Why RN Bullets Over SP?

mmattockx

mmattockx

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Just lining up some loads for my new .338 Win Mag and I was wondering why someone would choose a round nose bullet over a spire point?

For instance, Hornady offers 250gr bullets in both configurations for my .338, but why would I ever pick the round nose with its poor BC over the same weight spire point with a much better BC?

I realize that BC has no effect inside of 200 yards, but what does the RN offer that the SP doesn't?

Thanks,
Mark
 
I'm sure some still believe that the round nose bullets are deflected less by twigs, etc. Marketing / consumer demand? I do believe they would expand a little quicker than a spitzer bullet though.
 
RN's are shorter for a given weight. As you get to the heavier bullets in any caliber, they get longer. the RN allows someone to use a heavy bullet, but still get it to fit in the mag and not protrude down into the case and use up powder room.
 
Larger caliber RN bullets look really cool. .375 Hornady RN bullets look cool in my .375 Ruger:)

(Out to 200 yards they are about the same as a spitzer bullet , but by the itme they hit 300 they are several inches below the spitzers.:)
 
I have nothing to confirm it but I was told years ago that the blunter shape of the RN and also of a FP starts the expansion quicker on impact on game or the resistance by any other substancial target medium. On the other side of the coin, the SP profile, with it's lower drag resistance offers better longer range flight chatacteristics.

Again, I don't really know but this was the information that was passed on to me when I started into reloading, by an individual very knowledgeable on the subject.
 
Scott_N said:
I do believe they would expand a little quicker than a spitzer bullet though.
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Well, Hornady markets the RN as being more suitable for dangerous game, which implies more penetration and less expansion. Maybe the RN is constructed with a heavier jacket to be a tougher bullet.

Logan_Lamothe said:
Round RN bullets are usually used in tube magazines, marlin makes a .338 lever gun so the RN could be for that.
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Many of the bigger calibres, from .375 on up, use a lot of RN bullets. The bullets are almost exclusively RN for .416 or bigger and none of them use tube mags.

Gatehouse said:
Larger caliber RN bullets look really cool. .375 Hornady RN bullets look cool in my .375 Ruger:)
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True, but the animals don't know the difference.

thepitchedlink said:
RN's are shorter for a given weight. As you get to the heavier bullets in any caliber, they get longer. the RN allows someone to use a heavy bullet, but still get it to fit in the mag and not protrude down into the case and use up powder room.
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This was the only practical reason I could think of, as well. I'm not sure how much of an issue it is with today's powders (compared to black powder and early smokeless powders), but it could be a limiting factor with some cartridges.

Maybe it is simply a hold over of tradition from many years ago, when technology was different.

Mark
 
Expansion depends a lot on jacket thickness and the hardness of the lead (antimony content). This can vary a lot from bullet to bullet. For example, a bullet made for a 35 Rem would be different than one made for a 35 Norma Mag.

For that reason, don't assume theat bullet shape has a lot to do with expansion. Other things being equal, more exposed lead equals more expansion. A 224 63 gr soft point expands faster than a 60 gr hollow point.

Barrels are all different and each will have a bullet it does better with. High quality barrels do better with more bullets than mediocre barrels. The easiest bullet to get shooting well is a flat base round nose. the second easiest is a flat base ponted. The most difficult is the boat-tailed pointed bulllet.

The main thing for you to know is that the round nose bullet is different and worth a try if your pointed bullets are not impressive.

The pointed bullets have a better trajectory, and are the preferred place to start testing. Round nose are Plan B.
 
mmattockx said:
Maybe it is simply a hold over of tradition from many years ago, when technology was different.

Mark
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Yup. We could go on and on about jacket thickness, expansion ratios, blah blah blah but pointy bullets work fine up close and far away,and RN bullets work fine up close but start to slow down faster at far away but still work fine at reasonable hunting distances.

But don't discount KOOLness.
 
Roundnose bullets can be inserted with much greater ease and more pleasure upon impact.

Pitchedlink has the most intelligent response.:)
 
Toomanyguns said:
Pitchedlink has the most intelligent response.:)
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I agree. Let's ban him!

I use RNs in my 9.3x62 because I like that I can use a 286 gr bullet without intruding too deeply in the case. Can't say the same thing for the 286 gr TSX - pointy buggers stuck so far in the case and compressed the powder to the point that they stuck in the seater and still only got to 2000 fps!:eek: RNs only for me from now on.
 
Ganderite said:
Some rifles have a marginal twist for the weight of bullet you want to use. the RN bullet is the one that would work best.
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Ah, you stole mine!;)

Yup, shorter seems to stabilize better. Used that 250gr Hornady RN the OP mentions on a moose and bear the same year and both worked very well.

As Gate mentioned, they are very high on the cool factor.:cool:
 
Ganderite said:
Some rifles have a marginal twist for the weight of bullet you want to use. the RN bullet is the one that would work best.
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Noel said:
Ah, you stole mine!;)

Yup, shorter seems to stabilize better. Used that 250gr Hornady RN the OP mentions on a moose and bear the same year and both worked very well.

As Gate mentioned, they are very high on the cool factor.:cool:
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No "seems to" stabilize better, shorter bullets always have more stability for any given twist rate.

I doubt anything I hit with the .338 will know if it was a spire point or round nose slug at any range I am willing to take a shot. I was just wondering if there was anything I was missing on the round nose ones. Doesn't appear to be, though.

Toomanyguns said:
Roundnose bullets can be inserted with much greater ease and more pleasure upon impact.
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I should have seen this coming and missed it completely. Thanks to TMG for bringing some innuendo and smut to an otherwise dull thread.:D

Mark
 
I know pointed sure made a difference in my mod 94, need to get a taller front sight to get it zero'd at 100yds with leverevolution compared to standard winfedrem rounds. went from zero'd to 8" high. Yep couldnt beleive it myself.
 
In addition to the advantages in flight of a round nosed bullet, there are terminal advantages as well. In the case of a non-expanding game bullet or a soft point game bullet which fails to expand, the round nose, or flat nose profile creates a larger wound channel than does the pointed bullet. A short bullet that does not expand is more likely to penetrate in a straight line than the long bullet which fails to expand. A round nose or flat nose bullet creates a larger entry wound than does a pointed bullet. A short bullet preccesses less in flight and at the point of impact than does a long bullet. A round nose or flat nosed soft point bullet expands at a lower velocity than does a similarly constructed pointed bullet.
 
I believe many manufacturers offer RN and SP in the same bullet weights owing to the possible large variation in muzzle energy of various calibers with the same bullet dia. Case in point - 7 mm - a 175 gr RN would suit a 7X57, whereas a 175 gr SP would suit a 7 mm Mag.
 
ben hunchak said:
Who really shoots much game at a distance where ptd. flies much flatter then RN? I don't!
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I do. Even at longish muzzleloader distance the last crop of plastic tipped bullets have proven worthwhile.
I'm in the "speed kills" camp, and pointed bullets stay faster, longer.

Back to the original question, many of the older cartridges are throated for heavy roundnose bullets and shoot them better than anything else. Many tired barrels can be brought back to life by changeing to roundnose, and for a great deal of hunting it's not a handicap.
 
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