Joe:
I respond to your thread simply because I have so much respect for your shooting accomplishments over the decades as well as the great respect I have the all of the Penn. clan of shooters that always seemed to be a steep ahead of the rest. It just seems like a friendly spot to deposit my thoughts.
As to Berger, without saying more, they are on a mission to produce the best commercial, competition bullets on the market. Assuming that they already do, the real issue is can they be better? Berger is saying "yes" to that question and want to make their launch when their high standards are met. We are very fortunate to see Berger and Sierra being very aggressive with their mid and long range product line. It has always been about bullets and barrels and will continue to be so. Improving on their already great J4 jackets is huge -- as a new bullet maker I sure have learned to appreciate that.
Now. as to meplat modifications and enhancements by the individual shooters: Of course we have the Whidden and Hoover systems and a few great craftsmen who have spun their own -- not for sale -- but to enhance their own game and that of a few friends. As you know, these dies and advancements are held as tight as the unspoken and critical details of the Huston Warehouse. Having said that, there has been a lot of misinformation and incorrect assumptions floating round for years -- especially now. Respectfully, and with as much humility as possible, meplat modifications have been my "Baby" since the work of Ferris Pindell and I in 2002. I am now approaching 300,000 closed meplats with the learning curve advancing with the repetitions over the years -- especially in the last 18 months or so. In that regard, I would like to share a few "general" but absolute truths regarding the subject.
Meplat closing and ballistic enhancement of the meplat is NOT a closing die issue -- it is a closing PROCESS. I see where a few very respected contributors to this board have said that meplats can be closed too small. That closing meplats does not work on all bullets, etc. These statements or assumptions are correct -- but for all the wrong reasons and the process is simply not understood.
You cannot close a meplat too small -- but you can close it too small for the process you are using. I can close meplats to basically nothing without a bulge. Oh, I have been there and done it incorrectly as well but I developed a "fix" for the problem. So as to closing meplats too small -- incorrect -- but correct is you don't have the process down.
Many assume or state that closing meplats does not work on all meplats (hollow). Incorrect. Again it is the process and not just the closing die. Of course, conventional BR shooters will see the least gain in performance, but when done correctly, most if not all of the meplat defects in say a 68 grain 6mm bullet will not be a victim of conditions as much as the unmodified bullets -- especially at 200 yards. ALL bullets with hollow jackets can be improved with the proper meplat closing process.
When you close meplats with a process, as when coaching, you look at what the other side (the bullet) will give you. You take it. Do you just move on from there? NO! When you get the process down, you take what the bullet gives you and then -- you take what you want.
BC: I must admit that threads on this subject drive me nuts. You can have a POS bullet that has great BC. BC is very important but is only collateral to consistent BC which gives you waterline at 600 and 1000. That is how championships and records are broken. if you don't have waterline BC, you have NOTHING in my mind. As an example, I have a world class prone shooter now shooting my tricked out 7mm 180 Berger Hybrids. He has sent me pictures of his groups and it is fair to say that he his somewhat freaked out. He has never seen waterline like that. in fact, his PRONE group waterline would thrill most 600 and 1000 yard BR and F-Class shooters. By the way, it is not John Whidden who can do the same with his tricked out 6mm Hybrids. These people live in a different world when it comes to the prone game.
While this is a very general post, I suspect it will get the mind set working for an interested few who want to improve their meplat closing and modifications. For various reasons, I may participate in a seminar or video that reveals what I have learned since Ferris and I worked together in 2002. If I do, I will reveal my entire process so the everyday shooter and the champion who can employ the same if they want to -- for center Xs or head shots on woodchucks. It is just hard for me to let go, but I am not a spring chicken and don't want to take it with me. Different things are in play, but one way or the other, the shooting community is going to get the benefit of my passion for improving the ballistics and waterline of already great bullets.
Respectfully and Semper fi to all on this Memorial Day weekend.
Jim Hardy
Hardy Custom Bullets, Inc.
Passion + Precision = Perfection
Shop: 770-886-1997
Cell: 770-855-8960 (best)
