What is the purpose of using loosely packed paper for one bullet, and densely packed for the other?
Do you not care about being able to make comparisons between the two weights?
One of the boxes fell apart enroute to the range. I used what I had on hand. Normally I make sure they're always densely packed. I'm less concerned about comparisons as I feel the individual bullet's performance is more important. When it comes to the 348 caliber variants most folks use 200gr bullets for deer sized game and 220gr and higher for larger game. In those cases, weight comparisons are moot., IMO.
As it stands now, all 220gr .348 and .358 bullets will be bonded. This streamlines manufacturing processes and ensures weight retention even in higher velocity cartridges like the 358/356 Win, 35 Win, 350 RM, and 35 Whelen.
Production of the .348 bullets will delayed 3-4 weeks while awaiting a new core mould.
1000 of the .358 bullets are nearing completion and I expect them to be available in 1-2 weeks. The webmaster is sometimes slow to take pictures and get products added to the company website.
I'll test the 220gr .358 bonded bullets at higher speeds in the 358 Win and 35 Whelen this weekend.
Thanks Dinny, this is encouraging news. Any info if a 250 gr will be offered too? Tentative timeline for it?
A 250gr .358 bullet is in the works. The pointing die wasn't polished enough and it's leaving ripples in the jacket near the nose. It's going back to the manufacturer so it's hard to say when those bullets will be ready to make and sell. I plan to test them too.
Sounds good. Looking forward to the tests in the Whelen. Thanks, Dan.
Sorry Dan. After seeing how they performed in the 358 Win today, I decided to delay 35 Whelen testing. Nothing negative really. It's just that the 358 Win tests resulted in 15-16" of penetration and my bullet box is only 17" long. I need both boxes lined up end for end before I can expect to catch one fired from the Whelen.
358 Win 220gr JFP bullet tests. Please keep in mind I provide this data as a means to determine how these bullets perform at a given speed or speeds. The cartridges are just what I used to get the data.
358 Win + 49gr TAC averaged 2521fps 18" from the target. I shot them at a distance of 25yds so MV would be slightly higher. I achieved roughly 140fps more velocity with the bonded bullets. The bonding process anneals the jackets making them seal better. Weight retention hovers around 50%. The bullets penetrated deeply (15"-16") and left large temporary wound cavitites in the wet newspaper.
The bullets expanded at 1723fps but unfortunately I rushed the last shot and hit the first bullet losing any useable expansion data. The bullets penetrated 6"-7" of wet newspaper.
At 1840fps they expanded nicely and retained roughly 90% of their weight. These bullets penetrated 7"-8" of wet newspaper.
One has to keep in mind these wet newspapers are densely packed making a very hard target. Rarely have I seen expansion and 15"+ penetration in the 14 years I've been testing with this media.
The bonded bullets are now being made with longer jackets that result in lower production costs and less waste. This is just one of the reasons why prices haven't been set yet. I expect the 358 bullets to be ready soon and I will post the webpage where prices will be posted.
