Cheaper hollowpoint bullets? Berry's hybrid HP?

T

the possum

New member
Hey gang. Been processing brass for .45 ACP the past couple nights. I already have plenty of lead round nose ammo on the shelf for target/plinking type stuff, and decided I wouldn't mind having some hollow points as well for woods walking in case I see a varmint or game.

In the past my go-to choice were Speer Gold Dots, but they seem to be unavailable now at my usual places. Plus, prices have gone up quite a bit. I'm probably looking to get 500 or 1000 bullets, so that represents a significant investment for me. The next cheapest "name brand" I can find is Hornady XTPs at 30 cents apiece.

Does anyone know of some decent hollowpoints that are more cost effective? I came across some made by Berry's, which are half the price, so I'm tempted to try them out. Has anybody here played with those? Do they expand reliably?
 
I am a big fan of Berrys plated hollow-points. 124 Gr 9mm, 180 gr 40SW, and 185 45ACP. The design is very similar to Gold Dots, and I use Speer data. There are plenty of YouTube videos of expansion tests, just Google. They expand at the velocities Berrys publishes. You will not need max velocities to stay in their stated range.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=115389&d=1665253868
https://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=115390&d=1665253868
https://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=115391&d=1665253868
 
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I wouldn't mind having some hollow points as well for woods walking in case I see a varmint or game.
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Big Game (deer, etc) is a different story, but for small game & varmints the usual handgun hollowpoint bullets are wasted. .22LR is a different story, but the usual handgun HPs are intended to work on people, or things about the mass of people, or larger.

On small game and varmints the small mass of the animals usually doesn't give the HP the resistance and time needed to open up. Or open up properly.

For small game /pests you need something built like a varmint bullet, meant to expand on the slightest resistance. The usual handgun slugs designed for self defense normally won't do that, as they are built to penetrate to the vitals and expand on the way.

And, if the HP isn't going to open up, you might as well shoot a non HP which are generally cheaper.
 
I’ve loaded about 1000 of the 230 grainers under a max charge of CFE Pistol. My intention was to have a cheap plinking load that could double as a defense load. Turns out they wouldn’t feed reliably in my CMMG banshee as I had planned. I now shoot them in my 1911 without issue.
 
I think Matt's Bullets makes the best .45acp bullets that expand almost 1".

I don't know if Barry's bullets will expand. Maybe buy some and use a deburring tool to remove the inside of the hollow point cavity to expose the lead, then shoot it into a few jugs of water soaked paper.
 
I don't know if Barry's bullets will expand. Maybe buy some and use a deburring tool to remove the inside of the hollow point cavity to expose the lead, then shoot it into a few jugs of water soaked paper.
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I believe you are theorizing from a position of ignorance, rather than actual knowledge.
It has been proven by many. Myself included. See post #2 for photos and Google You Tube "Berrys expansion tests". Here is one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM84JnItMGg
There is absolutely no reason to expose lead. They expand at lower than max velocities.
 
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What about a 4 cavity NOE mould with a set of point-pins that let you cast Hollow Point , Cup Point , Penta Point or Flat Point bullets ... You can make some wicked hollow points .
Cast them soft-ish (8-9 bhn) and you can make all you want with scrap lead .
Being your own bullet making factory is sure a powerful feeling !
Gary
 
Marco, thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear people have been getting good expansion from those Berry's bullets. I'm probably gonna get a box when I'm ready to spend some money. Thanks also to Bjung for the tip on Matt's bullets. Never heard of him. Though the only hollowpoints I could find on his site are significantly more expensive than Berry's.

What about a 4 cavity NOE mould with a set of point-pins that let you cast Hollow Point , Cup Point , Penta Point or Flat Point bullets ... You can make some wicked hollow points .
Click to expand...

I've thought about it. But time for my hobbies is at a premium. Some of my brass has been sitting on the shelf ready to load for over 5 years. If I had to cast the bullets myself too, it may take me a decade to get around to it. I do have the equipment and lead though, and cast muzzle loader projectiles, since those got so ridiculously expensive.

Big Game (deer, etc) is a different story, but for small game & varmints the usual handgun hollowpoint bullets are wasted.

On small game and varmints the small mass of the animals usually doesn't give the HP the resistance and time needed to open up. Or open up properly.

For small game /pests you need something built like a varmint bullet, meant to expand on the slightest resistance. The usual handgun slugs designed for self defense normally won't do that, as they are built to penetrate to the vitals and expand on the way.
Click to expand...

In the past I used 185 grain Gold Dots on coons (in .45 ACP), and they expand fully & give up most of their energy before exiting, even on broadside shots. I've seen proof positive several times. The bullets leave a distinctive star shaped impression in the wooden shed wall behind them, and more than once I've found the bullet laying right there on the ground in front of the wall. I tried Nosler 185 grain "flying ashtrays" as well, and most times they don't exit at all. Which I have also verified, by using my pocketknife to cut them out of the skin on the far side. Usually there's just a dime sized bullet base left.

So, I wanted to move up to 230 grainers to ensure deeper penetration in case I do have a chance at a coyote. At this writing I'm not terribly concerned about self defense, but it would also give me a little reassurance if my ammo could perform double duty in case the situation arose while out. And yeah, I've blasted hundreds (maybe a thousand?) of critters with hardcast bullets too. But like I said, I already have plenty of those loaded & sitting on the shelf, so I was gonna try something different.
 
I have been loading and shooting the Hybrid HP'S since they were introduced. Unfortunately I haven't been able to run across any feral hogs to determine their integrity. I load them in 9mm, 10mm, and both 185 and 230gr 45ACP. Just for giggles I even sent a few down range out of my 45 Colt just to see what I could see.

I really haven't done any expansion testing, just going by what has been posted on their site and on tha Tube. My hunting loads usually run in the +P range or just at it so I'm figuring that out about 25 - 30yds they ought to be right in the range for optimal performance if I'm gonna get it.

Also a huge fan of the Gold Dot as well. It is my preferred handgun bullet followed closely by my own cast HP'S. I know for a fact that they both expand and penetrate.
 
Casting bullets as an option

Mike/TX, what is a Hybrid HP? What cast bullet molds are you using?

Casting is an option for the Possum. If you like hobbies and handloading, then casting is a good option.

I've started experimenting with hp cast bullets and here are photos of my .45 hp results. The bullet burst the i gallon plastic jug. If accuracy is not good at the expansion charge, I plan to try gas checks and tempered bases. I've shot Gold Dots and these cast lead bullets are good enough.
 

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