Re: Boattail bullets vs Flat Base bullets
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BuzzBoss915</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a life long preference for flat base bullets. Especially in a hunting application, you never know if a BT is going to squirt the lead and separate from the jacket. I have a real life example. I normally use the 165Hornady FB but couldn't get them in time for a mule deer trip to Utah. I had a buck climbing the hill in front of me and took a clear shot right between the shoulder blades but, his rear end bounced up right at impact and he was hit about as high up in the right ham as is possible. I tracked him a mile and a half, (fresh snow) and found him dead under an overhanging cedar. I sent that bullet jacket to Hornady and in the response, Steve said, well, it worked, the deer died, right? Not in my world, but it is always possible to make a bad hit, so it was my fault. And, that's what I always consider, shooting at game, long range. They can move while the bullet is in flight. Whatever.
I don't play the long range stuff so maybe I would choose a boat tail, if I did. No doubt, they have better ballistic coefficient. I have seen examples of same bullet, (one flat, the other BT) used in my guns, where the flat base bullet seems quite a bit more accurate. I believe most bench rest competitors use flat base bullets and that's good enough for me.
BB </div></div>
Right on. Some guns, for various reasons, won't shoot BTs. Period. I can not understand why some people know their gun won't shoot BTs, yet turn around and state "but I need to load these BTs because I'm shooting longe distance." .....WHAT? Are you really that big of an idiot? It's very simple, if it isn't accurate at 100, 200, 300 yds....it isn't going to be accurate at 700, 800, 900, etc.
Now, with that said, I've seen more BT issues with smaller caliber stuff. What about anyone else??? I've got 223 Rem & 243 Win & 308 Win, all Rem 700 SPS V. The 223 & 243 hates BTs. Load flat base and BINGO. The 308 is....well....308. Load any type of bullet and it will shoot well.
For most of us, BTs are over-rated and FBs are under-rated.