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BULLET BULLETIN
The solid bullet is designed for penetrating thick hide and heavy bone.
SOLID PERFORMERS When you’re hunting dangerous game, these are the best bullets for the job. STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
T
he buffalo bull took the premium softpoint bullet on the point of his shoulder, shredding the top of the heart and lungs, but as is the way with the Cape buffalo, no one told him it was time to die. Sometimes they just don’t read the script. The followup shot was at a raking angle, entering just in front of the right rear leg and exiting just in front of the left foreleg, putting the bull down for good. That second bullet was what is commonly referred to as a “solid,” in
that the projectile is designed for the deep penetration needed to reach the vital organs from any angle, though there is no expansion. These projectiles are generally reserved for hunting the biggest game on Earth, including the true pachyderms like elephant, hippopotamus and giraffe. They are also employed to handle the very small antelope species like Sharpe’s grysbok, duiker and suni when using a big bore rifle, in order to prevent excessive meat and pelt damage, as would be caused by a softpoint bullet. These bullets have many names, from “full patch” to “total metal jacket” to “full metal jacket,” though the “solid” moniker is most common. While most
bullets are technically solid, with the exception of the hollowpoints, the solids we most often refer to are engineered to maintain their shape for reliably straight-line penetration, as opposed to the expanding softpoints, which increase their diameter upon impact to maximize soft tissue damage. The solids are a perfect means of getting through thick hide and tough shoulder bones, as well as the porous, honeycombed bone of an elephant’s skull. The earliest solids were simply a copper jacket over a steel inner jacket and lead core; the jacket would completely cover the lead core at the nose and sides, leaving the core exposed at the base. While these designs americanshootingjournal.com 75
