Inceptor ARX .38 Special Fragmenting in Flight

ninjatoth · Jan 7, 2019

This phenomenon is such a mystery to me. When I fire the Inceptor ARX .38 Special out of my J-frame (S&W 342PD) the projectile will hit the paper like buckshot at any given range, even from 5 yards. It does not happen every shot, but about 1/3 of the time. I fired this ammo through my 4" 686 and it fired fine, only in my J-frame does it happen.

I have asked people on Youtube about this, as I have a channel and posted a video on it, and their response is mostly that my gun must be out of time, but when I checked for timing it always seems to lockup before the hammer drops, I never have shaved lead or copper buildup on one side of the inner forcing cone, or anything of that nature. All other ammo seems to shoot fine. The only other thing I can think of is that the bore is tighter than normal, but I wouldn't know as I have never slugged the bore and don't know if I feel comfortable even doing that as I have never done it before.

Does anyone have any idea what could cause these ARX bullets to fragment before they even impact the target? Thanks in advance.

chief38 · Jan 8, 2019

More than likely the bonding media or agent was not mixed or prepared correctly resulting in a poor bond. When it comes to new designs (and I'm all for that) sometimes they are released into the marketplace before they are perfected. Sometimes its all about temperature, humidity, mold pressures, etc.

Call the Company and ask - that's your best bet. More than likely they will send you a shipping label, ask you to send it in for them to examine and send you a voucher for more ammo.

ninjatoth · Jan 8, 2019

chief38 said:
More than likely the bonding media or agent was not mixed or prepared correctly resulting in a poor bond. When it comes to new designs (and I'm all for that) sometimes they are released into the marketplace before they are perfected. Sometimes its all about temperature, humidity, mold pressures, etc.

Call the Company and ask - that's your best bet. More than likely they will send you a shipping label, ask you to send it in for them to examine and send you a voucher for more ammo.

I actually shot it all up for another video where I wanted to confirm that it was still fragmenting in the J-frame but not the 686. In retrospect I should have saved a couple rounds. I could care less about the ammo at this point, but thinking my gun could be screwed up in stressful.

I did contact the company however, but it's been a few days and they have not responded.

Univibe · Jan 8, 2019

Throw that "ammo" in the trash where it belongs; get you some standard pressure, 158 grain LSWC from any of the major manufacturers. Don't rely on marketing gimmicks to save your life.

ninjatoth · Jan 8, 2019

Univibe said:
Throw that "ammo" in the trash where it belongs; get you some standard pressure, 158 grain LSWC from any of the major manufacturers. Don't rely on marketing gimmicks to save your life.

I do like the 158 LSWC bullet design. One of my favorite loads to shoot is a hard cast version of that bullet, especially in a .357 Mag case. Any good powder will do, fun to shoot.

Univibe · Jan 8, 2019

ninjatoth said:
I do like the 158 LSWC bullet design. One of my favorite loads to shoot is a hard cast version of that bullet, especially in a .357 Mag case. Any good powder will do, fun to shoot.

Preaching to the choir! 158 grain hardcast LSWC, powered by AA#5 to about 1000 or 1050 fps. I load 'em up in .357 cases and shoot 'em out of the 686. Way cool.

Really, RIP ammo, all those weird bullets that look like multi-tool tips, a lot of the Critical Defense and other trick bullets--all marketing hype. Shoot real bullets when real thugs appear.

pittpa · Jan 9, 2019

Can you try it from a different revolver?

Roller Delayed · Jan 9, 2019

Univibe said:
Really, RIP ammo, all those weird bullets that look like multi-tool tips, a lot of the Critical Defense and other trick bullets--all marketing hype. Shoot real bullets when real thugs appear.

Yeah, modern ammo is bunk, like eating vegetables. I only eat animal products and shoot lead.

chief38 · Jan 9, 2019

I tend to stay away from new (experimental technology) ammo until it has been in the market for a few years, put to the test and field proven. This way if it's a dud, I have no grief. If it needs improvement it gets done, and if it's a great product then the reviews will prove that out.

Pondoro · Jan 9, 2019

Personally I'd buy another box and keep track, does only one chamber to this? Only two chambers? But I would only do this for science, I'm not recommending that ammo for any practical use. I expect in a few generations that type of ammo will be perfected (ammo generations, not human generations).

LVSteve · Jan 9, 2019

pittpa said:
Can you try it from a different revolver?

This. I'm wondering if the OP's revolver has an alignment issue on some chambers and/or a rough forcing cone.

ninjatoth · Jan 9, 2019

LVSteve said:
This. I'm wondering if the OP's revolver has an alignment issue on some chambers and/or a rough forcing cone.

in the original post I said I fired it through another revolver.

Inceptor ARX .38 Special Fragmenting in Flight

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