I'm trying to desighn a bullet on your program and have come up with a couple of questions.
This is for a S&W 500 with 7.5" barrel. I'm trying to come up with a "bore rider" 600 grain bullet. I have a sample bullet I got from Richard (Ranger Rick) Gibson that I'm using as a model.
Use will be #1 for brown bear protection (I live on Kodiak Island AK), #2 for hunting deer up to 100 yards with open sights. I would like to develop one load that I learn well with this arm rather that several for different purposes. In other words a "One size fits all" slanted mostly to stopping a brown bear. Range of bear encounters needing lethal force is generally pretty close - 40 or less yards.
Following is my main question for you. Regarding the meplat percentage; should I stick with 70 - 73% to maintain overall performance and not have a 'barn door' that sheds too much velocity at 100 yards or could I go a little larger for the short range effectiveness - - - or is my logic just screwed up?
And; would you recommend a bit lighter bullet - say 500 - 550 for a bit better range of usage?
Thanks
Ron
PS: Cost for this mould? Couldn't find pricing information on your site -