Terminal performance of a tumbling bullet.

N

Niantician

New member
Took my .54 cal TC New Englander to the range today to get it ready for the season. It shot roundballs allright but it really shined with the 530 gr conicals. But after a few rounds as the barrel got dirty they started to tumble. But they still shot dead nuts accurate. Assuming the barrel is clean I expect any shot I take on a deer not to tumble. But on the off chance that it does. Do you think a tumbling 530gr conical will still be deadly on a deer at about 50yrd?
 
A tumbling bullet cannot be "dead nuts accurate".
The effect of a tumbling bullet is usually catastrophic but penetration is questionable.
 
I would bet that you were shooting black powder and you did not swab you r barrel out between shots. As it gets colder black powder fouling seems to get harder and acumilate faster than it does in warmer weather.
Just my experience.
 
No i did not. Shot 6 shots and the last 3 tumbled. I based everything off my first shot since that will most realisticly simulate a hunting situation and it was fine. Dead center of the bulleye at 70yrds. The last 3 tumbled or at the very least wobbled causing rectangular impacts but they were still all within an inch of dead center. Im just wondering if for some reason it did do it on the first shot. Would it be a humanely deadly shot.
 
I believe it. I have a 45acp revolver that tumbles swc but is dead nuts accurate. I figure it's still going to leave a mark! It started life as 455 Eley.

I also have old school 223 rifles that tumble 62 grain ammo, not accurate at all!
 
As indicated in the above post, I would have thought that there was a twist rate vrs. velocity problem to begin with for those bullets. I have had various high powers tumble and it can usually be corrected with a bullet weight/style change. Black powder? I don't know.
 
"I believe it. I have a 45acp revolver that tumbles swc but is dead nuts accurate."
"And yes. They were dead nutz accurate. Almost touching at 70yrs with iron sights."

Why do we waste time rifling barrels if a randomly tumbling bullet is so accurate?

The only firearm I currently own which displays bullet tumble is an AK74 (5.45x39) with 70 grain FMJ. It's accuracy with that bullet is approx 12" @ 25 yards.
 
Tumbling or not, you should be fine so long as you aren't trying to shoot through a major bone.
You might not get the complete through penetration you would expect if it hit point on, but it's going to get to the vitals.


Besides, I'm an optimist: you're going to hit it with your first shot!
 
Haha. Thanks. Im goingbto go to the range one more time with a clean barrel. And im expecting a spinning bullet to come out of it. Obviously 530gr is a lot for that rifling to handle. But its more accurate than my scoped slug gun at least out to 75yrs.
 
Are you sure that bullet is 530 grains. T/c makes 430 grn in .54. My New englander is 1/48 twist and shoots patched ball as well as maxi hunter very accurately. I swab after 2 shots so I have not experienced any key holing at all. It is a great shooting rifle for anything from deer to bears.

Mwla
 
"...they started to tumble..." Means they're not touching or are very loose in the rifling. Key holing is caused by undersized bullets, oversized barrel and sometimes too low velocity. When your BP barrel gets dirty, the bullets become undersized.
"...Almost touching at 70yrs with iron sights..." If that's true, you've answered your own question.
 
T. O'Heir
"...they started to tumble..." Means they're not touching or are very loose in the rifling. Key holing is caused by undersized bullets, oversized barrel and sometimes too low velocity. When your BP barrel gets dirty, the bullets become undersized.
Click to expand...

Or...when the BP barrel gets fouled/dirty, the rifling isn't engaged like it should be, resulting insufficient rotational force when the projectile leaves the barrel, i.e. an unstable bullet.
 
The answer is yes. 530 grains going into a deer will be extremely deadly, no matter what the bullet is doing when it enters or thereafter. It will be more deadly than usual with a broadside vitals shot.
 
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