Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 44 Hornady CL-SIL

Got these through mail-order by mistake for loading in my Ruger 44 Carbine. Anyone know how they are designed to expand on game?

The expansion characteristics on a clay bank at 1700ft/sec is very impressive. They seem to hang together very well and expand to impressive diameter. Love to know how they work on game aniamals.

Those are a sillywet bullet made to knock down steel. They will most likely perform the same as a hardcast lead bullet. If they have a 1/4inch meplat, they will cut a good wound channel. The state game people may look at as a solid since the nose is folded shut. I use the 357 version with a tiny hole drilled in the nose to make it a hollowpoint. Makes it legal. Don't have to open up to give a 3/4inch wound channel.

Thanks. Never heard the term sillywet before and since I never have much success spelling the actual word I believe I'll adopt it.

I'll fire a picture here when I get a chance. The mushroom from the clay looks too good not to be designed in. I wonder if they are designed to flatten out on the steel for momentums sake. The light jacket appears to really open up nicely.

I'll try wet newsprint next.

This is the bullet I use in my 44 mag during hunting season just in case of a bear incounter when you don't have a rifle in your hands. Those bullets should go totally through a bear, end to end. Should perform just like the hard cast lead bullets with no leading problems.

I think they might just be designed to expand. Here is one fired into wet clay at 1700ft/sec from my Ruger 44. I'll test it some more into wet newsprint. It expanded beautifully and hung together like peanut butter on the roof of a dog's mouth.

If they are they are the same as the old JTC SIL bullet, Hornday lists them as medium game bullet.

Well, there goes my theory.

Well they might penetrate well for a jacketed projectile. It certainly holds together well in a tough medium at 400ft/sec over revolver speed.

Your recovered slug looks pretty good. Think I'll continue to use my loads for my intended purpose. Ought to leave a mark and make their eyes water if they're ever needed. Goes out of my Blackhawk 5 1/2" barrel a little over 1300 FPS.

Took out the Ruger Carbine 44 again and shot into hard packed catalogues. Penetration of the 240 grain bullet was 4.5 inches which doesn't sound like much but this is a really tough medium. The bullet expanded down to the base but the inward copper tongues at the front of the bullet as the jacket folds over the point act as a core lock and so the retained weight was 176 grains. Expansion was lopsided and close to an inch at the widest point. Impact velocity was about 1600ft/sec.

Groups at 100 yards are in the 2MOA range which is excellent for this type of gun!
Lil Gun is an excellent powder for use in the carbine!

This is not a bad hunting bullet. As a test a 6mm 115 Barnes original at 2700 ft/sec penetrated 5.5" and weighed 64 grains. This bullet will exit a quartering caribou most of the time.

As I need to use jacketed bullets in the gas operated carbine I have ordered some 250 grain Nosler Partition H.G's. I think less expansion and more penetration is what I want for defensive use on bears. For deer or caribou though I'd give these SIL-CL's a whirl. In a handgun at 400ft/sec less velocity the SIL's would likely penetrate better and expand less.