Hornady 450 Bushmaster 45cal Leverevolution bullets vrs SSTs

[Widude]

I was looking over some bullets to load in a sabot for the M-L & saw these Hornady 450 Bushmaster Leverevolution 250 grn .451 bullets. They spec out pretty much the same as the bullet in the 250grn SST M-L offerings. They also look the same & are 1 didget different on the Hornady product number. I was just thinking about buying them to use a plastic Harvester jacket with. I've also read the good things about the Gold Dot 45 cal bullets. Does anyone know if these Leverevolution bullets are the same as they load into the sabots for M-Ls? I think a 50 pack was about $16.99 at Midway.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

I believe they are. I bought the 50 pack this summer for target practice. That sounds like a good price. The only thing I don't remember is if the box they came in said anything about the Bushmaster.

 

[shooter44n45]

I believe the leverlution bullets use the new flextip technology. Dont the SST's use plastic tips?

 

[TJJ]

I've shot a lot of the FTX's at the range. Same POI as sst/shockwave. Also witnessed a nice deer being harvested with them. Bang-flop. Thats a good price, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them. The one's I have are a .452 FTX, hornady # 45201 250gr.

 

[Reese]

The most recent box of Hornady 250 gr SSTs that I ordered for the muzzleloader came with a new label and said they were the new FlexTip (FTX).

 

[Widude]

Maybe they were .452, not sure. I may put some in my order next time. Yes these bullets advertise the 'flex-tip', other than that they seem the same. Thanks for the info.

 

[Lee 9]

Hornady FTX 250gr SST ML # 45202 is for muzzle loading
Hornady FTX 250gr #45201 is for the Bushmaster
I cut them in half and checked them out The only difference I could fine other than box and name and part # was that the # 45201 has lead thats a bit harder. Lee

 

[paia]

Hornady FTX 250gr SST ML # 45202 is for muzzle loading
Hornady FTX 250gr #45201 is for the Bushmaster
I cut them in half and checked them out The only difference I could fine other than box and name and part # was that the # 45201 has lead thats a bit harder. Lee

I killed two PA deer last year with the Bushmaster 250 grn. FTX and Harvester sabots and BH209--very accurate, but did not appear to get great expansion. Exit wounds were small. I did have two dead deer though so I realize I should not complain too much

This year I have killed three deer with the T/C 250 grn. Shock Wave with the yellow tips. This bullet is made by Hornady, but does not seem to be as hard as the new FTX's. On two doe I had big, ragged exits 1-2" in diameter and great blood trails. On a heavy, mature buck I did not get an exit at 80 yards, but it was a high shoulder bang-flop.

Lee9--that is very interesting that you cross sectioned the Hornady bullets and found the FTX harder than the SST. Have you tried the T/C Shock Wave and how did you test for the hardness of the lead? The jackets were the same?

Here's a thread from last year about people--myself included--thinking the then new Hornady Flex Tips were "harder" bullets.

http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB ... oe&start=0

 

[TJJ]

Someone with a lot more knowledge than myself, will hopefully clear something up for me. The Hornady website lists the sectional density of both, the 250gr FTX and the SST as .175. Wouldn't this equate to bullets with the same expansion characteristics? Could they be of a different hardness and same sectional density? :huh?:

 

[tpcollins]

Hornady FTX 250gr SST ML # 45202 is for muzzle loading
Hornady FTX 250gr #45201 is for the Bushmaster
I cut them in half and checked them out The only difference I could fine other than box and name and part # was that the # 45201 has lead thats a bit harder. Lee

I killed two PA deer last year with the Bushmaster 250 grn. FTX and Harvester sabots and BH209--very accurate, but did not appear to get great expansion. Exit wounds were small. I did have two dead deer though so I realize I should not complain too much

This year I have killed three deer with the T/C 250 grn. Shock Wave with the yellow tips. This bullet is made by Hornady, but does not seem to be as hard as the new FTX's. On two doe I had big, ragged exits 1-2" in diameter and great blood trails. On a heavy, mature buck I did not get an exit at 80 yards, but it was a high shoulder bang-flop.

Lee9--that is very interesting that you cross sectioned the Hornady bullets and found the FTX harder than the SST. Have you tried the T/C Shock Wave and how did you test for the hardness of the lead? The jackets were the same?

Here's a thread from last year about people--myself included--thinking the then new Hornady Flex Tips were "harder" bullets.

http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB ... oe&start=0

I called Hornady about this very thing and the guy told me the Bushmaster was a harder bullet that didn't expand as easy as the SST. Based on the expansion issue listed here, Hornady could be right.

 

[excess650]

Someone with a lot more knowledge than myself, will hopefully clear something up for me. The Hornady website lists the sectional density of both, the 250gr FTX and the SST as .175. Wouldn't this equate to bullets with the same expansion characteristics? Could they be of a different hardness and same sectional density? :huh?:

Sectional density is simply a function of weight and diameter. It doesn't matter if the bullet is depleted uranium or plastic, if its 250gr and .451" diameter, they have the same sectional density.

The bullets can be toughened by going to a core with antimony vs pure lead, thickening the jacket, bonding the core to the jacket, making a dual core bullet ala Nosler Partition, etc

 

[TJJ]

Thanks, great explanation excess. Now I understand.

 

[Lee 9]

paia
I have one of the simple indent lead testers we use years a go to see if lead was pure enough to make good round balls. At that time some of the muzzleloading stores carried them. As far as the jacket is concerned I measured it for thickness but it was to hard for the lead hardness tester to give a reading on and since I am retired and sold my shop stuff I do not have access to a Rockwell any more so all I can tell you is that it cut the same with a dremel tool.