Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only The great 458 Winchester. Everyone should own one at least once

Finally, the 400-grain "solid" bullets, slim pickings:





X. Barnes Buster FN BOL 1.079"
Y. Thompson Center Bone Crusher BOL 1.148"
Z. BBMT's X-BBS Brass FN BOL 1.233"

The Barnes Buster has copper jacket filled with soft lead, with the FN meplat having a central pinhole sometimes visible.
It will bulge the nose on impact at 2500 fps, might even rupture. Best at hot .45-70 Gov't. impact velocities.

The TC Bone Crusher comes from TC in a plastic sabot for use in .50-cal muzzleloaders.
I SWAG it was made by Hornady for TC.
It has the same construction as the Hornady "Encapsulated Solid" with RN brass/bronze capsule and copper base plug around lead core.
That was abandoned when Hornady developed their ogived-FN DGS "solid" with steel jacket.
The Bone Crusher being a round-nosed "solid" is bound to veer inside game even if it does not expand or fragment.
The shortness of the bullet is its only plus for stability inside game.
Funny thing that the Bone Crusher when crimped on the existing factory cannelure will give a 3.340" COL in the .458 WM.
It must be an abandoned Hornady design for the .458 WM that TC bought out for stuffing muzzleloaders.
Bless their hearts.

Thus Bubba had to cut off the "Barnes Banded Solids" to make a 400-gr brass FN.
Either 450-gr or 500-gr BBS may be used.
Bubba notes that the brass is easier to work with a bastard file than copper.
He stopped at 400.2 grains on the specimen shown here.
No nose-hole to ream or drill to get it exactly 400.0 grains.
And the rebated base makes it hard to chamfer in 0.1 grain weight reduction increments.
Breaking the sharp edge is about all that can be done, but it seats easily for hand loading.
Bubba is going to be out of business if Hammer ever brings out the copper FN solid "Alpha Bullet."