BULLET BULLETIN: WOODLEIGH BULLETS HOPEFULLY RISING FROM THE ASHES

BULLET BULLETIN

Woodleigh’s family of projectiles are among the best choices for the big game hunter.

WOODLEIGH BULLETS: HOPEFULLY RISING FROM THE ASHES

A fire last November left the famed dangerous game bullet maker’s factory in ruins and its future uncertain.

STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP

Ihad followed Brian van Blerk and his trackers Albert and Proud for nearly a half-mile, as the zebra stallions fed and walked, walked and fed, keeping just out of range. The larger of the pair slowed to feed in a small depression – where what was left of the grass was still good – and gave us a chance to shorten the distance.

The cover in this section of the famous Chirisa Safari Area in Zimbabwe was becoming thinner, and we were running out of it quickly. We stood for what seemed like an eternity (though probably only 15 or 20 minutes) with my rifle on the sticks, waiting for a short but clean opportunity to take the bigger of the two. When he came clear, I settled the Leupold’s crosshair on his shoulder and broke the trigger of the Mauser 98. A 250-grain Woodleigh Weldcore from my .318 Westley Richards took him

This Zimbabwean zebra stallion fell to a single Woodleigh Weldcore from author Phil Massaro’s .318 Westley Richards.

cleanly; he spun once and went down within 20 paces.

Three years prior, and a bit to the northwest, I had leveled the front bead of my Heym Express onto the shoulder of a massive bull elephant and loosed two 400-grain Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilized Solids, taking the crop-raider at 16 yards. That .404 Jeffery and I became inseparable after that, and I would feel comfortable using that combination of bullet and rifle for any dangerous game species anywhere on Earth. AUSTRALIA’S WOODLEIGH BULLETS first came to my attention as a source for projectiles for reloading those cartridges for double rifles that were regulated with, and shot best with, the old bullets from Kynoch. That ammunition had all but dried up, and

Massaro took his Heym Express in .404 Jeffery loaded with 400-grain Woodleigh Hydros to Zimbabwe for an elephant hunt.

Massaro’s Zimbabwean bull elephant was taken cleanly with two 400-grain Woodleigh Hydro Solids from his .404 Jeffery.

Old meets new: The classic .404 Jeffery cartridge loaded with Woodleigh Hydro Solids. many of those classic cartridges and rifles were left unfed and unused. Woodleigh filled that niche, producing a bullet that not only matched the nose profile of the old Kynoch stuff, but was stronger and performed better.

Where the Kynoch ammunition used a standard, conventional cupand-core softpoint bullet, coupled with a full metal jacket nonexpanding solid bullet, the Woodleigh Weldcore softpoint had its jacket chemically bonded to the core to slow expansion and prevent premature bullet breakup. They also offered the correlative full metal jacket solid, with a thin copper jacket over a thick steel jacket, and the pair gave new life to many of the classic British and continental rifles. The folks at Woodleigh were, and are, passionate about making excellent projectiles in the style of yesteryear,

The mighty .505 Gibbs Magnum, loaded with 600-grain Woodleigh FMJ solids in the Norma African PH ammo line. Norma’s African PH line, with 450-grain Woodleigh Weldcore softpoints in the .416 Remington Magnum. but with modern twists. And, in my opinion, their Hydrostatically Stabilized Solid – known affectionately as the “Hydro” – is the best bullet ever invented for dangerous game.

Sadly, on November 27, 2021, a fire devastated the Woodleigh factory in Murrabit, Australia; owner Geoff McDonald and his wife Shirley were both hospitalized with smoke inhalation, but thankfully came through unscathed. However, the factory is a total loss, with only a slight possibility of a small amount of product making it through the tragedy. I’ve been blessed to get to know Geoff personally over the years, as we always enjoy a long chat at the trade shows, and while I’m happy that he and his wife escaped the peril of that terrible fire, I can only imagine how he hurts, with the uncertainty of the extremely successful business he built up from the ground. I’d like to take a look at those fantastic Woodleigh products to celebrate them and hope that we haven’t seen the last of them.

Woodleigh’s projectiles have long been a welcome sight for those who enjoy the obscure cartridges. These 250-grain .330-inch-diameter Weldcores are designed for the .318 Westley Richards.

Federal’s Cape-Shok ammo line features the Woodleigh Hydro Solid; shown here is the famous .416 Rigby with 400-grain Hydros.

Massaro long dreamt of owning a .318 Westley Richards, and had one built primarily because Woodleigh’s premium Weldcore bullets were readily available.

A Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in .416 Remington Magnum, and Federal’s Cape-Shok 400-grain Woodleigh Hydro load. Note the blue polymer cap, which aids in smooth feeding.

AS I STATED earlier, the Weldcore bonded softpoint is the flagship of the fleet. One of the most attractive attributes of Woodleigh’s products is that they produce bullets in both popular and obscure bullet diameters; I rely heavily on their 250-grain .330-inch-diameter bullet for my .318 Westley Richards, and I’ve turned a good many shooters onto it. It has all the attributes of a century-plus-old design, yet penetrates for days, expands reliably, retains a healthy percentage of its original weight and is wonderfully accurate. My pal Mike McNulty loves the Weldcore in his .458 Lott; I’ve loaded a good number of 500-grain slugs for him, and he’s taken that combination around the world, taking his first Cape buffalo with it.

Norma Ammunition loads the Woodleigh Weldcore in its African PH line, and in many of the cartridges designed for bolt-action rifles, employs heavier-than-normal bullet weights. I took this ammo, using a 450-grain Weldcore in .404 Jeffery, to Alaska with me when I hunted coastal brown bear and black bear; I took a respectable black bear, and while I didn’t have an opportunity for the brownie, I felt completely confident in that thick vegetation where shooting distances could be measured in feet instead of yards.

Loads like the 350-grain .375 H&H

An old and handsome kudu bull, taken with a Texas heart shot from a .318 Westley Richards and a 250-grain Weldcore, in the Chirisa Block of Zimbabwe with professional hunter Brian van Blerk.

A 250-grain Woodleigh Weldcore recovered from a kudu bull; the bullet entered just below the base of the tail, and was found against the breastbone.

Geoff McDonald of Woodleigh Bullets (left) and Massaro at SHOT Show in Las Vegas. McDonald’s factory in Australia was destroyed in a fire last November, making for an uncertain future for the bullet maker and his wares.

This Alaskan black bear fell to a 450-grain Woodleigh Weldcore from the author’s .404 Jeffery.

The 500-grain Woodleigh Hydro Solid loaded in the .505 Gibbs Magnum. The author’s rifle for Alaskan bears: a Bansner & Co. custom .404 Jeffery, which shoots Norma African PH ammo loaded with 450-grain Woodleigh Weldcores into sub-MOA groups.

Magnum, 450-grain .416 Rigby and .416 Remington Magnum, 550-grain .458 Lott and .450 Rigby, and 600-grain .505 Gibbs all give these cartridges a slight advantage at close quarters, where game must be stopped. Standard bullet weights in cartridges like the .470 Nitro Express and .500 Nitro Express allow the double rifles to shoot properly, yet still benefit from the bonded core design that holds together

The Norma African PH line features a 350-grain Woodleigh Weldcore in the .375 H&H Magnum, and makes an already fantastic cartridge even better.

even through thick hide and huge bones.

In component form, Woodleigh offers the Weldcore in bore diameters from 6.5mm all the way up to the behemoth .700-caliber for use in the .700 Nitro Express, with models for most bore diameters in between, including the oddballs.

AT THE OPPOSITE end of the spectrum, Woodleigh moved forward to develop one of the most impressive technological advances in bullet design in their Hydro solid. It is a lead-free monometal bullet, with long parallel sides and a unique meplat that culminates in a small concave dish-like design. The concept is that the meplat creates a cavitation bubble upon impact with the game animal, and that bubble will destroy blood-rich tissue, as well as clear a path for itself, resulting in straight-line penetration with minimal expansion at the nose, if any at all. Strange as this theory may sound, it works.

Prior to taking that big bull elephant in Zimbabwe, I used the Hydro to take a formidable blue wildebeest in South Africa, as well as a handsome impala ram. In each of the species – which are of considerably different sizes – there was a cylinder of blood-shot meat and jellified tissue along the bullet’s path, and the kill was both quick and humane. I’ve seen that bullet actually knock a Cape buffalo off its feet when shot through the hip and up into the front shoulder as it ran from the initial shot, and both broadside shots on that elephant exited the body, completely destroying his lungs; upon dissection, the damage was evident.

Should you want a bullet that possesses all the penetrative qualities of the best solids, yet offers the destructive capabilities of the premium softpoints, look no further than the Woodleigh Hydro. It is loaded in Federal Premium’s Cape-Shok ammo line, with offerings in cartridges from the 9.3x62, 9.3x74R and .375 H&H Magnum up through the .416s and .458s, to the .470 and .500 Nitro Express. In the factory-loaded version, there is a hemispherical polymer cap installed over the meplat to ensure smooth and easy feeding in bolt-action rifles. That cap breaks off upon impact, and has no effect on the terminal ballistics at all. If you are headed on safari and want the best insurance policy you can buy in the form of ammunition, the Federal Cape-Shok Hydro load is what you’re after.

Knowing the passion Geoff McDonald has for his company, its products and its legacy, I would be honestly surprised if we’ve heard the last from him, and I hope I’m correct. He and Shirley have certainly earned their place in the firearms industry, and as if the Covid pandemic hasn’t been hard enough on businesses around the world – and especially in Australia – the fire at Geoff’s factory was a devastating blow. Whichever path you choose, Geoff, I’d personally like to say thank you for your dedication and your great products. It’s an honor to be your friend. 

The 270-grain B.O.R. Lock MZ .50-caliber bullet is wonderfully accurate, and expands reliably. The polymer tip maintains a higher-than-normal ballistic coefficient value, making longer shots a reality.