Paco Kelly Does It Again!
The "Baby Scorp’n" Rimfire Tool

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn

April 15th, 2003

UPDATED August 30th, 2011

 

 

 

UPDATE August 30, 2011

Please Note that Paco has a new web site for his tools:

www.pacotools.com

Back in September of 2002, I wrote an article covering Paco Kelly’s new rimfire toll called the ACU’RZR.  I continue to use this tool, as it gives extraordinary accuracy to ordinary .22 rimfire rifles and handguns.  The other half of that article dealt with the reshaping of the bullet nose for better performance, giving a flat hollow point design to standard roundnose or hollow point .22 ammo.

Paco continues to improve upon his design for better performance, and his latest incarnation is called the Baby Scorp’n. The Baby Scorp’n design reforms standard or high velocity .22 rimfire bullets for greatly improved terminal performance, while allowing the ammo to function through any .22 long rifle chamber, including semi-autos.

The Baby Scorp’n easily and quickly transforms roundnose .22 ammo into a hollow point with a center post, much like center fire Hydra-Shok handgun ammo. The Hydra-Shok has been around for about 30 years in one form or another, and is a proven bullet design. Paco’s new tool gives this same bullet technology to ordinary .22 rimfire ammo.  Unlike high velocity .22 hollow points, the Scorp’n design promotes quick but controlled expansion, hitting the target with a bigger "thump", but still allowing good penetration and retained weight. This is important for small game hunters, as the Scorp’n hits harder, without destroying  too much meat, as can be the case with a factory high velocity hollow point. For hunters of small vermin and pests, the Scorp’n design hits harder and the center post assures deep penetration into the varmint, for improved terminal performance.

After using the Baby Scorp’n for about  two months, I am convinced that this is a great improvement over standard factory ammo. To demonstrate the effect of simply reshaping the bullet from roundnose to Baby Scorp’n, I used Paco’s tool on some Winchester Wildcat high velocity roundnose ammo. For comparison, I fired the bullets into two cans of vegetable shortening. While shortening does not directly duplicate animal flesh, it does provide a consistent visual picture of the difference in terminal effect, and confirms the results that I have observed in the field.  As can be seen in the pictures, the entrance cavity from the reshaped bullet is much larger than that of the roundnose bullet.  The cavity through the entire can of shortening was larger in diameter, in fact about twice as large, compared to the roundnose bullet. Both bullets completely penetrated the contents of the can, and exited through the metal bottom. The impact range was thirty yards, and was fired from a Remington 582 bolt-action rifle.

Paco Kelly’s Baby Scorp’n transforms even ordinary plinking .22 ammo into hard-hitting and accurate ammunition that is perfect for hunting small game and pests. In fact, it is better ammo than you can buy, at any price.

For more information and to purchase the Baby Scorp’n tool, contact Paco by email at: paco@gunblast.com.

Jeff Quinn


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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

Paco Kelly's "Baby Scorp'n" Rimfire tool is similar in function to his ACU'RZR / NASTINOSE tool previously reviewed here.

 

 

Where the Baby Scorp'n diverges from Paco's earlier tools is that the punch reforms the bullet nose in a different manner.

 

 

The Baby Scorp'n tool transforms a standard roundnose or flatnose bullet (such as the roundnose shown at right) into a very effective hollow point design with a center post similar to the centerfire "Hydra-Shok" design.

 

 

For testing purposes, Jeff re-formed a batch of Winchester's Wildcat .22 High Velocity ammo.

 

 

Does it work? You bet it does!

Shown at left is "entry wound" in shortening using the Baby Scorp'n bullet, and at right is the "entry wound" left by standard bullet.

 

 

Shown with a penny for scale, at top is the hole left by Paco's Baby Scorp'n. The Baby Scorp'n bullets easily outperformed standard factory bullets (as shown by comparison of the standard bullet hole at bottom), and accuracy of factory bullets was measurably enhanced by the Baby Scorp'n tool.

 

 

Paco's done it again! The Baby Scorp'n tool is an easy and inexpensive way to transform standard .22 ammo into real high-performance stuff. We highly recommend it for any serious .22 hunter.