Hi PHS and others,
I have had nothing but very good results from Hornady bullets, over my lifetime of hand-loading and hunting since age 16, including the DGX in Africa and, I will continue to use them at the tame / old fashioned velocities they are designed for.
However, I'm quick to say that the Swift A-Frame is superior in pretty much every way (except that due to the blunt shape, DGX / DGS bullets sometimes regulate well in double rifles and more streamline shaped A-Frames occasionally do not).
The A-Frame seems to work well at both tame old fashioned velocities and/or higher velocities of today, either one (or both at the same time almost IE: short range/long range from same rifle on same safari).
For the .470 NE the A-Frame is made in very blunt profile and I wish all A-Frame bullets were so shaped.
That being said, I see little reason to hand-load the DGX for any repeater or single shot, when the A-Frame is so readily available.
For using a double rifle after buffalo, I might use the DGX/DGS again but, only if tougher bullets I tried did not regulate well in my rifle.
And, I would not try to drive them very fast, even if by some miracle my rifle held regulation at high velocity (if a frog had wings).
Such was exactly the case when I was ramping up for my buffalo hunt a few years back.
The DGX/DGS shot noticeably smaller groups, barrel to barrel than even Woodleighs.
So, not realizing their potential issues, I shot a buffalo with them (among other animals) and he is shown in my Avatar.
Nobody else fired a shot, just me and my inadequate Hornady bullets firing a "one-two" into the bull, with the desired result as seen in said Avatar.
Be that as it may, I believe that the DGX could use a tougher nose section, for sure.
In my photos, there is a pic of recovered DGX bullets (from buffalo & zebra) which definitely illustrates this.
However, the fifty cent question is: "At what point during the animal's death did my bullet fail?"
On smaller species, they tend to exit with a golf ball size hole but in larger animals, evidently the nose smears off, leaving the straight shank, now with jagged front end, to cut its way through, like a drill bit (not unlike the Nosler Partition in my experiences).
Reportedly at higher velocity than I use the DGX, they are prone to shatter, thereby failing to penetrate - Tarzan no like.
Gizmo even had this happen with the "solid" version - the DGS, on a lioness (not what I think of as a heavy or stoutly constructed animal either one).
If their "solid" sometimes breaks up on a cat, even once in a blue moon, I would suggest Hornady run these two bullets through some very seriously exhaustive testing.
Or at least mark the boxes with a recommended velocity limit.
Far as I'm concerned, since the DGX is flat nosed ("meplat" shape), it is already half expanded / mushroomed, before you even fire it (this is a good thing) so, Hornady was simply foolish to thin the jacket up near the nose.
Leaving the jacket thick all the way up and likewise fusing or bonding it to the core would have made it a wonderful heavy game bullet but, what do I know - (some folks say I don't know very much).
Besides, then you'd have a bullet that Woodleigh already produces in many calibers, except that the Hornday shape is slightly more desirable - IMO but, underline the word slightly.
I will now stand by to be punished for my sacrilege.
Cheers,
Velo Dog.
