Does anyone know if the Zero Bullets hollow points are an expanding bullet or are the pretty much intended as plinkers? Not all hollow points are designed for expansion. I looked on their site but if my answer's there I missed it.

I haven't tested them in wetpack or shot water jugs with them, but from the design they should expand decently. Their 38 caliber design looks to me like some of the JHP bullets sold by Speer back in the 70's and 80's. I guess I should try some water jug tests some day to see.

It's been a while but once upon a time I fired a lot of Zero 125 gr. bullets in my 28-2. Six inch barrel and a healthy dose of powder gave really good results. From time to time I ventured into wonderland ... i.e., loading enough powder that I wondered what might happen! Those bullets worked well. When I shot them into milk jugs full of water the result was dramatic. HTH. Sincerely. bruce.

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I have bought and shot many thousands of Zero bullets... less JHP's and more JSP's, all in .38/.357, 125 and 158gr. I like them a lot because they perform decently for what they are.

What they are is a CHEAP bullet with a low price that are offered in bulk. They are one of the cheapest true jacketed bullets on the market.

If you want a JHP that "performs" and actual bullet performance is a genuine goal, buy some Hornady XTP's. I rarely hear a complaint about the XTP and I really love their build quality and accuracy.

I have, on more than one occasion, used a kinetic puller to (inadvertently!) separate the copper jacket of a Zero bullet from the lead core.

Zero bullets are a fantastic buy, but they are cheap.

Sir,

My experience mirrors that of brucev. I've used Zero 125gr. JHPs exclusively in my .357s, and they certainly expanded for me. When I first was working up my handload I fired one into two of those thick old JC Penney catalogs. It penetrated through the first and around halfway through the second. I extracted it and it was about 2mm thick and the diameter of a quarter or slightly more. Does that prove that they will expand in less dense material? Perhaps not, but I would be VERY surprised if they didn't, providing they are driven fast enough. Just my view and experience.

Regards,
Andy

....with the quality of their product. For 'cheap' they are really good. Somebody should evaluate them and the other smaller bullet companies, just to satisfy me curiosity.

Well, it would be nice. And a good reason for a Youtube video.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

They're a target/match bullet, not really designed as an hunting or self-defense bullet.

Horses for courses.

If you're really interested in HP's for their expansion it's a good idea to try some that are designed and marketed for that very purpose. And it's imperative that you try those that are specific to your exact circumstance. All bullets, be they for handguns, varmint rifles, big game rifles, etc. are constructed to perform their best in a certain velocity range.

Hornady XTP's are renown as match grade bullets and hunting bullets. But I've seen them act like solids out of a revolver at 1100 fps MV. That doesn't mean they're a failure, just means I didn't use them as they were intended. That's why we have HP's like Golden Sabers, Critical Defense, Gold Dots, etc. that will expand perfectly out of a 2" revolver at 850 fps MV.

I've shot thousands of Zero, Magnus and Montana Gold jacketed HP's. They'll all expand if pushed fast enough. But they weren't designed, and therefore priced, to compete with premium critter-slaying HP's. The jackets often separate and the lead cores sometimes fragment, unlike the now classic 6-petal mushrooms we see with purpose-built SD bullets.

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Carry.."hope" isn't a strategy

Thanks for all the replies. I wasn't necessarily seeking another expanding type bullet but it wouldn't hurt if they did. I generally use 135gr Gold Dots for expanding bullets. I found a very good price on Zero bullets and just thought that if they were an expanding bullet that I could practice with what I carry. I have several 357's and it would have been helpful if everything was zero'd in with the exact same bullet and load. The Zero HP's are only about two cents per bullet more than the coated bullets I normally shoot.

Just to give you an idea of what the Zero JHP and JSP bullets look like in 38 caliber, here is a picture I took of a couple of 158 grain JHP bullets and a Zero 158 grain JSP bullet between them. I know they are heavier than the 125 grain bullets you are looking to pick up, but the basic profile of the JHP will be the same. The biggest difference between the Zero 125 and 158 grain JHP bullets will be the shorter shank of the lighter bullet. Click the picture for a higher resolution view of them.

They'll do that just fine. Matching a JHP's recoil with a bullet of a different type is really inexact. JHP-to-JHP will get you a lot closer, a lot easier.

In a back-to-the-wall, run-what-ya-got situation, I wouldn't discount them. Getting shot sucks, even if it's with a sub-optimal bullet.

Thanks 1sailor for this post. I'd actually just gotten on this section of SWF to inquire similarly.

I'll not get into the 'using handloads for SD' debate, and most here wouldn't want to either. It's been beat to mush.

Just started handloading for a .38 Super, have been using up some 20 year old Speer and Remington 9mm/.355 JHP's.
I'm well aware that to gain very best performance that the Gold Dots, XTP's, etc provide that.

Just ordered some 'Everglades Ammo' .356 125 gr. JHP's, a bulk bullet obviously and probably very similar to Zero, Extreme, Montana Gold, etc.
The pistol will be a field/woods gun mostly and I'm running the loads pretty hard. I didn't get a Super so I could shoot 9mm level ammo.

Just interested in any testing and results on these bulk bullets and how they perform on something besides paper targets.
Thanks.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275