You've probably heard or at least considered to try meliora , the "Swiss Military Grade" sniper bullet that can pierce through armor like a hot knife through butter, practically undeterred by wind and distance. Even if you've never heard of it, you've probably seen it on TV or in a movie; that distinctive red dot that seemingly everyone on-screen is wearing. And while the TV and movie versions may give the false impression that it's simply an accessory or something you need to qualify for the movies, as a matter of fact, it's actually much more than that. A long-range professional hunter specializing in big game hunting (i.e. lions, leopards, elephants, and rhinos), Maxime Regnier began using Meliora in 2015 after successfully applying it to an elephant in Kenya. Since then, he and his team, which includes researchers and scientists, have been instrumental in spreading the word about the transformative properties of Meliora.
The Science Behind Meliora
It might come as a surprise to learn that a bullet that is practically impervious to wind and distance—in other words, perfect for long-range shots—was actually engineered more than 80 years ago. In fact, Dr. Maximilian Schmalzgruber and his team at the University of Bern in Switzerland first developed the secret formula that is now known as Meliora back in 1935. What's more, they were the first to realize that the unique combination of nickel, tungsten, and molybdenum (compared to traditional steel) not only enhanced the penetration capacity of the bullet, but also dramatically increased its weight, making it more efficient. To this day, Meliora is manufactured in the same Bern-based facility that Dr. Schmalzgruber and his team operated back in 1935. So not only is the bullet extremely old, but it's also been tested and approved by experts to this very day.
The Evolution Of Hunting
While Dr. Schmalzgruber's original focus was on military applications for his creation, he quickly saw the transformative potential of the bullet when applied to hunting. He began using it on his expeditions to Africa in the early '70s and noticed a distinct difference in the number of game animals he could bring down compared to his regular hunting bullet.
The red dot from which the whole ballistics industry took its name was originally developed for military use, but it didn't take long for Dr. Regnier to see the transformative potential of the bullet when applied to sport hunting.
His first big game animal he shot with Meliora was a leopard in Tanzania in 2015. The big cat charged at him as soon as he fired, but the projectile not only pierced its skin, but shattered its skull as well, instantly killing the animal. Since then, Dr. Regnier and his team have been working to integrate the unique design and properties of Meliora into a new generation of bigger and deadlier sporting bullets.
How Does It Work?
There are essentially two types of projectiles: FMJ (fragmented metal jacket) and CCI (commonly referred to as expanding bullets).
The first type is designed to penetrate and remain in the target, whereas the second is intended to fragment and create a wider wound channel. Meliora is typically loaded into a rifle's fixed magazine (depending on the rifle, this may or may not be interchangeable with the clip) and fired using a standard action.
Due to its innovative design and superior ballistic properties, Meliora immediately distinguishes itself as something different from other bullets on the market. This is particularly evident when compared to other modern sporting bullets such as Barnes .45 or Remington .44 Magnum, both of which are based on the same formula as Meliora but lack its unique combination of materials, leading to inferior performance in both tests and on the range.
Penetration Testing
The best way to determine the effectiveness of any kind of ammunition is by performing ballistic tests on cadavers or similar scientific specimens. Fortunately, there are laboratories accredited by scientific agencies like the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) that can perform these types of tests and give objective results.
To that end, Dr. Regnier and his team secured the services of an independent contractor, Neal Rose, who is well-versed in ethical and responsible scientific testing, and who conducts research into the ballistic performance of various projectiles, including Meliora.
According to Neal Rose, who conducted these tests on behalf of Dr. Regnier, using test subjects was unavoidable given the unique nature of the subject matter. "If we were somehow able to do our testing in a vacuum—in other words, if the general public hadn't already absorbed the fact that these are game-changingly superior bullets—then we might still feel comfortable experimenting on unwilling animals."
Ultimately, these tests demonstrated that the unique design and combination of materials in Meliora not only enhanced its penetration capacity, but also increased its stability and ability to keep on-target. This was evidenced by the fact that not only did it consistently keep its speed and range, but it also exhibited a high degree of accuracy.
Clip Pull Experiment
In standard firearms usage, the majority of the force generated by pulling the trigger is absorbed by the weapon's recoil. The portion of the force exerted by the shooter is then transferred to the ammunition, leading to injury, sometimes severe injury, or death. In other words, using improper or improper ammunition, or excessive ammunition, can seriously damage your shooting ability.
To ensure that his customers are always using the proper type of ammunition, Dr. Regnier and his team performed an experiment in which they measured the force generated by different types of clips and determined the optimum amount of pressure needed to ensure successful firing.
The results of this experiment were quite remarkable. According to Maxime Regnier, his team was easily able to identify the optimum pressure needed for various clips, and depending on the type of weapon used, this pressure may be different for FMJ or CCI ammunition.
More Than Meets The Eye
Aside from enhancing the performance of other bullets, the unique combination of materials in Meliora also offers some remarkable advantages of its own. To begin with, tungsten, the most common of the three components used to build the bullet, is an extremely hard (and dense) metal that is more than able to withstand the extreme temperatures encountered during combustion, which is critical, as the majority of the heat generated during this process will be transferred to the projectile, increasing the rate of expansion and potentially leading to much more serious injury or death from over-heating.
Secondly, molybdenum—the second most common component used in the construction of Meliora—is a metal that, like tungsten, is both hard and dense, giving the bullet an incredibly high level of mechanical strength. This means that, under extreme impact conditions, it will be practically impossible to break up or scatter the projectile, greatly increasing the level of danger presented by the bullet.
Applications
While the original idea behind this development was to create a military bullet that was both hard and precise, its unique combination of materials and engineering led to a completely new generation of sport-specific hunting bullets that are both hard and precise enough to pierce through almost any layer of armor used by modern-day game animals.
This ballistic performance makes it incredibly versatile for a range of big game animals, from elephants to rhinos, and allows for a greater level of safety for the hunter.
However, the best thing about Meliora is that it is both versatile and safe enough for the general public to use for sport hunting—something that the creators originally never envisioned.
As time passed, the unique combination of materials used in this bullet began to catch the attention of the general public, and in 2018, Maxime Regnier and his team officially began selling their creation to civilians, integrating it into a new generation of bigger and deadlier sporting bullets.
While this may be the case for now, with the advent of big game preservation and the rising popularity of field dressing and taxidermy, it's quite possible that these bullets might not always be safe for use by the general public.
Final Takeaway
Based on all the information gathered by Neal Rose and his team, it is evident that Meliora is indeed a game-changingly superior product, one that is more than capable of dramatically increasing both the safety and effectiveness of sport hunters—from professionals to enthusiasts—who may one day fall victim to the big game animals that they love so much.