Geniuses at Hornady crack the code!

[Tesoro]

Drag Variability Reduction Technology: Hornady’s Secret Sauce for Long-Range Match Bullets

How Hornady's Drag Variability Reduction Technology (DVRT) cracked the code for better long-range precision for shooters and hunters.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[Tesoro]

They fail to note that they were shooting against their own bullets! Regular A tips can have an eyeball noticeable difference in the plastic tips, so by evening them out by squaring them then they made them shoot more consistently precise.

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

Hornady admits that their flat meplats are reducing BC by a small amount. I like Berger’s approach better, which is more like tipping your bullets to make the meplats smaller and also more uniform. This makes the BC more consistent without also making it smaller. They call it Meplat Reduction Technology (MRT).

7 mm 190 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target Rifle Bullet

The 7mm 190 Grain LRHT boasts a high BC, jump-tolerant hybrid ogive profile that is Doppler Radar verified with less than 1% BC variation. The 7mm 190 Grain LRHT is complementary to the industry-leading Berger 184gr F-Open Target with an identical stability factor and improved ballistics when...

bergerbullets.com

 

[Dimner]

Drag Variability Reduction Technology: Hornady’s Secret Sauce for Long-Range Match Bullets

How Hornady's Drag Variability Reduction Technology (DVRT) cracked the code for better long-range precision for shooters and hunters.

www.outdoorlife.com

I stoped reading when I saw 'outdoorlife'.for the last 10 years they have been nearly at the click bait level of informational articles.

 

[Tesoro]

Hornady admits that their flat meplats are reducing BC by a small amount. I like Berger’s approach better, which is more like tipping your bullets to make the meplats smaller and also more uniform. This makes the BC more consistent without also making it smaller. They call it Meplat Reduction Technology (MRT).

7 mm 190 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target Rifle Bullet

The 7mm 190 Grain LRHT boasts a high BC, jump-tolerant hybrid ogive profile that is Doppler Radar verified with less than 1% BC variation. The 7mm 190 Grain LRHT is complementary to the industry-leading Berger 184gr F-Open Target with an identical stability factor and improved ballistics when...

bergerbullets.com

and better yet nosering them! that supposedly tightens up bc variance noticeably. I have made a setup to do 1k tests with 115gr sierra 6mm with and without and both tipped. I expect to have positive results.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Don’t care what Hornady does to their current designs. Until they start using J4 jackets on their bullets, they just won’t compete with others that do

 

[Bill Norris]

Don’t care what Hornady does to their current designs. Until they start using J4 jackets on their bullets, they just won’t compete with others that do

Yea, the flat tipped A-tips I tried were no better than any other bullet they make.

 

[mauser284]

I am not a fan of Hornady. I think most of their hunting bullets outside of varmint use are garbage. I also do not like how they drive people close to eccstasy or insanity over BC especialy as it relates to hunting! I have no issues with their target bullets for F or NRA High Power Silhoutte and XCourse use. I am not a benchrest shooter so I do not go to the extreme when it comes to bullet prep. Nothing against people that do go to that extreme!

I am also not a fan of Berger hunting bullets outside of varmint use but love their target bullets!

Outside of specialty makers which come and go in terms of availability I think the choices we have for reloading in terms of the bullet designs we have today are the best they have ever been!

 

[davidjoe]

I’m examining these tips in the aluminum form, under a microscope and they are good. Good as in square, undamaged as delivered, and uniform. Plastic, who knows. I imagine the square edge of plastic might deform beneficially a tad, at 2,950 fps.

Now, would a true needle tip be better? Ask a bladesman/knife collector, a person about to have a lot of blood drawn, or me, as my license plate is literally “HIGH BC” and the answer is of course “yes”.

 

[ohiofarmer]

@davidjoe , do you have a microscope around specifically to look at bullets, or, do you just happen to have one around to look at bullets? I like attention to detail and I might have to give greater weight to your posts! ‍ If I recall, you tested the 250gr. ATIPs in the .308.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The most accurate bullets with pretty much all the world records in competition for decades…utilize a HOLLOW POINT.

A hollow point design shifts the rotating mass more to the rear and closer to the bullet’s center of gravity. This helps reduce the effects of wind and air pockets on the bullet in flight. A J4 jacket is so precise it also assists in maintaining stability.

The hollow point also reduces effects of air turbulence on the bullet jacket by creating a high pressure air cone in front of it.

Hornady can mess around with all the solid tips they want. They will never compete with a hollow point design like those from companies like Berger or Vapor Trail. They just won’t.

 

[davidjoe]

@davidjoe , do you have a microscope around specifically to look at bullets, or, do you just happen to have one around to look at bullets? I like attention to detail and I might have to give greater weight to your posts! ‍ If I recall, you tested the 250gr. ATIPs in the .308.

I have always had one around but this one’s new to me, to stand in for one by the same manufacturer, that needs an adjustment to tighten the focus aperture track to the main body. There were no external screws to do that and it’l be a bit of a project. I do like this one, and the main bullet I’m looking at is indeed the 250 A-Tip. Something is making me blow some of them up in my 300 Win Mags. I have not had the issue with other A-Tips. The .308 project was sensitive to shortages in brass and powder and time, when the 300 magnums barrels arrived. I tend to resume it. I understand another couple guys elsewhere have been pursuing the combination.

 

[dave@aDave]

Wonder where Hornady got the idea?
Possibly from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag-reducing_aerospike
About 47 years late.
I have nothing against Hornady. I've used their bullets since I started reloading in the late 1960's.

 

[jelenko]

The most accurate bullets with pretty much all the world records in competition for decades…utilize a HOLLOW POINT.

A hollow point design shifts the rotating mass more to the rear and closer to the bullet’s center of gravity. This helps reduce the effects of wind and air pockets on the bullet in flight. A J4 jacket is so precise it also assists in maintaining stability.

The hollow point also reduces effects of air turbulence on the bullet jacket by creating a high pressure air cone in front of it.

Hornady can mess around with all the solid tips they want. They will never compete with a hollow point design like those from companies like Berger or Vapor Trail. They just won’t.

Doesn't using a lighter material like the plastic in the tips do essentially the same as a hollow point to move the rotating mass towards the CG?

 

[WSnyder]

Years ago there was a PS article about a bullet maker and some doppler testing. They had made the bullet with a needle point. It was erratic and didn't fly well. They filed the tips off and that fixed it. Back to the drawing board they went

I want to say it was one of the early bullet makers using some sort of "heavy" metal for a core. They were the rage for awhile and then disappeared.

 

[jwink]

Thank god I can't shoot well enough anymore due to eyesight degrading that it makes any difference, I just lower my expectations and all is good.

 

[Fuj]

I have a test batch of 166 gr A-tips. As I posted in another thread,
They don't shoot for their price point, period. As for their flat point ??
The ones I have don't have much of a flat point. They are more pointed
then what Dave showed.....

 

[AlNyhus]

Years ago there was a PS article about a bullet maker and some doppler testing. They had made the bullet with a needle point. It was erratic and didn't fly well. They filed the tips off and that fixed it. Back to the drawing board they went

I want to say it was one of the early bullet makers using some sort of "heavy" metal for a core. They were the rage for awhile and then disappeared.

The heavy bullets you refer to were the infamous tungsten core bullets.

It's interesting to see which end of a bullet people look at first.

 

[K22]

Watched a number of their podcasts. My view is that they are overly long, ramble on, and by the time they get to the point, my eyes are glazed over. A lot of theorical discussion and I guess that is ok if you like that sort of thing, but it overly complicates the message that they are trying to send assuming they are trying to send a message or just touting their expertise.

I don't compete so I have no comment on their "competition" bullets. Hornady's chief appeal to me is their bullets seem to be available in abundant supply, at least the one that I use. Their varmint and predator bullets are adequate, but I always obtained better results with Nosler and Sierra, but these are more expensive and at times difficult to find especially Sierra. Never used their big game bullet on game, use exclusively Sierra.

The one area, in my experience where they excel is in their pistol bullets. The XTP's are very accurate in my revolvers and possess excellent terminal performance. A big plus is also they are usually available.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

All hornday is doing in that article is finally realizing how flat and hollow point tips reduce atmospheric effects on the bullet as I described earlier. Next they’ll spend a few more years testing different hollow point meplats and realize that’s even better!

Then after 10 years of rigorous research and development with Doppler radar and whatever other gadgets, they end up with a hollow point design. Then one of them just might be smart enough to finally realize old Walt Berger had it figured out from the start and they could have just began testing there

Wait til they start shooting flat base bullets for short range, Hornady will be blown away by the results! Then realize again, that’s what everyone has already been doing for ages…Lol