French "Arcane" bullets--and Dean Grennell

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danski

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I remember years ago an article by reloading guru Dean Grennell showing "Arcane" ammo designed by the French. The principal
was making handgun bullets out of brass into very pointy shapes and being able to drive them at double velocities of normal lead-based bullets.

The result was horrendous holes in agelatin or some kind of clay.
Where a lead .45 would cause a hole barely larger than the bullet diameter, the "Arcane" caused fist-sized craters.

Just wondering if the technology was dropped as impractical or if the French pursued such bullets further. I believe Grennell said that the bullets were immediately banned for import by the ATF though he said making them in a machine-shop was fairly easy, which he did! I thought
that maybe the ATF might have gotten very angry with him.
 
A 'pinched tip' solid copper bullet w/a hollow base. High velocity. It not only gave penetration against hard & resiliant surfaces (steel, vests,etc) but on soft tissue targets it gave wounds almost double calibe size in some cases.
A couple of different tip designs were around to try to combat feeding problems.
Some complaints about not enough penetration on soft targets. Hard to figure when they punch through steel! but that was a complaint of some Euro LE buyers.
I think the US import problems were partially to do with the armor piercing part of the design. No AP handgun ammo in the USA,, exceptions to LE
 
Didn't Hirtenberger produce B litz A ction T rauma ammo made with beryllium and import into the US until the law banning such metals for bullets? Was long time ago. Joe
 
If I remember correctly, the rounds also had very high pressure. The French responded that it was only high for a "short time".
 
Right about the same time there was an article regarding the use of pewter for handgun bullets.

Many years ago, "American Handgunner" or "Guns" had an interesting article about loading the Speer plastic practice bullets on top of a stiff charge of Bullseye. The pictures of the holes they made in clay looked like 20mm strikes. I've literally looked for the magazine that had the article (with loading data) for about thirty years and never found it again. I gave up a few months ago when I just dumped off a bunch of magazines at the club.
 
pharmer said:
Didn't Hirtenberger produce B litz A ction T rauma ammo made with beryllium and import into the US until the law banning such metals for bullets? Was long time ago. Joe
Click to expand...
Well, yeah, if you think twenty years or so is a long time (seems to me it went by in a flash). I carried 9mm BATs in a P225 for a couple of years, back when I believed in magic bullets. There is much better bullet technology available today.
 
max said:
If I remember correctly, the rounds also had very high pressure. The French responded that it was only high for a "short time".
Click to expand...

LOL:D

Those wild and wacky Frenchmen.....maybe their guns explode slowly and "short time" wouldn't get it done.
 
In the 80`s I found this technology fascinating and pursued it with a friend who was a master machinist. Solid copper turned on a lathe in a .44 magnum SBH with as much H110 we would dare.On deer it had no equal.The round was devastating.Here is a link that will explain a little more.
TRÈS HAUTE VITESSE
 
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