Was just having a conversation with knifemaker earlier about NSA slug's small hollowpoint. I shot my 25cal Rainstorm shooting a 38.5gr NSA slug at 3 one-gallon milk jugs filled with water at 30 yards, complete pass through on all three and slug not to be found. Was trying to test expansion at 50 FPE.
 
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Cool mod for short range, but those slugs are swaged to precise, concentric measurements. It's not possible to keep perfect weight distribution with a modified phillips head screwdriver and a mallet. No matter how "centered" it looks, it's going to be off. And the group will inevitably open up the farther the projectile gets from the muzzle. Now if Nick from NSA could figure out a way to manufacture these on his automated press, with precise concentric placement.... NOW YOU'RE TALKING! But Nick seems to be stuck in a quandary. In order to automate his swagging process, he had to change the alloy blend of his lead. He can't use pure lead. It's too soft for the automation process. So he adds either tin or antimony to reach a BHN of 8 (his words, not mine). But when you increase the hardness of the slug, you inhibit it's ability to open up the same way a pure lead slug would. But what do you do...... If I were Nick, I would do the same thing. Get into the automation to increase quantity/production and lower the cost of bulk sales.
 
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To clarify ... this is an EXPERIMENT and not done with precision tooling or method. The results are unarguable that when creating a fracture route / seam the lead is more prone to peel away and slug open up along the pre-created path.

If one can fabricate a miens in keeping the tooling on Axis while controlling depth of the X it may work on many such softer lead projectiles with preformed HP cavities.



It winter time and I'm just screwing around and sharing the process of discovery ... not selling a thing or saying it is the thing to do.



Scott S
 
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Scott,

thanks for sharing this! 👍🏼

This looks doable, especially for those of us who'd like a puff of feathers on trash bird shots 😜 at medium ranges and medium power — without resorting to larger calibers and very high ME.

Very nice! 👍🏼



Please, keep us updated if you make any more tests. I'd also love to see some recovered slugs from actual game — together with data to know the impact velocity. 👍🏼

Matthias
 
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Looking at the speed that you’re already shooting slugs tells me one thing. If you’re looking for better expansion, the rest of us should really be concerned. I would venture to say that not many of us eclipse 1,000fps with our slug guns. While we get to enjoy better ballistics with slugs, I believe there are only a couple slugs out there that truly do their job as a hollow point. I think we are being bamboozled. A loud pop on a critter is just a heavy slug that didn’t slow down like a pellet. Probably nothing to do with expansion in a lot of cases.
 
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