new ruger ammo?

[5of7]

bought a couple of boxes of the .380 cal. arx ammo that is made by polycase. It features a copper/poly resin bullet that weights 56 grains. So far I have not tested it because of the weather.

Have any of you guys tried this stuff yet? 8)

 

[DGW1949]

I looked at the new offering back when it first came out.
My first thought was that the bullet itself looks a lot like the "fixed cutter" down-hole drill bits which are used in the oil field. And yep, those are made from "powdered metal" too, and yep, they'll drill through a lot of stuff.
My second thought was that all of the available loadings feature a rather high velocity along with an extremely "light for caliber" bullet, which made me wonder how close to the POA this stuff shoots when launched out of a fixed-sight autoloader, which BTW, all of mine are.
My last thought lead me to a couple of other questions:
Beings how the flutes of the bullet have a certain twist rate, how might the "in flight" accuracy of the bullet be effected by the various twist rates of various guns, and/or when being fired from a gun which has a RH twist VS a gun with a LH twist?

I suppose that I could answer my own questions about this newest new-fangled ammo, if only I'd buy a few boxes of it myself....but at over a dollar a pop, that aint likely to happen.
In the mean time, and lacking any creditable testing which addresses my questions, I'll be quite-content to remain a skeptic.

DGW

 

[Jimbo357mag]

My opinion, flutes on bullets are a gimmick. I would not use them for self defense without a lot of time in the field. The round nose bullets might make good range ammo if they get the price way down.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I suppose that I could answer my own questions about this newest new-fangled ammo, if only I'd buy a few boxes of it myself....but at over a dollar a pop, that aint likely to happen.
In the mean time, and lacking any creditable testing which addresses my questions, I'll be quite-content to remain a skeptic.

Hi,

DGW, I'd be happy to buy you a beverage of your choice and we can sit back and watch this to see how it works out!

I watched one of the fellows from Polycase in an interview when this stuff was first revealed (at least the Ruger brand connection part of the marketing), and his comments seemed full of "We hope..." and "We don't know yet..." comments. And I questioned whether there was any data about "real" engagements with bad guys and such. I believe it was you who reinforced my original feelings that what's worked for a long time still works!

People will jump on the bandwagon, and they'll spend a buck a round for some kind of "peace of mind" that since this stuff kills Jell-O like nobody's business, it will stop BGs just as well. For that buck a round, I can buy factory ammo for my '06, ferhevvinssakes. Not that my '06 would be the go to choice in a domestic sized situation, of course, but we've KNOWN for over 100 years what THAT stuff will do to people. Just as we've known what a buck's worth of .357s (2 of 'em?) will do for about 80 years. Point being, whether it's 10 cents a round, or $10 doesn't matter at the time it's needed most: I just hope that IF someone actually has to pull the trigger on this stuff in an actual life or death situation, it doesn't let 'em down.

Rick C

 

[5of7]

It is 42° today so I decided to do an experiment. I took some milk cartons filled with water to the shooting barn and shot through one of them with a regular 95 grain .380 bullet from my LCP and through another of them with the ARX 56 gr. bullet.

As you will see from the pictures, the ARX bullets at 1150fps were a lot more destructive than the than the 95 gr. FMJ. bullet at 850 or so.

I know, a gallon jug of water is not a 200 lb. bad guy, but still..... 8)

Top jug shot with a Win. 95 gr. FMJ
Bottom jug shot with the ARX bullet

My opinion, flutes on bullets are a gimmick. I would not use them for self defense without a lot of time in the field. The round nose bullets might make good range ammo if they get the price way down.

Youtube has some pretty good videos on the subject of these bullets in ballistic gelatin.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

From what I understand the 380 has a penetration problem when used for self-defense. That is why many use a heavy non-hollow-point bullet so they can get more penetration. Just thinking about the lighter weight, non-expanding, PolyCase bullets would raise some doubts for me in self defense. Without real world data nobody can say how it will actually perform. I think Thurston Howell III makes a pretty good argument for not jumping on the band wagon without more experience and data about them.

Ever notice how some people are not satisfied to give their own opinion. They seem to want to run others down for some reason, makes them feel bigger/smarter or something. Sad.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

DB I'm glad you think I know nothing about PolyCase and Inceptor ammo. That makes your stupid statements more believable.
I like others question barrel twist and other factors. Do the shock values depend on the rotation and flutes of the bullet or is it mostly the result of lighter weight and greater velocity? How does it aim? How does it penetrate clothing, sheet metal, glass? How much energy does it carry over distance? etc. etc.

http://www.polycaseammo.com/inceptor-products

edit to add: Ruger has been putting it's name on many products lately and we certainly know it isn't a guarantee of a quality product. I think Ruger's name on this ammo, while interesting, means very little, other than the fact that the company thinks there is money to be made with it.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Someone must have hidden yimmy's Midol. You were not the subject of my post, Einstein. :roll: :roll:

That's funny because you quoted me and spoke directly at me you fool.

...and I think we all know who Thurston Howell III is, don't we?

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I have some questions. - If the fluting and light weight/velocity of the bullets is what gives them their 'shock' value, what happens if that fluting is put on a full weight cast bullet or even a lighter weight cast bullet? Would the fluting not improve the lead bullets? Are we going to see some new molds and bullets coming onto the market.

 

[5of7]

Thanks DB for your response.

I think that the flutes on the bullet's profile produce a hydro-dynamic effect similar to the propeller on a boat motor. The bullet is spinning at a rate of 82000 RPM, given a 1:10 twist and 1150 fps. velocity. That disrupts a considerable amount of tissue. The rotational energy of the spinning bullet is utilized to disrupt tissue once it enters flesh.

According to the tests I have seen, penetration in 10-12 inches in ballistic gelatin and the bullets are not deformed at all.

Hi sectional density is the route to deep penetration, but when an expanding bullet upsets, the SD number goes down due to the diameter/weight ratio changing.

Look, I am not trying to be a big flag waver for this ammo, we will have to wait until more comprehensive tests are conducted to see, but to me at least, it looks like a way to make the marginal .380 a little more effective. BTW, as of yesterday, that is what I am carrying in the LCP.8)

 

[contender]

Only time & the market will determine if this works. But remember,,, California has already got a lead ban,,, and alternative ammo is coming to us now because of that.