How important is metplat trimming / bullet tipping?
- Thread starter paulnyc
- Start date
Paul,
you don't say what ranges you are shooting over. Bullet trimming and pointing does provide benefits priamrily to the long-range competitive shooter through (a) providing a uniform tip shape so that minor variations between individual bullets' effective BCs are eliminated reducing elevation spread (trimming), and (b) providing a small improvement in BC giving enhanced downrange velocities and a flatter trajectory (pointing).
The amount of improvement provided by (a) depends on how uniform the bullet is or otherwise as it leaves the factory. Some Sierra MKs are poor, most Berger HP designs are excellent in my experience. The amount of ballistic efficiency improvement provided by pointing depends on the size of the meplat as received allied to the calibre (ie how large the meplat is in relation to the bullet diameter. Maximum improvement comes from pointing small calibre bullets - you won't get much benefit from doing it for your .338).
I'd say you'd only likely get any worthwhile improvements beyond 600yd, better still shooting at 900/1,000yd.
I'm sure German Salazar has written a piece on the separate / combined effects of both techniques using Hoover tools, one that I remember as being very detailed and an excellent report, but I can only find an older article on the Whidden pointing die alone in his Rifleman's Blog
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/07/reloading-whidden-bullet-pointing-tool.html
Laurie,
York, England
you don't say what ranges you are shooting over. Bullet trimming and pointing does provide benefits priamrily to the long-range competitive shooter through (a) providing a uniform tip shape so that minor variations between individual bullets' effective BCs are eliminated reducing elevation spread (trimming), and (b) providing a small improvement in BC giving enhanced downrange velocities and a flatter trajectory (pointing).
The amount of improvement provided by (a) depends on how uniform the bullet is or otherwise as it leaves the factory. Some Sierra MKs are poor, most Berger HP designs are excellent in my experience. The amount of ballistic efficiency improvement provided by pointing depends on the size of the meplat as received allied to the calibre (ie how large the meplat is in relation to the bullet diameter. Maximum improvement comes from pointing small calibre bullets - you won't get much benefit from doing it for your .338).
I'd say you'd only likely get any worthwhile improvements beyond 600yd, better still shooting at 900/1,000yd.
I'm sure German Salazar has written a piece on the separate / combined effects of both techniques using Hoover tools, one that I remember as being very detailed and an excellent report, but I can only find an older article on the Whidden pointing die alone in his Rifleman's Blog
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/07/reloading-whidden-bullet-pointing-tool.html
Laurie,
York, England
From what I have read, each technique improves the bullets B.C. about 3%. That means
6% (roughly) combined less wind drift and drop than a factory bullet. That is assuming the bullet really needed it in the first place.
That means instead of 10" of drift you might only have 9.4" of drift. Everyone wants all the advantage they can get but I save my time and money to shoot more and improve my hold at this point.
Mike T.
6% (roughly) combined less wind drift and drop than a factory bullet. That is assuming the bullet really needed it in the first place.
That means instead of 10" of drift you might only have 9.4" of drift. Everyone wants all the advantage they can get but I save my time and money to shoot more and improve my hold at this point.
Mike T.
I am hesistant in posting this as I am not trying to start a debate. I am just posting a personal observation but out of the three boxes of Berger 185 BT LR's I have bought almost all of the meplates were deformed in one way or another and needed cleaning up. This is with three different lots of 100 bullets.
I talked this over with two well known shooters and showed them the before bullets and they both said they would not shoot them in that condition without trimming and pointing them first.
I am about to start testing some samples from a custom maker similar to the D46 Lapua design. These come already trimmed and pointed. I will post a write up when I can.
Allen
I talked this over with two well known shooters and showed them the before bullets and they both said they would not shoot them in that condition without trimming and pointing them first.
I am about to start testing some samples from a custom maker similar to the D46 Lapua design. These come already trimmed and pointed. I will post a write up when I can.
Allen
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