Bent or broken bullet tips

todbartell

todbartell

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I had some broken tipped bullets from a inertia bullet pulling hammer, decided to put them to use for some information gathering :


1) 308" 165gr TTSX, tips broke completely off, leaving a gaping hollow point. I loaded the two broken ones, as well as some pointy unsmashed TTSX and fired them downrange. Using downrange retained velocites from the Labradar doppler, and JBM Ballistic's online Ballistic Coefficient calculator, the BC dropped from .445 G1 to .260 G1 for the broken tips. (At 100m, the two broken tip shots landed within 0.2moa of each other)

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2) 338" 225gr Nosler Accubonds. Based off 95 yard downrange retained velocity, the BC changed from .542 G1 to .333 G1
I fired a 4 shot group with the pointy Accubonds at 300M, then fired the two broken tipped bullets which landed 4" lower than the pointy

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3) 6.5mm 127gr LRX fired from a 6.5 RPM. The tips on these weren't broke off, just smushed a bit blunty. I compared it to downrange speed retention from the factory loaded 127gr LRX ammo. BC changed from .501 G1 to .382 for the blunty LRX.

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Your picture #2 - .338" 225 grain Accubond - I had some older ones - as I recall about a dozen or so white plastic tips laying in bottom of bullet box. I loaded them up the same as apparently "unmolested" ones and used them up to sight in a rifle with a newly installed scope - no other instruments used - my impression was that with or without the tip they went to about same place at 100 yards from sandbags - your number showing that might have been very different at longer range!!! Was an on-line thing that Nosler was aware of the issue with their "new" Accubond Tips falling out, and claimed to have "fixed it" - I am second or maybe more owner, so did not follow up with Nosler about them - was nothing to gain from my purpose, then. There is four more unopened boxes of 50 here - no clue what I will find inside?

FYI - the RCBS brand inertia puller that I have has like a sponge foam insert inside - what the bullet tip falls into - I have used it many times, but do not recall damage to bullet tips. I understand some people do not have or do not use the sponge insert - is about size and shape of a foam ear plug.
 
I found some left from that episode - note to myself in the baggie says they were loaded in October 2018 - so were already "old" then - so likely "really old" now ...

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Slow down on the hammer and put some foam in the end to cushion the bullet...

I have never damaged a tip in my pullers...
 
All my accubonds that had broken tip or missing tips both 30cal twice and 338 once where replaced by nosler and they did not want the old ones back. Phone nosler they asked for the number on the box and two weeks later new box showed up in the mail. This when accubonds first come out I was mad because they cost $48.00 now I wish I could buy them for that price.
 
guntech said:
Slow down on the hammer and put some foam in the end to cushion the bullet...

I have never damaged a tip in my pullers...
Click to expand...

....... or buy a Hornady collet puller. It's the best puller out there!

Not cheap, but neither are those bullets the OP had to pull.
 
Falconflyer said:
I read an article many years ago where the testers used a triangle shaped file to file a notch in the tip of a bullet and found that it didn't affect the accuracy much if even at all but filing a notch in the base severely affected the accuracy.
Click to expand...

Thats because the effect of air pressure on the nose is averaged around 360 degrees as the bullet spins.

Damage to the base causes a large instability when the propellant gas flows around the base as the bullet exits the crown. Same reason we want to avoid damage to the crown.
 
Speaking of BAD TIPS..a recent short story of the New Times upon us !

.....I had 17 fudged tips (came that way in my box of new Nosler 6.5's 129 LRAB's)
Almost looks like they were heated up and nearly melted a bit. Tilted and askew they were.
Kinda disappointed seeing this. None of my Accubonds, or BTips were like that. I queried Nosler...sent pics (( TWICE )) before I heard anything back 3 weeks later..had to resend pics..said they never got them...YET, they were visible on the bottom of my email to them.

Nothing could be done they said. They can't ship bullet tips to Canada !! I mentioned to them that they did so in the past when I had BTips with the tips in the bottom of the box...even sent me a new Nosler hat and stickers !! Not any more came the reply !
Then told him that we Canadians, can, in fact , BUY Nosler bullets up here. He went on to say that they were "the property of the Canadian distributors" and they could not touch them !!
I asked about a drop ship from one of the Can Distrib's and got a NO from them...again, not their property. What about a credit from one of the retailers here....NOPE ! We don't deal directly with any retailers...sorry nothing can be done cuz you're in Canada ! !

Sign of the new times goin forward I guess.
I did load those tips up and used them for 1st sighters...most were still within 1 " @ 100 yds..with the odd one @ 1.5-2"
 
I Dont Care About You said:
Thats because the effect of air pressure on the nose is averaged around 360 degrees as the bullet spins.

Damage to the base causes a large instability when the propellant gas flows around the base as the bullet exits the crown. Same reason we want to avoid damage to the crown.
Click to expand...

Those are factors but not all of them. Filing a notch at the tip of the bullet is a lot closer to the line of rotation than filing a notch at the base of the bullet. The further out from the line of rotation the notch is then the more the bullet is unbalanced.
 
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