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FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 8:40 pm
by Hoot
Hoot's Note: It was a labor of love restoring all the lost image links after changing ISPs. I hope you still enjoy this. 7/14/15

Based upon some of the posts I've seen around the forums, there appears to be a need for a concise comparison to the physical differences and similarities of the .452 diameter FTX bullets sold by Hornady. What follows are a series of comparative images for the benefit of those who wish to know more about their composition. I have loaded and fired all three both for group and for effect into water filled milk jugs. While the 200 and 250 gr bullets costs more than one would like for plinking, they are excellent bullets. The 225 costs half as much, while having a similar (not identical) form factor to them. The 225 is a good choice for plinking, running slightly less than the 240 gr .452 XTP Magnum bullets, but slightly more than the Magtech 230 gr FMJ. (Midway prices)

Lets start off with a close-up view of all three side by side. If you look closely, you'll notice the tip area of the 225 differs from the 200 and 250.

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So, let's peel the onions. Here is my FTX "vegematic" setup.

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First up. The 200 gr FTX.

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"and delicious juliennes too!"

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Here is an indicator of the thickness the wall at the midpoint

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And at the tip

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Next the 225 gr FTX

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Here's the 225 cutaway

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The 225 midpoint wall

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And the 225 tip wall

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Hang in there, it gets better.

Last but not least, the 250 gr FTX

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Slipped a little with the saw. Notice the small step inside near the base. Your guess is as good as mine.

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Notice the same midpoint wall thickness as the 200

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But a little thicker on the tip wall

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Okay, here are some relative comparison images up closer

All three side by side.

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Here's all three bases

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And all three tips. Note: the 225 tip sliced somewhat poorly and is more symmetrical than it appears. It was also not quite so far down in the hole originally, having that small air gap between it's bottom and the hole bottom. I just didn't want to fix and re-shoot that image.

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Here's the tips without the plastic inserts

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Hope nobody was viewing this with a dial-up connection.

Surprisingly, all three launched in the 2200-2400 fps range retain a similar percentage of weight (69-71%) when shot into identical, thin-walled milk bottles, filled with water at 100 yards. The 200 and 250 made it to the 5th bottle and the 225 to the 4th. Close examination of the preceding bottles in each string show small exit holes here and there consistent with the shed weight shards. Though images I've posted in other threads of the spent rounds show the lead still in their jackets, all three weight bullets were separated from their jacket in their final resting jugs. At least the jacket and lead wound up in the same jug.

An old saying goes "If you like sausage, don't watch it being made." Draw what you may from these images. All three are great bullets. In the case of the 225 gr not looking too much bigger than the 200 gr one. The thinner jacket results in more lead for a similar external area and lead weighs more than copper.

If someone want to send me a couple 240 gr XTP Magnum bullets and/or a couple of the Magtechs and/or a couple of the 300 gr FTXs, I'd be happy to slice and dice them and add those images to these. Actually I'm open to any comparable bullets appropriate for the 450b. PM me.

If these kinds of articles are too wasteful of bandwidth, be honest and let me know how I can improve my efforts.

Respectfully submitted,

Hoot

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 8:56 pm
by Siringo
Great JOB! Interesting that the 200's and 250's are constructed pretty much the same -- heavy base. Looks like the 225 has an interlock?

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:06 pm
by Hoot
I really expected the 225 to blow up on impact given the thinner jacket, especially at the tip.
Hoot

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 12:02 am
by thebrassnuckles
Hoot, you are a write-up writing fool! Excellent work on this one too!

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 1:36 am
by MudBug
Hoot wrote:If these kinds of articles are too wasteful of bandwidth, be honest and let me know how I can improve my efforts.
Hoot



Don't change a thing, I love them and I'm sure everyone else appreciates them.

This is getting a sticky and will end up in the knowledge base.

Thank You.

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 6:41 am
by Blazer56
Hoot, great job, nice images, great info. thank you.

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 5:51 pm
by Hoot
A few folks asked that I include the expansion pictures in this article as opposed to spread about in other threads.

The 200 FTX made it to the 5th jug:

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The 225 FTX made it to the 4th jug:

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The 250 FTX made it to the 5th jug:


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Hoot

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:45 pm
by bushmeister
Wow Hoot. Excellent work and documentation. So much for the 225 blowing up theory. Did you find any difference in the terminal diameter? I'm a fan of the going the other way theory (in regards to bullet grain weight that is) :D

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2010 7:00 am
by Hoot
bushmeister wrote:Wow Hoot. Excellent work and documentation. So much for the 225 blowing up theory. Did you find any difference in the terminal diameter? I'm a fan of the going the other way theory (in regards to bullet grain weight that is) :D


I didn't do enough shots to say conclusively which one has the greater or lesser terminal diameter. They all are amazingly similar in performance. Water filled milk jugs are not what I would call calibrated test media. I had just as many failures as successes in the water shots due to the bullets for whatever reason, deciding to veer off and exit the jugs before coming to a halt.

I can say this for certain. These bullets are speed sensitive. I did not slow them down enough to even come close the lower end of their expansion window, but I sure saw my share of over expansion from being at the upper end. It wasn't just the lighter weight ones. The 250 is just as sensitive as the 200, but by virtue of the lesser weight, you are more likely to come up with loads that go too fast with the 200.

The 450b is capable of generating more, safe velocity than these bullets can handle at close range shots and I mean all three weights. For the person looking for bullets that perform superbly at modest velocities, these are hard to beat. For the speed demon trying to push the maximum, safe limits of their 450b, these are IMHO, not the best choice. That statement is based upon how they behave when shooting water-filled, thin-skinned milk jugs. The point being. In any measurement endeavor, the results are unique to the environment that generates them. My testing process is flawed as a hunting scenario in that I shot my tests at 5 yards. IE near muzzle velocity of the loads. As one member astutely pointed out, the BC's we are encountering with this caliber yields typical losses in velocity of 300 fps at 100 yards. Worse further out. I however, was only interested in putting clean, reliably performing loads through my rifle and as such, did not load them down to simulate 100 or 200 yard velocities 5 yards from the muzzle. Every testing scenario has it's flaws.

If you look at the images of the expanded rounds, the 225 to me, looks like the best performer. That would be a slanted observation. Since I had no experience or load data to go with for the 225, I erred on the side of caution, yielding loads that clocked only 2000 fps at the muzzle (34 gr Lil Gun). That's technically the equivalent of 100 yard velocities of that round loaded to 2300 fps muzzle velocity. The 250 was loaded to 2200 fps muzzle velocity (36.5 gr Lil Gun) and the poor 200 loads I did a few weeks ago came out the muzzle at 2400 fps (41 gr Alliant 2400). I don't have unlimited R&D funds overflowing from my pockets, so my effort is at best, a glimpse of the performance curve. I may in the future, try determining the lower speed limits for acceptable expansion. Hornady certainly could have and may have already done this work. If they did, I have not seen their in-depth results published anywhere.

So, take all the conclusion parts of this effort with a grain of salt.

Hoot

Re: FTX Bullets Comparison

PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2010 5:35 pm
by brewdos
As always I'm very impressed with your knowledge and scientific approach. This is a great article and I would expect nothing less. This forum is lucky to have such dedicated members. I salute you.