Cutting Edge Bullets
Cutting Edge Bullets
Dan Smitchko is CEO of Cutting Edge Bullets. I made contact with Dan 2010 and started working with him on a new bullet design that Sam Rose and I had been working with and testing. Sam's BBW #13 Solid, and it's matching hollow point NonCon, in various calibers. After several prototype runs, or generations, with various meplat sizes, proper radius on the bullet, and other factors, we managed to get the details sorted out. At first I was more interested in having these bullets available for the B&M Cartridges in the proper weights. However, along that same time frame, Sam and I started conducting tests with different band configurations in double rifles to reduce pressures along with reducing barrel strains. Some of the things we discovered there has brought us forward with the Nitro Express Bullet as well.
There really is not much difference in the Nitro Express bullet, and the regular bullet other than the space between the top bands. The Nitro Express Bullet has a slightly wider space between bands than the normal B&M bullet. One can interchange between the two if one wishes, pressures or barrel strain would not change. The reason for the slightly wider spacing on the NE bullet is for seating and crimping in various NE cartridges. The Nitro Express bullet can be used in most all bolt guns without a problem. For the B&M Bolt rifles I like the tighter spaced bands up top for neck tension.
After extensive tests with meplat sizes, radius and bands we decided upon a 67% meplat for caliber, proper radius, and three driving bands on the top and one driving band on the bottom as being the best all around design, with the small difference in spacing of the standard B&M bullet and the NE bullet. This was taken across the board to all calibers.
Having shot and worked with a great deal of copper and brass bullets over the last few years I did not wish to go back to the drawing board with a new design hollow point NonCon, whether brass or copper. I felt strongly about taking the standard BBW #13 Solid and putting a hollow cavity in that very same bullet. This would not only make it easier to manufacture, but it would be the exact same bearing surface, the same length bullet, just slightly lighter. For a Dangerous Game Bullet it is important that both the hollow point NonCon and the Solid have the same, or very close to the same POI (Point of Impact) at 50 yards, Dangerous Game range! Even though the NonCon HP is lighter, so far in every rifle, and every caliber I have worked with, the POI is the same for both Solid and NonCon. In fact, when loaded with the same load, the velocity is very close to being the same as well.
The BBW #13 Solid gives extremely consistent straight line penetration across the wide range of calibers and cartridges tested from 9.3 caliber up to and including .585 caliber. This is among one of the best nose profiles I have ever worked with. Below are a few samples of different BBW #13 Solids that have been tested. For more examples of these, and other solids please refer back to the various Terminal Performance pages.
Sam took the first animal taken with a CEB BBW #13 Solid in his 577 Nitro double rifle. Extreme Performance with a frontal brain shot, and dead straight line penetration. Bullet was recovered and in near pristine condition and had traveled over 6 feet of elephant tissue, going through the front of the skull! In addition to the elephant, Sam also took a very good buffalo as well with the 577 Nitro. I told Sam before leaving, and many times afterwards, that he would step foot on the continent with the most effective 577 Nitro load that had ever been devised in history, loaded with the CEB BBW #13 Solid. I still contend this to be true!
For more information concerning solids refer to this page;
The brass NonCon HP has a .400 deep cavity and comes with 6 petals or blades that shear off after about 2-3 inches of penetration, sending these 6 blades in a star pattern away from center, while the remaining bullet continues to penetrate in a straight line. These blades go off in 6 different directions tearing through organ tissue, and on animals the size of deer many of the blades will actually exit the other side on broadside shots. Of course on buffalo these blades do not exit, but do a tremendous amount of damage to these vital tissues. In most all cases the remaining bullet continues to penetrate and will exit.
To get a copper NonCon to work like the brass NonCon a shorter cavity is needed. On copper we use a .300 deep cavity to get the same performance.
For more in depth information concerning NonCons, or Non Conventional bullets please refer to this page.
Today the BBW#13 Solids and Non-Cons have new, and probably better names.......
The Solids are now Safari Solids
The NonCon is now the Safari Raptor
All other calibers now have various types of "Raptors", from .224 caliber all the way to .620 caliber and everything in between. These are the most devastating Trauma Inflicting bullet I have ever worked with and I use them in everything from .224 calibers to my upper end here of .510 caliber. They are just WICKED................
Naturally all of these are available from Cutting Edge Bullets, and please contact Cutting Edge should you desire.
http://www.cuttingedgebullets.com/