Polymer tipped 44 magnum bullets in a tubular magazine ?

[joshb]

Real world experience, anybody? I spent an hour researching on the net, saw some test videos and read multiple opinions. What’s the latest thinking?

 

[Doug Beach]

Their website says they are too long to work in a lever gun. I have no experience with them.

 

[SeabeeKen]

I wouldnt use hard tips. What about hornady ftx

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/44-cal-430-265-gr-ftx-444-marlin#!/

 

[GotRDid]

Those Bear Creek bullets might be just the ticket in a T/C Contender. I would like to try them in my 12.5” (formerly Super 14) bbl.

 

[joshb]

Their website says they are too long to work in a lever gun. I have no experience with them.

Yeh, I couldn’t find the right site before. This is what I bought to try. The cannelure is closer to the tip.
The “worry” is that the pointy tip will hit a primer on recoil. Anecdotal evidence is from 30-30s with spitszer bullets.

 

[GotRDid]

JoshB; the bullets you bought are very likely the Hornady FTX bullets made for another ammunition mfg. I have purchased many of the Factory Blems through Midway over the years, and thousands more from Lock, Stock & Barrel over the decades when they sold Hornady’s seconds. While the tips may be firm to the touch, if you press the nose against a hard surface, you can detect the compression of the polymer tip, and it’s just enough to absorb any shock while in your tubular magazine. The 160 gr .308 cal flex tip blems I have loaded/shot from Midway in my .30-30 performed just as the Hornady branded box bullets.
I did get some .30-30 seconds a while back that appeared to be Sierra 150 Pro Hunter (?) with a misplaced cannalure. Shot them in a T/C Super 14 .30-30 bbl and they were just fine.