I have two experiences to add:
Drove over 220 miles to a match and realized that the 77gr TMK load I had grabbed was for a bolt-action .223 - I was shooting an AR. The bullets were loaded to 2.295".... The magazine could only handle 2.270. I chopped/twisted/hacked the tips off of those TMK's with a pair of side-cutting pliers and they shot the same as any other day. Thankfully the recipe for that rifle was very similar (24.6gr Varget, BR4's, Starline for both rifles). I was curious enough to try it again when I got back to my home range and only noticed margin-of-error deviation in group size to 300 yards. I did get a couple of "flyers" at 300 yards, but that also could have been me.
I had a match last year at my home range, PRS this time instead of a leg match, and I got home from work (I am a north slope rotational worker) to find no ready ammo for the .308 I was bringing. I loaded 150 bullets after getting off the plane into the wee hours of the night. I took a few hours nap and started loading the truck when I glanced at my Chargemasters - one was set at 44.5gr and the other was set at 45.4gr.... I pulled all of those Juggernauts with an RCBS collet puller and recharged each case to 44.5gr and then seated them back in. I made it to the shooter's meeting and had a good enough showing for the match. After the match was over I had 30 bullets remaining and I was at my home range so I shot them for 5 shot groups at 100yds and they were exactly the same .3ishMOA as any other group I get from that load in that rifle with absolutely no POI shift. During the match I was banging steel 5 out of 6 at 1190yds.
These two experiences, and some talks with manufacturers, lead me to believe that a bullet can take significant damage almost anywhere except the base and still be "good". Probably not long range benchrest, but certainly field practical.
Your results and opinions will probably differ.
Edited for grammar.
Drove over 220 miles to a match and realized that the 77gr TMK load I had grabbed was for a bolt-action .223 - I was shooting an AR. The bullets were loaded to 2.295".... The magazine could only handle 2.270. I chopped/twisted/hacked the tips off of those TMK's with a pair of side-cutting pliers and they shot the same as any other day. Thankfully the recipe for that rifle was very similar (24.6gr Varget, BR4's, Starline for both rifles). I was curious enough to try it again when I got back to my home range and only noticed margin-of-error deviation in group size to 300 yards. I did get a couple of "flyers" at 300 yards, but that also could have been me.
I had a match last year at my home range, PRS this time instead of a leg match, and I got home from work (I am a north slope rotational worker) to find no ready ammo for the .308 I was bringing. I loaded 150 bullets after getting off the plane into the wee hours of the night. I took a few hours nap and started loading the truck when I glanced at my Chargemasters - one was set at 44.5gr and the other was set at 45.4gr.... I pulled all of those Juggernauts with an RCBS collet puller and recharged each case to 44.5gr and then seated them back in. I made it to the shooter's meeting and had a good enough showing for the match. After the match was over I had 30 bullets remaining and I was at my home range so I shot them for 5 shot groups at 100yds and they were exactly the same .3ishMOA as any other group I get from that load in that rifle with absolutely no POI shift. During the match I was banging steel 5 out of 6 at 1190yds.
These two experiences, and some talks with manufacturers, lead me to believe that a bullet can take significant damage almost anywhere except the base and still be "good". Probably not long range benchrest, but certainly field practical.
Your results and opinions will probably differ.
Edited for grammar.
