who trims the meplat?
- Thread starter LA_Lawman
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Re: who trims the meplat?
Trimming is only one way to "uniform" your meplats. I use a Whidden tool on my 115DTACs and some 175SMKs to close the meplats and make the points more uniform. It doesn't trim the meplats, rather it closes the ragged hole and makes the nose pointier. I'm sure there are a few people who will trim the meplat after using a Whidden tool.
Trimming is only one way to "uniform" your meplats. I use a Whidden tool on my 115DTACs and some 175SMKs to close the meplats and make the points more uniform. It doesn't trim the meplats, rather it closes the ragged hole and makes the nose pointier. I'm sure there are a few people who will trim the meplat after using a Whidden tool.
Re: who trims the meplat?
The tool I use was supposedly made by Dave Tooley. I got it second hand. I only use it for 600+ yards. Closer, it isn't worth it.
The tool I use was supposedly made by Dave Tooley. I got it second hand. I only use it for 600+ yards. Closer, it isn't worth it.
Re: who trims the meplat?
I use a sinclair trimmer on my .308-175 SMK's and also re-drill the jackets hollow point .
You can also uniform bullet weight by using the same drill bit to remove a few tenths or hundreths of a Grain from the core thru the hollow point opening.
It helps, in my opinion, to eqalize the super sonic wave, which has to improving stability, where a ragged point will force the wave more to one side.
I know this is a very minor thing for a bullet during a 1 to 2 sec. flight time but it gave me a 1/2 to 3/4 inch improvement at 1000 yds. Is worth it? <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">YES</span></span>
I use a sinclair trimmer on my .308-175 SMK's and also re-drill the jackets hollow point .
You can also uniform bullet weight by using the same drill bit to remove a few tenths or hundreths of a Grain from the core thru the hollow point opening.
It helps, in my opinion, to eqalize the super sonic wave, which has to improving stability, where a ragged point will force the wave more to one side.
I know this is a very minor thing for a bullet during a 1 to 2 sec. flight time but it gave me a 1/2 to 3/4 inch improvement at 1000 yds. Is worth it? <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">YES</span></span>
Re: who trims the meplat?
I don't trim the meplat, but I do use the Whidden bullet poointing tool. The Whidden tool is easy to set up, and fast to use. I have both a sinclair and Tubb Meplat trimmer, and found both too cumbersome to use.
James
I don't trim the meplat, but I do use the Whidden bullet poointing tool. The Whidden tool is easy to set up, and fast to use. I have both a sinclair and Tubb Meplat trimmer, and found both too cumbersome to use.
James
Re: who trims the meplat?
I have one of the meplat cutters for my Giraud trimmer. The interesting thing when I trimmed a batch of loaded rounds (the nice thing about this setup) was I then went back and checked the OAL - it still varied considerably. Not as much as before, but still way more than I would have expected. Apparently there was some inconsistency in the surface where the meplat uniformer contacts the ogive for a reference point?
I have the Whidden pointing die setup, and it mentions in the destructions that some people may want to trim again after pointing. I'd thought initially that if after trimming and the pointing, if I still need to trim again something is screwy!
FWIW, the Whidden system uses a modified Wilson trimmer, so it registers off the base of the bullet, not the ogive. In effect you are trimming to a consistent OAL (which I believe is part of the calculations for things like BC, stability factor, etc.?). I took five Berger 6mm 105gr VLDs and measured their OAL a) out of the box, b) after trimming, c) after pointing, d) after trimming again.
------A-------B-------C-------D---
1 - 1.238 - 1.236 - 1.242 - 1.242
2 - 1.237 - 1.236 - 1.245 - 1.242
3 - 1.235 - 1.235 - 1.243 - 1.242
4 - 1.239 - 1.236 - 1.244 - 1.242
5 - 1.238 - 1.236 - 1.243 - 1.242
Surprisingly, after pointing the tips got ever so ragged again (as evidenced both by the measurements and visual inspection with a 10x jeweler's loupe).
As far as how much does it really matter... hard to say. I haven't really had a chance to shoot them at distance under match conditions yet. A friend of mine points (but does not trim) and thinks it helps him out - he's got some gold bling and national records to back it up. I think you'd have to be shooting a *very* accurate gun and holding *very* hard and be *very* much on top of the wind on any given day to be able to derive full benefit from any improvements in consistency. Then again, any little bit can help - especially between the Peltors
I have one of the meplat cutters for my Giraud trimmer. The interesting thing when I trimmed a batch of loaded rounds (the nice thing about this setup) was I then went back and checked the OAL - it still varied considerably. Not as much as before, but still way more than I would have expected. Apparently there was some inconsistency in the surface where the meplat uniformer contacts the ogive for a reference point?
I have the Whidden pointing die setup, and it mentions in the destructions that some people may want to trim again after pointing. I'd thought initially that if after trimming and the pointing, if I still need to trim again something is screwy!
FWIW, the Whidden system uses a modified Wilson trimmer, so it registers off the base of the bullet, not the ogive. In effect you are trimming to a consistent OAL (which I believe is part of the calculations for things like BC, stability factor, etc.?). I took five Berger 6mm 105gr VLDs and measured their OAL a) out of the box, b) after trimming, c) after pointing, d) after trimming again.
------A-------B-------C-------D---
1 - 1.238 - 1.236 - 1.242 - 1.242
2 - 1.237 - 1.236 - 1.245 - 1.242
3 - 1.235 - 1.235 - 1.243 - 1.242
4 - 1.239 - 1.236 - 1.244 - 1.242
5 - 1.238 - 1.236 - 1.243 - 1.242
Surprisingly, after pointing the tips got ever so ragged again (as evidenced both by the measurements and visual inspection with a 10x jeweler's loupe).
As far as how much does it really matter... hard to say. I haven't really had a chance to shoot them at distance under match conditions yet. A friend of mine points (but does not trim) and thinks it helps him out - he's got some gold bling and national records to back it up. I think you'd have to be shooting a *very* accurate gun and holding *very* hard and be *very* much on top of the wind on any given day to be able to derive full benefit from any improvements in consistency. Then again, any little bit can help - especially between the Peltors
Re: who trims the meplat?
Very interesting memilanuk. With your experience, does the Whidden pointing system do anything to uniform further down the tip (to the ogive) or is it only the very tip portion that is reformed?
I'm impressed at the uniform OAL of your test and would guess that a uniformed tip and uniform OAL can only help with the BC. Now if we could get uniform base to ogive lengths, we'd be able to almost perfect each bullet!
Very interesting memilanuk. With your experience, does the Whidden pointing system do anything to uniform further down the tip (to the ogive) or is it only the very tip portion that is reformed?
I'm impressed at the uniform OAL of your test and would guess that a uniformed tip and uniform OAL can only help with the BC. Now if we could get uniform base to ogive lengths, we'd be able to almost perfect each bullet!
Re: who trims the meplat?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: memilanuk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have the Whidden pointing die setup, and it mentions in the destructions that some people may want to trim again after pointing. I'd thought initially that if after trimming and the pointing, if I still need to trim again something is screwy!
</div></div>
So why would you want to trim, point, and then trim again? Wouldn't it save a step and improve the uniformity to just point and trim?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: memilanuk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have the Whidden pointing die setup, and it mentions in the destructions that some people may want to trim again after pointing. I'd thought initially that if after trimming and the pointing, if I still need to trim again something is screwy!
</div></div>
So why would you want to trim, point, and then trim again? Wouldn't it save a step and improve the uniformity to just point and trim?
Re: who trims the meplat?
I think I got in the 'mode' of trim first because I had a meplat uniformer long before I had a pointing die. The actual directions for the pointing die just say point, then trim if you feel like it (or something to that effect).
I think I proved (to myself) that the meplats are going to grow again just a tad after being pointed anyway, so trimming before hand is probably pointless (hah!).
Okay, definitely time to go back to bed for a couple hours...
I think I got in the 'mode' of trim first because I had a meplat uniformer long before I had a pointing die. The actual directions for the pointing die just say point, then trim if you feel like it (or something to that effect).
I think I proved (to myself) that the meplats are going to grow again just a tad after being pointed anyway, so trimming before hand is probably pointless (hah!).
Okay, definitely time to go back to bed for a couple hours...
