Meplat trimming and Bullet pointing
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Meplat and Bullet pointing
I strongly believe that meplat trimming and pointing are a waste of time unless you have done all of the other things necessary to shoot something like 1.25 inches of vertical at 300 yards in mid-day conditions. I got that far with my 6mmBR then I trimmed and pointed and my vertical dropped to 0.75 inches of vertical under the same conditions. IMHO, consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I haven't found any one thing that gets the job done by itself but the sum of several seemingly small things do help improve aggregates over the course of a long weekend or a season.
GerryM said:
I strongly believe that meplat trimming and pointing are a waste of time unless you have done all of the other things necessary to shoot something like 1.25 inches of vertical at 300 yards in mid-day conditions. I got that far with my 6mmBR then I trimmed and pointed and my vertical dropped to 0.75 inches of vertical under the same conditions. IMHO, consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I haven't found any one thing that gets the job done by itself but the sum of several seemingly small things do help improve aggregates over the course of a long weekend or a season.
bozo699
Gold $$ Contributor
Meplat and Bullet pointing
[/quote]
IMHO, consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I haven't found any one thing that gets the job done by itself but the sum of several seemingly small things do help improve aggregates over the course of a long weekend or a season.
[/quote]
Tony,
Your statement is 100% spot on, very well stated.
( consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small) I like it, I think it would make a great signature
Wayne.
[/quote]
IMHO, consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I haven't found any one thing that gets the job done by itself but the sum of several seemingly small things do help improve aggregates over the course of a long weekend or a season.
[/quote]
Tony,
Your statement is 100% spot on, very well stated.
( consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small) I like it, I think it would make a great signature
Wayne.
Meplat and Bullet pointing
IMHO, consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I haven't found any one thing that gets the job done by itself but the sum of several seemingly small things do help improve aggregates over the course of a long weekend or a season.
[/quote]
Tony,
Your statement is 100% spot on, very well stated.
( consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small) I like it, I think it would make a great signature
Wayne.
[/quote]
Great idea Wayne. I have been trying to think of something to put there.
Tony
IMHO, consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I haven't found any one thing that gets the job done by itself but the sum of several seemingly small things do help improve aggregates over the course of a long weekend or a season.
[/quote]
Tony,
Your statement is 100% spot on, very well stated.
( consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small) I like it, I think it would make a great signature
Wayne.
[/quote]
Great idea Wayne. I have been trying to think of something to put there.
Tony
Erik Cortina
Team Lapua Brux Borden Captain
Meplat and Bullet pointing
That's true, but at some point the shooter becomes the limiting factor in accuracy!... That's my signature!
That's true, but at some point the shooter becomes the limiting factor in accuracy!... That's my signature!
Meplat and Bullet pointing
Couldn't agree more! I am definitely the weak link in the chain. But I know that because I have confidence that anything that goes wrong is my fault, not the gun's. :
Erik Cortina said:That's true, but at some point the shooter becomes the limiting factor in accuracy!... That's my signature!
Couldn't agree more! I am definitely the weak link in the chain. But I know that because I have confidence that anything that goes wrong is my fault, not the gun's. :
Meplat and Bullet pointing
I think bullet pointing, along with all the other prep work we do, helps achieve that state of mind. Being mentally prepared means you have 100% confidence in your equipment, and all you have to think about is the conditions. It can be difficult to reach that point... at least for me it is
TonyR said:Erik Cortina said:That's true, but at some point the shooter becomes the limiting factor in accuracy!... That's my signature!
Couldn't agree more! I am definitely the weak link in the chain. But I know that because I have confidence that anything that goes wrong is my fault, not the gun's. :
I think bullet pointing, along with all the other prep work we do, helps achieve that state of mind. Being mentally prepared means you have 100% confidence in your equipment, and all you have to think about is the conditions. It can be difficult to reach that point... at least for me it is
bozo699
Gold $$ Contributor
Meplat and Bullet pointing
I think that is what Tony meant by his statement, (now signature) ;D consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I think we as the driver could be classified in the large part of the statement. That is why I like Tony's statement so well, it covers it all, every where from the quality of the ammunition, the rifle,the bag and rest setup, the driver (you)
to the conditions from the muzzle to the target and everything in between any of those things mentioned is going to have a affect on accuracy, everything mentioned imo is the large of it and how you fine tune each one of them is the small of it, foul up on any of the large part and it won't shoot well at all, foul up on any of the small part of it and it won't shoot as well as it could have JMHO and .02 worth.
Wayne.
Eric,TonyR said:Erik Cortina said:That's true, but at some point the shooter becomes the limiting factor in accuracy!... That's my signature!
Couldn't agree more! I am definitely the weak link in the chain. But I know that because I have confidence that anything that goes wrong is my fault, not the gun's. :
I think that is what Tony meant by his statement, (now signature) ;D consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I think we as the driver could be classified in the large part of the statement. That is why I like Tony's statement so well, it covers it all, every where from the quality of the ammunition, the rifle,the bag and rest setup, the driver (you)
to the conditions from the muzzle to the target and everything in between any of those things mentioned is going to have a affect on accuracy, everything mentioned imo is the large of it and how you fine tune each one of them is the small of it, foul up on any of the large part and it won't shoot well at all, foul up on any of the small part of it and it won't shoot as well as it could have
JMHO and .02 worth.Wayne.
Meplat and Bullet pointing
That is what I did mean. It is easy to think just about reloading because that is what we talk about most in these threads. But something as simple as a consistent grip on the gun and consistent check pressure can make a noticable difference even at 100 yards. I had an eye openning experience recently when I fireformed 400 Shehane cases. The loads were thrown together and shot at 100 yards but I noticed a lot more dispersion than I expected so I decided to concentrate of my hold and trigger work. Groups imediately halved. Actually made me decide to get a 40X 22 rimfire barreled action for my Remington Open stock just to work on that more.
bozo699 said:Eric,TonyR said:Erik Cortina said:That's true, but at some point the shooter becomes the limiting factor in accuracy!... That's my signature!
Couldn't agree more! I am definitely the weak link in the chain. But I know that because I have confidence that anything that goes wrong is my fault, not the gun's. :
I think that is what Tony meant by his statement, (now signature) ;D consistent long range accuracy is the sum of many things, some large and some small. I think we as the driver could be classified in the large part of the statement. That is why I like Tony's statement so well, it covers it all, every where from the quality of the ammunition, the rifle,the bag and rest setup, the driver (you)
to the conditions from the muzzle to the target and everything in between any of those things mentioned is going to have a affect on accuracy, everything mentioned imo is the large of it and how you fine tune each one of them is the small of it, foul up on any of the large part and it won't shoot well at all, foul up on any of the small part of it and it won't shoot as well as it could have
Wayne.
That is what I did mean. It is easy to think just about reloading because that is what we talk about most in these threads. But something as simple as a consistent grip on the gun and consistent check pressure can make a noticable difference even at 100 yards. I had an eye openning experience recently when I fireformed 400 Shehane cases. The loads were thrown together and shot at 100 yards but I noticed a lot more dispersion than I expected so I decided to concentrate of my hold and trigger work. Groups imediately halved. Actually made me decide to get a 40X 22 rimfire barreled action for my Remington Open stock just to work on that more.
I couldn't agree more with your statement, I wouldn't waste $200 on a pointer die without cleaning up the ugly meplat first either.Meplat and Bullet pointing
The point of the bullet has the least affect on its accuracy. Extensive tests were made and a 4 part article published in the American Rifleman Magazine in 1956 on this very subject. They concluded the base of a bullet was by far the most critical to its accuracy. However, shooters have told me that closed points seem to reduce some of their verticals at long range. Others tell me a change in powders and or charge weights got rid of their verticals. One long range shooter said he tested cosmetic rejects where the jacket was folded around the nose and they held X ring at a 1000 yds. SO WHATEVER YOU FEEL WORKS FOR YOU, DO IT.
The point of the bullet has the least affect on its accuracy. Extensive tests were made and a 4 part article published in the American Rifleman Magazine in 1956 on this very subject. They concluded the base of a bullet was by far the most critical to its accuracy. However, shooters have told me that closed points seem to reduce some of their verticals at long range. Others tell me a change in powders and or charge weights got rid of their verticals. One long range shooter said he tested cosmetic rejects where the jacket was folded around the nose and they held X ring at a 1000 yds. SO WHATEVER YOU FEEL WORKS FOR YOU, DO IT.
Meplat and Bullet pointing
That's easy enough to test...
deform 2 bullets:
first bullet - use vice grips to smash the meplat
second bullet - use knife to scratch the heel (enough that you can feel it with your fingernail
Shoot a 10-shot group with 8 bullets right out of the box, and the 2 damaged bullets you just created.
Which one created a flyer? I've been told that the one with the scratch in the heel will be way out, while the smached meplat will pile right into the group. I don't know, because I've never tested it, but it makes for some interesting conversation.
With that said, the purpose of bullet pointing is not to remove a smashed or deformed meplat, it's to make it uniform to all other bullets that you're shooting. That's 2 different things. The simple fact that your POI changes between pointed and unpointed bullets proves that it's doing something. It's up to you to determine if what it's doing to your POI is worth your time to point.
BCB said:
That's easy enough to test...
deform 2 bullets:
first bullet - use vice grips to smash the meplat
second bullet - use knife to scratch the heel (enough that you can feel it with your fingernail
Shoot a 10-shot group with 8 bullets right out of the box, and the 2 damaged bullets you just created.
Which one created a flyer? I've been told that the one with the scratch in the heel will be way out, while the smached meplat will pile right into the group. I don't know, because I've never tested it, but it makes for some interesting conversation.
With that said, the purpose of bullet pointing is not to remove a smashed or deformed meplat, it's to make it uniform to all other bullets that you're shooting. That's 2 different things. The simple fact that your POI changes between pointed and unpointed bullets proves that it's doing something. It's up to you to determine if what it's doing to your POI is worth your time to point.
Meplat and Bullet pointing
Yes if you damage a base, it could mangle a group. This because of poor muzzle release.
But bullet bases are not usually damaged. And typical base variance from bullet to bullet would not affect BC like typical variances in meplats.
Maybe in 1956 bullet noses were so ugly that there were concerns about accuracy directly from that condition..
Meplats are trimmed/pointed to normalize BC.
LR shooters recognize this as a worthy endeavor.
Yes if you damage a base, it could mangle a group. This because of poor muzzle release.
But bullet bases are not usually damaged. And typical base variance from bullet to bullet would not affect BC like typical variances in meplats.
Maybe in 1956 bullet noses were so ugly that there were concerns about accuracy directly from that condition..
Meplats are trimmed/pointed to normalize BC.
LR shooters recognize this as a worthy endeavor.
DennisH
Life Time NRA member
Meplat and Bullet pointing
Mikecr, glad to see you followed the thread and made the 56th post.
This thread has turned out to be the most informative thread on "Meplat and Bullet Pointing". As you stated above, it looks like your a believer in this process.
Now I am a believer and I will be trimming and pointing my bullets thanks to this thread!
I even had a member kind enough to send me some 6mm bullets "already" trimmed and pointed to try out!
Again, thanks to everyone who took time to explain the facts.
Mikecr, glad to see you followed the thread and made the 56th post.
This thread has turned out to be the most informative thread on "Meplat and Bullet Pointing". As you stated above, it looks like your a believer in this process.
Now I am a believer and I will be trimming and pointing my bullets thanks to this thread!
I even had a member kind enough to send me some 6mm bullets "already" trimmed and pointed to try out!
Again, thanks to everyone who took time to explain the facts.
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