Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Woodleigh Weldcore bullets?

I was wondering about these bonded Woodleigh's. Anyone have any experience with the 400 & 500 soft points? What say you? Thanks...

Woodleigh made it's name making bullets of the proper weight and profile for all the double rifles that were dumped (dirt cheap) on the Aussie market as the Brits bailed out of the colonies, later expanding to the full caliber line-up.

They are quite good provided ***and I cannot stress this enough*** provided they are loaded to the target impact velocities they were designed for.

I've used primarily the 500gr .470 with excellent results.

The people that have gotten into trouble with them are those that load, for example:

.458s in a 460 weatherby
.416s in a 416 weatherby
.338s in a Laupa
7mm in a 7mm weatherby

you get the idea.

Woodleigh publishes the intended impact velocities in their catalog, and they mean those numbers as actual design criteria, not mere "suggestions"....

I just sent an email to Woodleigh, asking their opinion on their Weldcore 350's, shot in my .404J. Their recommended impact velocity tops at 2,300 fps and I'm currently shooting that bullet at 2,400 fps. By the time it reaches some meat, it'll be slowed somewhat from MV.

My question to them: On Nilgai, how would that bullet react if I bumped the MV to 2,500 or 2,600 fps. My reason is flatter trajectory. I want to whack one of those animals with the .404J, just cause...

And what if a 300 yd. shot is all I get? I'd be wishing for my .300 Win Mag about then...

I'll post the answer when it arrives.

DF

Absolutely correct & I'll add that unless they've changed things in the past 2 years when I've been tied up moving countries, they make a SP & a PSP & they have very different intended uses.

In an African context and assuming calibres of .375 & upwards, the SP is at it's best on cats whereas the PSP is at it's best on animals such as buffalo.

As Shakari says above, an excellent cat bullet. Supposedly, they make a bullet a bit tougher with a heavier jacket in .375 and up for buff. I recovered a soft in .470 as loaded by Norma and it exhibited a classic mushroom and held together. Perhaps it expanded a bit too much as the penetration wasn't all that it could have been. No bone was struck.

The Woodleigh solids are intended to match the profile of the old Kynoch solids. They are a steel jacketed bonded core bullet with a copper outer layer and have a reputation for being an excellent lead core bullet designed for use in older doubles. However, they are of RN design. I have never used one on DG personally, but they have an excellent reputation. My preference is monometal flat point solid, which are generally not considered appropriate for older doubles. Woodleigh has recently begun to sell a cup point solid. I have no experience with it either, but would be very interested in the experiences of others who have employed it in the pursuit of DG.

In sum, the softs are a great cat bullet and excellent for PG. I'm not sure I would select one again as a first shot on buff.

WM70

I'd highly recommend the PSP (not the SP) for 1st shot on buff.

If you want to use a FN mono solid in a double of any age, I'd highly recommend the (banded) GS Custom.

Thanks for the info.

I looked up GS customs on the web, but couldn't determine what metal was used in their construction. From your post, it appears they have performed well for you. Did you experience any deformation or bending? What caliber were you shooting?

A to monometal solids, I have used Barnes in the past and got good good (but
not flawless) performance from them. Am presently experimenting with Northforks for next year's safari. Have you tried Northforks on DG? If so, how did they perform?

The GSC site will probably tell you the exact blend of metals & you'll find a few of my pics there as well.

I shoot them in a .500 Jeffery & the only bullet deformation on the FNMS I've experienced is slight riveting which I understand is intentional..... FWIW, I've used them for a good number of years & have ALWAYS been delighted with their performance AND the customer service provided.

I haven't personally used the Northforks but have had a fair number of clients use them & most seem reasonably happy I guess.

"GSC"? means what, please?

Sorry.

GSC = GS Custom bullets.

http://gscustom.co.za/

http://www.gscustomusa.com/products.html

GS Custom has a factory right here in Port Elizabeth. I visit the factory often to collect my orders as their bullets are the only ones that I shoot in my rifles. I am not 100% sure but think their bullets are 100% copper. I have seen them get lathed from copper rods.
This year one of our hunters shot a Cape Buffalo with my .375 loaded with 200gr GSC's. Broke the near shoulder and sat under the skin on the opposite site. Bul ran 30yds before falling over.
Their bullets are top, top quality.

I'd shoot the 400g in your 400J If you load it up to 2300 fps, it will hit harder at every range, impact velocity will be within Woodleighs recommendation upclose and at 300 yards. Sighted in 3" high at 100 yards, it will be two inchs lower at 250 and 300 yards than the 350g at 2500 fps.

Thanks for your help. That may be the answer.

I'll load some and see how they do.

DF

You might find this useful: http://www.gsgroup.co.za/03fn.html

I just got an interesting email from Geoff McDonald from Woodleigh Bullets.

"Don't worry about the recommended impact velocity too much, it is way too low for this bullet. I have a friend who head shoots buffalo with these doing well in excess of 2,600 fps, MV.

We need to do more testing with this bullet and revise the recommended impact speed."

Geoff's the bible on his bullets and a great guy. He will also provide starting load data for you if you ask him

It's even more impressive that he takes the time to personally answer email questions about his bullets.

I really appreciate that.

DF