Bulldozer Reloading

The combination of BC, reliable, expansion and extreme penetration make the Bulldozer 2 bullet line of hunting bullets the most effective hunting bullet in each caliber and weight category available. We get many questions about how to reload these bullets safely. This article addresses many of the most common questions.

  1. _*What twist to use. *_For each bullet we specify a recommended twist rate that will stabilize each bullet to a stability factor of 1.5 under standard conditions at sea level. We highly recommend that the twist rate be adhered to, to assure maximum accuracy under almost any condition. Stability increases as altitude increases because the air density decreases. Also, tissue is much denser than air, having a bullet stable at impact reduces the possibility of tumbling within the target, assuring a more reliable path through the target and thus deeper penetration.
  2. _*How far off the lands should they be. *_To start off we recommend 0.020″ off the lands to discover what powder charge to use, then for accuracy, to perform a two shot jump ladder at 0.010″ increments and pick the jump that gives the tightest 2 shot group. Some rifles like a closer jump and others a longer jump. The important factor to realize is that for hunting the most important shot is the first one, which is the cold bore shot. If the rifle can place this shot reliably on the point of aim and the second hits within 1/2-3/4″ from the first, that level of accuracy is sufficient for reliable impacts out to about 800 yds.
  3. _*Powder selection. *_For this we use standard published reloading data for bullets of the same or slightly heavier weight category, lead core or copper. We recommend using temperature stable powders whose use in hot weather is not likely to have a significant velocity increase, and thus an increase in pressure, that caused pressure sighs or worse yet, extractor breakage. It is not a safe practice to load to the maximum velocity. The effectiveness of the bullets will not be enhanced significantly over what is achieved at say 100 fps slower. Safe pressures can be achieved without compromising effectiveness at muzzle velocities of between 2750-2950 fps. Picking the hottest powder to achieve the highest velocity is not a wise tactic, as it increases the chances for overpressure events and will not necessarily increase bullet effectiveness. The high BC of our bullets assures higher impact velocities and flatter trajectories coupled with longer effective range at any speed. Recommended temperature stable powders include the Hodgdon Extreme series, IMR Enduron powders, and StaBall 6.5, which has the unique claim of being a temp stable ball powder.
  4. _*Primer selection. *_We suppose that the most important parameter to pay attention to is ignition time. If during your load development you perceive a delay in ignition i.e. you hear the click of the firing pin hitting the primer before the bang of the shot, switch to a magnum rated primer. As a general rule use magnum rated primers in large capacity cases filled with slow burning powder.