JPK: I just tried to run a 300 grain .375 North Fork Soft Point thru my dies.

Are these solid copper with a lead-filled front portion?

Well, the thing went thru the dies like bacon grease thru a beagle.

No trouble at all.

Does this mean anything to a properly loaded cartridge?

Maybe not.

But there is no doubt that it was very much like running a normal lead-core soft thru the dies, as opposed to the Hornady steel-jacketed FMJ and the Barnes TSX, neither of which I could get thru the die. If the Woodleigh praised here has a steel jacket that is harder and or thicker than the Hornady, I suspect it, too would be a no-go thru my dies.

Do "hard" bullets do anything different to the insides of a gun barrel than do "soft" bullets? I suspect so, but I am very leery of blaming them for the destruction of guns that may have been weakened by years and use and/or abuse, and suspect that in reality there are "hard" bullets that are not solid copper, and possibly some made of solid copper that should not be called "hard".

I have to wonder what the true round-count life expectancy is of an 80-year-old, thin-tubed double of whatever quality and whether some fellows are packing around what amount to hand grenades unknowingly.

Meaning, how many more bullets can a fellow run thru an old, used gun the previous shooting of which the buyer knows nothing?

Yes, even precious and beautiful doubles can be worn out pieces of junk better serving as art on the wall or stuck in the dirt holding up tomatoes in the garden.

Some metals have different springback characteristics. Does this mean they might act upon the walls of a gun barrel differently and/or transmit energy to the rifling in some different manner than another bullet? I suppose this may be true, even if it is difficult to test and/or prove.

Nitro is dead-correct in my opinion, cautioning anyone who seeks to blindly pick a bullet to shoot in a double. In my opinion, they may just be weak enough "systems" to be on the edge with some types of bullets, and may give way when exposed to others. I do not know.

What I do know is that it is very frustrating to hear/read of those who condemn this or that with proclamations of certitude and then disappear when asked to help out with a little proof. Thus, even if what they are saying is true, no one knows it and the silence gives the impression that they are making it up, thus possibly leading some to disregard their warnings, warnings that might be warranted.

This has been an interesting thread.

Finally, here is a portion of an interesting email sent to me by Ty Herring from Barnes pertaining to this thread:

Barnes performed conclusive testing and put it in our newsletter with our "blessing" to use the Banded Solids in doubles. We also suggested that anyone with evidence of damage call us. I'm not surprised to see that no one came up with a damaged barrel even after a $400 reward was issued. Quite simply, the issue doesn't exist and or isn't tied to the Barnes Banded Solid bullet.

You and I discussed the fact that we used the Oehler system and a strain gauge to measure outside barrel expansion / pressure. I would think this fact would give additional credibility to the tests we performed and curb the ridiculous notion that suggests our bullet causes OSR and you are welcome to post this information if you like.

End Quote.

Personally, I think both bullet buyers and double gun buyers ought never to forget these words:

"BUYER BEWARE".