American Rifleman:
Beyond increasing on-target energy, the additional velocity greatly enhances the ARX’s terminal effect. “The fluted design of the ARX bullet is quite amazing, as it operates on the principle of fluid dynamics rather than hydrostatic shock,” explained Schultz. Molded into the projectile are three distinct flutes that, as the bullet penetrates soft tissue (and fluid), transfer the forward energy laterally. The fluids, spinning at around 120,000 rotations per minute (r.p.m.), are forced in an outward direction at upward of two times the speed of the bullet itself. “A new phenomenon has been realized,” Shultz said. “NovX can achieve breaking the liquid sound barrier, actually causing a sonic boom inside whatever water-based material it may encounter—water, clay, gel, flesh, blood, et cetera.”
The rest of the article is interesting, but testing on the round thus far lack field data from hog hunting, deer hunting, etc., and the ammunition also lacks convinced buyers.
I had missed this from Ammoland a few days ago when Glen Wunderlich wrote on NovX ammunition in .450 Bushmaster. His concluding paragraph[s] is this.
The experiment concluded with a search for what remained of the two bullets. The recovered Inceptor made a violent entrance and completely disintegrated to its final resting place where only a tiny fragment of the original projectile was found – not even enough to bother weighing! On the other hand, the Hornady Flex Tip was peeled from well over 4,000 layers of paper, weighed 170 grains and had mushroomed to about 50-percent more than its original diameter of .452 inches, although the copper jacket had separated from the lead core.
The conclusion is that velocity and energy are only important if they can deliver a better wound channel and the less-expensive Hornady ammo and its Flex Tip design provide a much more appropriate transfer of said energy for a big-game hunting round.
No offense to Glen, but I think he’s utterly missed the point. It isn’t the design of the NovX round to disintegrate in order to “deposit” energy.
I’ll grant the point that one has to think differently in order to understand what’s supposed to be happening here, but this round was designed using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). The flutes in the round accelerate liquids and other material in the direction of its path by virtue of twist, so it would be contrary to the intent to disintegrate (i.e., it would fail to perform its intended function of imparting energy by virtue of its design if it shattered).
But what I would like to see (I hinted at it above) is field tests using the cartridge. Anecdotal data. Yes, anecdotal data is perfectly admissible in logical discourse. Induction cannot prove a point, but it sure can disprove it. Show me a 500 lb. hog taken with this round. Or better yet, invite me to this hunt and let me take the hog.
Prior:
AR-15 Ammunition And Barrel Twist Rate
Considerations In Selecting AR-15 Ammunition
Small Caliber Lethality: 5.56mm Performance in Close Quarters Battle
More On 5.56mm Ballistics
Oversimplifying Ammunition Ballistics
Pistol Ammunition Ballistics Part 2
New Ballistics Gelatin Tests At Ammunition To Go
