Why does some match ammo have ballistic tips?
- Thread starter Hook'N'Bullet
- Start date
enfieldspares
Well-Known Member
It makes the bullet overlong for its actual weight. Overlong for weight means that the bullet has a better ballistic coefficient so shoots flatter. We, the Brits, did this with .303 Mk VII ball. If you've ever sectioned one or found them fired into sand at short range you'll see that the tip under that metal jacket is aluminium. Or on some in WWII fibre when aluminium was in short supply. The added benefit for the user was that the thing then tumbles when it hits webbing, belts, buckles, flesh or whatever else. Thus inflicting nasty wounds. Which the Germans in fact called out in WWI as being an illegal projectile.
Yes it is, a standard tikka.
Other posts have pretty well covered the 'advantages', such as they are. There is one more for an acetyl tipped design over an otherwise same form HPBT in that the machine cast tip is much more uniform in length/shape than the equivalent hollow-point meplat of the more normal form. Well, that used to be the case, but match bullet production has steadily improved over the years giving much greater bullet to bullet uniformity. The benefits of uniform meplats only really kick in at longer distances, but are pretty important to 1,000 yard competitors, and even more so for ELR shooters. (Inconsistent meplats / noses = inconsistent in-flight drag = inconsistent BCs = 'Elevations' on long-range targets.) For those who want still greater uniformity, then a basically good HPBT match bullet given a trimming and [meplat] pointing job is better than any plastic tipped factory product. With the tipped bullets' higher prices, those who shoot a lot will eventually recoup their outlay on the trimming/pointing tools, but there is the additional time outlay.
The Sierra TMKs are an interesting case as, with the exception of the 0.224" 77gn, they are not the older HPBT MK designs with a pointy bit of plastic stuck on. As new designs, some produce considerably less drag than older similar weight models, but the tip itself doesn't contribute a great deal to that result, despite the new versions' appearance making the punter believe that. The one unchanged design, tip apart, the 0.224 77gn MK and TMK, see a modest increase in BC, 0.202 vs 0.193 G7, or around 4.5% from the tip (Bryan Litz range tested results). Kranks want £4 and a bit per 100 extra for the tipped version, and as always you pays your money and makes your choice.
The potential downside of sticking plastic pegs into the front of your bullets is the risk of them falling out or suffering some other misfortune in which case you have a guaranteed 'flier', at longer ranges anyway. This allegedly was the reason for Hornady changing its tip material in the AMax to ELD changes as the heat generated by air-drag friction was said to distort or even melt the older type beyond 500 or so yards.
The Sierra TMKs are an interesting case as, with the exception of the 0.224" 77gn, they are not the older HPBT MK designs with a pointy bit of plastic stuck on. As new designs, some produce considerably less drag than older similar weight models, but the tip itself doesn't contribute a great deal to that result, despite the new versions' appearance making the punter believe that. The one unchanged design, tip apart, the 0.224 77gn MK and TMK, see a modest increase in BC, 0.202 vs 0.193 G7, or around 4.5% from the tip (Bryan Litz range tested results). Kranks want £4 and a bit per 100 extra for the tipped version, and as always you pays your money and makes your choice.
The potential downside of sticking plastic pegs into the front of your bullets is the risk of them falling out or suffering some other misfortune in which case you have a guaranteed 'flier', at longer ranges anyway. This allegedly was the reason for Hornady changing its tip material in the AMax to ELD changes as the heat generated by air-drag friction was said to distort or even melt the older type beyond 500 or so yards.
That’s the thin jacket, more than the tipIt helps them expandAmax anyone ?
A thin jacket will break up with just a hollow or soft point, a plastic tip brings nothing to the party not already happening due to the hollow pointing meeting skin and flesh or even bone.Tip pushes thin jacket = exp unless with your loads they go in sideways .
Sierra make the ‘blitz’ range still that presumably morphed into the blitzking line of bullets as a response to Nosler bringing out the ballistic tip line. Blitz bullets are horrendously explosive - down to the thin jacket.
The idea that the tip initiates expansion is just marketing nonsense that people buy into, the time between the bullet tip making contact and when the would expand anyway through the hollow point making contact is so tiny it’s not worth considering. You’re talking the time it takes for a high velocity rifle bullet to travel a few thousandths of an inch!
It’s why people have this misconception that all plastic bullets are Varmint bullets when they are not, because hunting bullets with thicker jackets are available that offer controlled expansion.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Probably not, but it protects the tip to maintain aerodynamic efficiency in flight. The tip is made from a heat resistant polymer. Watch the video I linked to in my post earlier in this thread and you will get all info you are looking direct from Hornady engineers.
paul o'
Well-Known Member
I also have a link :
Still trying hard to understand why a driver is no more that a BC. improvement device
Well iam not in truth just not understanding the take on it by some .
A plastic-tipped bullet is a type of hollow-point bullet tipped with a nose cone made of synthetic polymer to give it a pointed spitzer-like shape.
The plastic tip drives into the hollow point upon impact, causing the bullet to expand, which increases lethality. These bullets are typically designed for rifles and single-shot handguns, improving aerodynamics for longer, more accurate flights. Some companies also produce such bullets for semi-automatic pistols to improve ammunition feeding and prevent jams. The term "Ballistic Tip" is trademarked by Nosler, with other companies like Hornady and Sierra also producing similar bullets.
also then there is this one:
Upon impact, the plastic drives into the hollow point and the bullet performs like a standard hollow-point, expanding ("mushrooming") to a larger diameter. These bullets possess the aerodynamics for longer, more accurate flights, and the in-target performance to ensure high lethality.
Traditionally, these bullets are intended for use in rifles and single-shot handguns, as pistols are not normally used at the great distances where the streamlined ballistic tip is advantageous. However, a few companies produce pistol ammunition with plastic-tipped hollow points where the plastic is molded into a more rounded tip. These designs are not created to increase the streamlining of the bullet but rather to improve ammunition feeding in semi-automatic pistols that are prone to jams with standard hollow point ammunition. Examples of such pistol ammunition include Cor-Bon/Glaser’s "Glaser Pow'RBall" line and Extreme Shock's "NyTrilium Air Freedom" ammunition (the "NyTrilium Air Freedom" cartridge also mimics the performance of Glaser Safety Slug cartridges, as it uses hollow bullets full of powdered metal designed to fragment rapidly on hitting a target).
"Ballistic Tip" is a registered trademark of Nosler, but numerous other companies produce similar projectiles, including Hornady[2] and Sierra. Nosler uses a color code to indicate caliber on the polymer bullet tips, to make them easily distinguishable from each other: .224 orange,.257-blue, 6mm-purple, 6.5mm-tan, .270-yellow, 7mm-red, .30-green, .338-maroon and 8mm-dark blue.[3]
Still trying hard to understand why a driver is no more that a BC. improvement device
Well iam not in truth just not understanding the take on it by some .
A plastic-tipped bullet is a type of hollow-point bullet tipped with a nose cone made of synthetic polymer to give it a pointed spitzer-like shape.
The plastic tip drives into the hollow point upon impact, causing the bullet to expand, which increases lethality. These bullets are typically designed for rifles and single-shot handguns, improving aerodynamics for longer, more accurate flights. Some companies also produce such bullets for semi-automatic pistols to improve ammunition feeding and prevent jams. The term "Ballistic Tip" is trademarked by Nosler, with other companies like Hornady and Sierra also producing similar bullets.
also then there is this one:
Design and use:
The bullets consist of a fairly normal hollow-point bullet with the frontal cavity filled in by hard plastic, which is molded into a streamlined shape. Most tips are made of polyoxymethylene, although some manufacturers have used polyester urethane-methylenebis(phenylisocyanate) copolymer.[1]Upon impact, the plastic drives into the hollow point and the bullet performs like a standard hollow-point, expanding ("mushrooming") to a larger diameter. These bullets possess the aerodynamics for longer, more accurate flights, and the in-target performance to ensure high lethality.
Traditionally, these bullets are intended for use in rifles and single-shot handguns, as pistols are not normally used at the great distances where the streamlined ballistic tip is advantageous. However, a few companies produce pistol ammunition with plastic-tipped hollow points where the plastic is molded into a more rounded tip. These designs are not created to increase the streamlining of the bullet but rather to improve ammunition feeding in semi-automatic pistols that are prone to jams with standard hollow point ammunition. Examples of such pistol ammunition include Cor-Bon/Glaser’s "Glaser Pow'RBall" line and Extreme Shock's "NyTrilium Air Freedom" ammunition (the "NyTrilium Air Freedom" cartridge also mimics the performance of Glaser Safety Slug cartridges, as it uses hollow bullets full of powdered metal designed to fragment rapidly on hitting a target).
"Ballistic Tip" is a registered trademark of Nosler, but numerous other companies produce similar projectiles, including Hornady[2] and Sierra. Nosler uses a color code to indicate caliber on the polymer bullet tips, to make them easily distinguishable from each other: .224 orange,.257-blue, 6mm-purple, 6.5mm-tan, .270-yellow, 7mm-red, .30-green, .338-maroon and 8mm-dark blue.[3]
I started off using v max bullets, but as a great all rounder I really rate hornady soft points, just as accurate and they just work.
Exactly.
Pull the tip and do some expansion tests, they will expand just as violently.
You’re quoting Wikipedia to which anyone can contribute, with very little peer review, as I say, pull the tips and test the expansion it will be just as explosive as with.
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Go to 1984
shakey jake
Well-Known Member
banned because they expand not because of plastic, hague convention was before plastic was an issue
