I'm seeing and reading more and more that shooters are switching to boattails for SR benchrest. Why and what are the advantages to them over the old trusted flat base ?
Boattails in short range
- Thread starter Sleepyhollow
- Start date
Mark M.
Silver $$ Contributor
Is the switch of choice or what's available?
That is a good question. I developed a load for 100 yard xtc reduced course competition using the 53 SMK flat base bullet and now I am unable to find them but the 52 SMK boat tail is available so I may have to go with them or the 55 SBK just based on availability.
Once upon a time it was believed that Boattail bullets couldn’t Agg with flatbase bullets at 100 yards. Now we know that isn’t the case.
When top shooters started switching and winning with boattails they gained in popularity. I’d estimate (SWAG) at least 95% of the bullets on the line at the NBRSA group Nationals were boattail bullets.
FWIW…for short range Benchrest if it’s a good bullet, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boattail or Flatbase. Both will shoot equally as well.
FUN FACT…the smallest group aggregate (5 targets with 5 Shots each) shot at 300 yards is a .1518 and it was shot with a Ultra 68gr Flatbase not a Boattail.
Find what works with your gun and go with it.
Bart
When top shooters started switching and winning with boattails they gained in popularity. I’d estimate (SWAG) at least 95% of the bullets on the line at the NBRSA group Nationals were boattail bullets.
FWIW…for short range Benchrest if it’s a good bullet, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boattail or Flatbase. Both will shoot equally as well.
FUN FACT…the smallest group aggregate (5 targets with 5 Shots each) shot at 300 yards is a .1518 and it was shot with a Ultra 68gr Flatbase not a Boattail.
Find what works with your gun and go with it.
Bart
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
Does the bullet base have any part in determining case powder fill percentage? Example should I choose a powder that allows load testing without the recommended powder max charge level past the boattail base?
I talked to Harley Baker who is a hall of fame SR group shooter and he told me that he's shot very few flat base bullets in his whole career. He told me I believe that before he stated making his own bullets that he bought bullets from Don Gentner and they were BT bullets. When I bought all of Boyer's stuff last year there were 35,000+ bullets that went with everything that I bought. 17,070 were flat base the rest were BT.
rwj
Gold $$ Contributor
Sure glad I don’t have any competition aspirations… that’s an amazing, and somewhat depressing, small group at 300 yards! Your record?A good day for me is a 1 inch agg at 300… even the best of the five groups isn’t near the .1518 inch agg
… Oh well, I still love trigger time!BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
IMO the only thing that loading manuals are good for is coming up with a safe starting load for my tests. For me, load development is all about doing your own work, and believing the pressure signs and targets.
Gold right there.
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Thats not a small group, thats an average of 5 groups.
A good day for me is a 1 inch agg at 300… even the best of the five groups isn’t near the .1518 inch agg
Yes that is my record.
A good day for me is a 1 inch agg at 300… even the best of the five groups isn’t near the .1518 inch agg
WSnyder
Silver $$ Contributor
Gary Ocock & his self made boattails.
bulletin.accurateshooter.com
FWIW Way back Gary used to supply a small batch of Don Gentner's boattails with every rifle he built.
Sunday Gunday: Ocock Railgun May Be Most Accurate Gun Ever « Daily Bulletin
Want to see the details? CLICK HERE to view full-screen photo. Check out those five targets. The Aggregate (average) of all five targets is a tiny 0.0840 inches! These were shot by Gary Ocock at 100 yards...
Are 6PPCs still the dominant cartridge for BR at 300? Or are 6BRs starting to come in at 300?
Not a lot of 300 yard matches. In IBS OR NBRSA score I’d say the 30BR is more prevalent than the 6PPC. In group definitely the 6ppc. For UBR matches I’m not for sure. We need a UBR competitor to chime in.
Nobody where I shoot 300 meter UBR does any better than the ones shooting a 6 PPC and there’s been a lot of stuff tried.
I shot a 239 last weekend in some tough conditions with the 68 Avengers in the PPC
I shoot a UBR target match once a month. I have also shoot a lot of groundhog matches from 100 too 500 yds shooting one of each the same day. If you look at the ballistics the wind effects are very close. There is not a one cartridge answer in my opinion. In spite of what the charts say, past 200 yds in bad conditions I will take the PPC any day. Some days I will take the 6 BRX over the other two. As far as boattails, your barrel will tell you what is likes. Does it give you an edge in the wind at 300, only in your mind, but that can have value. Now what are bad conditions, lots of switches and no lulls to sit on. My answer, depends on conditions. If I must pick one, 6PPC.I have shoot multiple 1 inch groups at 500 yrds with the PPC, I don't recall ever doing it with the 30br.
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