Shiloh Rifle Forums

This is a photo of a Brooks or Lyman .54, shot at a paper target tacked to a mesquite tree at about 50 yards. I dug the bullet out. Check out the expansion. That would make for a very bad day. Ignore the small groove marks on the far right of the expanded bullet; those are marks left by the pliers that I grabbed it with.

wow, I'm amazed on how the bullet cavitated and expanded. I assumed this style bullet would mushroom or flatten out, not being a hollow nose or being a high velocity round. Thanks for sharing this image.

I thought it would mushroom, too, especially after hitting something as hard as a mesquite tree. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe it. But all we've ever shot there, and we use that tree all the time, are .22's, .36 and .44 lead balls and the .54. Thanks for looking.

Imagine that hitting you at 50 or 100 yards and expanding like that.

Mesquite is a hard wood. Weatherby used to make their 460 stocks from Californian mesquite it before the Democtrats took hold of California government.

I'm impressed. Better the tree than me. What powder charge were you using?

Brooks or Lyman bullet. 45 grains in a Hahn tube.

Pure lead as far as I know. Don't remember where I bought them online; probably Brooks mold, as I had 100 of each at one time, but only have some Lymans remaining.

To Geezmo:

I never did reply to your question about what powder charge I was using. 40 grains of genuine FF black powder.