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jpk all i was stating came from the pages of wrights book.have you ever read it or do you just disagree with his view.it is your right to.when your book comes out i will be glad to read it to.plenty of elephants have been slayed with soft bullets.look at all the black powder and lead bullet kills that have been talied over the centuries.a solid is but another means to do it it is not the only way.as far as hard bullets read the chapter on them and the test he preformed.if you dont believe him sell the book there are plenty of people who still want to buy it.this pot is far from being cooked its just simmering and being stirred.

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This post is a treat. Full of misinformation.

Solids ONLY for elephants.

Even the lead bullets used for elephants in huge BP bore rifles prior to the invention of the big bore Nitro Express were alloys or quench hardened to resist expansion and enhance penetration and weren't intended to be "soft" bullets (not counting the explosive bullets some tried, they've got to be the ultimate soft point!). The goal, as best as possible, was a bullet that didn't deform. Nothing different than and now. Our goal remains a bullet that doesn't expand or distort or deform and so a goal to enhance penetration.

What did change with the development of the NE rifles was bullet material, composition, design, shape. And that is still changing to one degree or another, as evidenced by this thread.

But one constant has remained and that is the desire to shoot a non deforming bullet for elephants, the desire to shoot the bullet that deformed the least and penetrated the most, regardless of material or composition. Since the NE cartridges of more than a century ago, it is called a "solid." Solids ONLY for elephants for any hunter using a NE or other modern rifle for more than 100years.

If you want a readily available source for elephant (or other game) medicine pre NE cartridges, take a look at Samuel Baker's book. He gives a pretty good summary of rifles, bullets and loads for safari in the black powder era not unlike Taylor's later works on modern rifles and loads through mid 20th century.

I have Greame Wright's book, 2nd edition. I am a huge fan. He didn't test North Fork bullets, nor did he test GS Custom bullets. In fact, he didn't test any driving band bullets so far as I could discern from reading his book. Driving band bullets are not hard bullets.

JPK

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