Sir do you trim and point or solely point, if so could you tell a difference in doing either way? Thanks
If you were asking me, I length-sort into groups of .0015" range per sorting group. The next group starts .0005" longer, so the difference between length groups is actually .002" (i.e. if Length Group 1 was 1.2500" to 1.2515", then Length Group 2 would be 1.2520" to 1.2535">>> the difference between the shortest or the longest bullets in two adjacent length groups would be .002", even though the range within a single group would be .0015").
I length-sort bullets, then point directly without trimming. I have certainly trimmed meplats prior to pointing, but there are other caveats involved in doing it that way. I didn't feel as though the points obtained after trimming were any better than the points on my length-sorted (but untrimmed) bullets, so I stopped trimming first.
If you intend to trim meplats prior to pointing, there are some considerations, which may be dependent to some extent on the brand of bullet trimmer that is used. For example, one approach is to find the shortest bullet within the Lot# you intend to trim and set the trimmer so that it just barely suffices to trim that particular bullet. All the other bullets in the Lot# being longer will then be trimmed to a greater extent, but even the shortest bullets will be trimmed sufficiently at that trimmer setting. The issue here is that trimming longer/shorter bullet with the same trimmer setting means that the diameter of the resultant "trimmed" meplats will not be the same prior to pointing them. Some will be wider, others will be more narrow. In theory, the points should all be close after pointing, but in my hands there are visible differences after pointing. The wider the bullet meplat after trimming, the "lower" the pointing die micrometer needs to be set in order to close up the meplat as fully. If the whole point of bullet pointing is not only to improve bullet BC, but also to make the BCs more consistent within a single Lot#, then this approach doesn't make much sense as it actually introduces additional variance. My suggestion to address this issue would be to to length sort bullets in some manner similar to what I described above, then set the trimmer using the shortest bullets within that particular length group. My biggest difficulty has always been pointing the gun in the right direction for what the wind was doing at that moment. In the grand scheme of things, pointing bullets usually yields an increase in BC of perhaps 4-6%. So the effect of pointing bullets is never going to make a huge difference in BC, regardless of which approach you use, and it will never overcome the necessity for making good wind calls.
Some may feel that I am splitting hairs with respect to my observations about the variance that can arise after trimming meplats prior to pointing when using the shortest bullet to set the trimmer. However, in my hands, the differences between the points obtained for longer versus shorter bullets within a given Lot# were readily seen from a casual visual inspection. If I can easily see the difference, then it could have an impact on bullet BC after the trimming/pointing process was complete. Nonetheless, I know quite a few shooters that trim before pointing and their results are impressive, to say the least. I think that done properly, either approach is slightly better than not pointing at all.
The concern for most of the people I have talked to about pointing bullets that have only been length-sorted but not trimmed is that the ragged looking meplats as they came from the manufacturer often look even uglier after pointing. However, one must consider that the effect of these ragged meplats on bullet trajectory is minimized as it is pushed closer in to the bullet axis of rotation. I suppose the same could be said of the the consideration I described above regarding
trimmed and pointed bullets. It doesn't really matter either way because the main reason I only length-sort bullets prior to pointing is that I don't care for the time and effort involved in trimming bullets prior to pointing them. If I can't shoot the difference, then extra effort is wasted effort, IMO. My testing indicates that in fact I cannot shoot difference between bullets that are length-sorted only prior to trimming, and those that are trimmed and then pointed. So I don't trim bullets prior to pointing. To really learn whether there is a noticeable difference between the two approaches in their own hands, people need to
test this for themselves like I have and determine if there is a difference with their specific components, tools, and rifle setup. Don't just take my word for it, test it yourself, then you'll know.