NWCP Bullets
Bob Sauter of Northwest Custom Projectile (NWCP) offers a totally different style of bullet as well as different configurations for different applications. NWCP bullets are of more conventional materials — copper with a lead core — however there is nothing conventional about his designs. Bob not only offers plain-based bullets but also a RBBT, which is a rebated boattail. All handloaders know what a rifle boattail looks like, but I don’t know of anyone else who has ever offered the same design for handgun bullets. I first used these for loading heavy bullets in the .45 ACP and covered them in the Sept/Oct 2007 Taffin Tests.
NWCP bullets may be custom ordered as to wall thickness according to their intended use. A full house loaded .454 requires a much thicker wall than a standard .45 Colt. If the latter is pushed to the maximum in a .454, bullets can come apart, while the former in a 1,000 fps loading will probably not expand. Bob can custom tailor any bullets to the customer’s specifications. For the .45 NWCP not only offers the 260-grain RBBT Scorpion for regular hunting use, there is also the ManStopper, which is basically a full wadcutter with an obscene hollowpoint. These are not for long range accuracy but rather reasonably close maximum effectiveness. In the .50, the ManStopper is also offered, as well as a 350- grain flat-based, flat-tipped hunting bullet.
I have tested the NWCP 260 HP .45 Colt bullet in several Ruger Blackhawks. Loaded over 10.5 grains of Hodgdon’s Universal. it clocks out at just under 1,100 fps from a 71/2″ barrel and puts five shots into just under 1″ at 25 yards. Going to opposite extremes, this bullet over 6.0 grains of Universal in the .45 Auto Rim is a pleasant shooting 800 fps from a 4″ S&W Model 25 and does 1,480 fps with 35 grains of Hodgdon’s Li’l Gun loaded in the .460 S&W. In both cases 25 yard groups are right at 1″. In the 83/8″ S&W .500 the 350 grain Soft Point over 30 grains of H4227 is just under 1,300 fps while staying well under 1″ at 25 yards.
For serious sixgunners, especially for hunting, one or both of these companies can offer custom bullets which will get the job done.
For more info: Belt Mountain Punch (406) 388-1396, www.beltmountain.com; NWCP (406) 723-8683
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