Coloring bullet tips.

[4xforfun]

About 200 years ago (metric) , while talking about coloring bullets for matches with a national champion and SOY/HOF er, I was told to NOT get any on the OJIVE as the ink acts like moly.

Fast forward to modern times I still hear the same thing by different shooters.

Is this really true. Is it folk lore? Is there a consensis. Has there been tests?

 

[Evan]

I’m really skeptical of that. The bearing length generates all the friction and I don’t suppose you’re painting the entire bearing surface with sharpie. The other thought is that dried sharpie ink is nowhere near as lubricious as moly or boron nitride. Anyone who has felt any or all three of these will agree.

The comment that convinced me to just color the tip was that was all that is needed to transfer to the target. Painting more of the bullet doesn’t color the hole any more thoroughly and is a waste of time and sharpie ink.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

If you take into account what happens to a bullet when the powder ignites and the bullet gets rammed into the rifling I doubt a little bit of sharpie ink on the BS is going to make allot of difference, like Evan said above the sharpie ink isn't the same as a Moly coated bullet

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Sorry...why are we painting bullets? I usually mark the back of the case, denoting different loads in the same box. Sharpies on bullets are best used for finding the lands.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Red sharpie leaves a red ring on white paper/

 

[Fuj]

One of the guy's at our 100 yard UBR shoot showed me his
early morning target from pre-match warm ups. I noticed
slight blue rings ?? He told me he just uses them on the sighter
targets if someone else shoots on them also. The blue was not
that distinct but still able to be made out.

 

[Iowa Fox]

My good friend now gone always colored his bullets for the 1000 yard targets. Nothing worse than to fire a very nice 1000 group only to find a extra hole in your target and be disqualified.

 

[waverly]

I used to color my bullets and quit in the early 2000’s. I used to pull the big sharpies apart and dip the entire bullet.

2006 1 k nationals at Hawks Ridge. I had a target where my non-colored bullets group was bigger than the colored group that was also on my target. Embarrassing but good for me. Mine wasn’t dq’d.

Waverly

 

[K9TXS]

I've tried the bullet coloring to no avail. It has never worked for me. I tried it two different ways. Coloring just after reloading and coloring just before the shot. I have never seen a color ring on my target.

Those with success at this, how do you do it?

 

[R.Morehouse]

I color code bullets ( ahead of the ogive ) all the time when playing with positive comp. at 1K. I use a Sharpie and when I bring the target back to assess my misery I use a bit of alcohol on a Q-Tip and it really brings out the color......I have never had it not work.....

I do it at home before going to the range........


Regards
Rick

 

[JFrank]

I’ve never seen any ill effect from coloring bullets however i certainly do not have the vast experience of some others. With that said the ink on the ogive transfers to the target quite well.

 

[quest450]

I use two different colors...... just in case

 

[4xforfun]

I use two different colors...... just in case

View attachment 1560458

I used to color all 5/10 record shots a DIFFERENT color. It helped tell me if it was a random flyer or a missed condition (usually 2, 3,, 4...etc will move together in a condition change) but... only about 4 or 5 colors are "different" enough to tell them apart, so, on a HG target (10 shots) I would have 4 different colors and mix and match the rest with two colors each like you do. But for this exercise....... I am shooting two different loads together into one group...each load is a different color. I shoot them alternating...red, green, red, green....etc. This way I can't blame conditions or fouling or whatever else we tend to blame for bad groups (because it is NEVER MY FAULT) for messing with one load over another.

IDUNNO...It's how I test.

 

[Gman]

Sorry...why are we painting bullets? I usually mark the back of the case, denoting different loads in the same box. Sharpies on bullets are best used for finding the lands.

In case someone crossfires on your target, you will be able to distinguish your bullet holes from the shooter that shot your target.

 

[JFrank]

Colored tips aid in mid to long range load development using one point of aim.

 

[4xforfun]

In case someone crossfires on your target, you will be able to distinguish your bullet holes from the shooter that shot your target.

Actually, painted bullets will not help you with crossfires, according to the IBS. I know some ranges do it, but it will not help you at a national shoot. I think maybe now Freedom may allow the range officials to use painted bullets to figure out what is what.

But my reason now is to be able to shoot 2 or more different loads round robin into a single target at both 600/1000 and identify what is what. Right now I am doing a final seating depth test at 600 and 1000 in prep for next weeks VT shoot.

 

[newbieshooter]

Actually, painted bullets will not help you with crossfires, according to the IBS. I know some ranges do it, but it will not help you at a national shoot.

It appears it can be of some help with crossfilres according to the IBS Long Range rulebook ?

 

[4xforfun]

Shot this tonight at 1000. Low left green was me....I forgot to push my gun forward after several sighters. Gun actually fell off of front rest. Red is jumped load and green is .010 jam. 4 in 1.5 inches and one out to open to just under 4 inches for the jumped load. This is why I color bullets during load development.

Results at 600 were the same.

 

[Bc'z]

Honestly...
I color bullets cuz I'm bored and have nothing better to do, a friend who suffers from the same problem informed me a concetrisity gauge works great for coloring bullets.
He was right!

 

[jghoghunter]

Honestly...
I color bullets cuz I'm bored and have nothing better to do, a friend who suffers from the same problem informed me a concetrisity gauge works great for coloring bullets.
He was right!

Brett I need to talk to you anyway. I'll show you what works extremely well and is super fast.