Rebated Boattail Bullet Design

[queen_stick]

I've been doing a lot of research on making my own bullets. In my quest for ridiculous amounts of information, I'm learning a lot of theories about bullet design. This one theory has me a little stumped....

In a short article from Corbin, they examine the pro's and con's of BT bullets, FB bullets, and RBT,rebated boat tail) bullets. source: http://www.swage.com/ftp/rbt.pdf

Based on the that article, an RBT bullet is superb to a BT for multiple reasons. If that's the case, then why are bullet makers using standard BT's? As an example, the 140 class 6.5mm bullets... All bullet makers are using a BT design with the exception of one custom FB bullet from CR. There are no bullets offered in in a RBT design.,For some reason I remember seeing a 139gr Scenar with a RBT, but can't remember for sure?).

Any thoughts or explanations on the article its self, or the theory of RBT's being superb to a BT, would be appreciated.

Walt

 

[GermanS1]

Walt, the rebated boat-tail is a perfectly good design and has been used by Lapua since the 1930's. I shoot several thousand 185 gr. .30 cal. Lapua D46 bullets every year and do just fine with them. This design is also made in 170 gr. and I still have a few boxes of the 195 gr. version. Lapua also made a 144 gr. 6.5 mm like this but the designation was not D46 - it was also not Scenar, that is the modern 'normal' boat-tail. One of my friends uses those 144's and you can't buy his supply for love or money.

Brian Litz's book covers the rebated boat-tail and it's worth your time. I don't have my copy handy as I'm on the road but I seem to recall that he didn't see any real disadvantage to it.

The D46 is not only a rebated boat-tail, it is also a FMJ design, another 'out of favor' design element. However, the FMJ also gives you nicely pointed and perfectly uniform meplats right out of the box and Lapua knows how to make perfectly even bases on a FMJ so there's no problem there.

Those old fashioned bullets know how to find the middle of the target just fine and I plan to keep shooting them for a long time to come.

 

[queen_stick]

Thanks for the replies.

German and Lynn - I think your results are about the only way to go about it.... put it on paper - if it works, then keep using it.

Walt

 

[Aceball]

Speaking of old fashioned designs, even see any those Herders 'Wasp Waist' bullets. They were litteraly shaped in the form of an hour glass. I have only seen them one time and pass up buying a partial box, dummy me, what a collectable!

 

[GermanS1]

Tom, a real collectible indeed! They didn't shoot very well but they're an interesting footnote in bullet design.

 

[DRGreysun]

Gentlemen, was not the 155 gr. 'Palma' bullet of choice a RBT design? IIRC Sierra may have been the last to offer such.

D R

 

[GermanS1]

DR, no, the Sierra 155 Palma is a conventional boat tail design as is their newer version of the 155. Lapua still makes the D46 so that is probably the only cmmercially made RBT still in production for match use I'm not familiar enough with hunting bullets to know if there are any RBT bullets for that application.

 

[Rtheurer]

Ace
After my dad past away I was cleaning out the reloading room and what I found in the bottom of the Drawer was an Almost full box of 180gr Herters Wasp Waist bullets in a Bright Yellow and blue box. How cool is that?
Right under that was an original 168gr Sierra Internationl Match, bullets in the older Cardboard box.

Neet little find And I still have them 'just cause'
Now if I could just find a box of those Glolf Ball Dimpled bullets I would set.


RussT