Boat tailed bullets

[DJ Fergus]

I have often wondered if the boat tailed bullets were not completely
symmetrical or one side of the tail was off a little bit if the muzzle flash at the crown would negatively affect their performanc.

I do believe it would affect accuracy. Bullet makers say that it is more difficult to make consistently shaped boat tail projectiles than flat based projectiles. It's easy to see why that is.

 

[Mikecr]

Flat base definitely releases cleaner.
The escaping gasses cannot get around a FB to push on any side.

 

[tooOld]

I have often wondered if the boat tailed bullets were not completely
symmetrical or one side of the tail was off a little bit if the muzzle flash at the crown would negatively affect their performance.

I believe flat base bullets are more accurate as long as they are sonic. Boat tail has an advantage because of higher B.C. and are more stable when they go sub sonic .

 

[Orange Dust]

I have always felt boat tail bullets were more sensitive to barrel crown and breaks. If I'm having an accuracy problem with them, this is the first place I look.

 

[JustMe2]

Boattail vs. Flat Base Projectiles - Guns and Ammo

The shape at the tail end of a projectile, whether it's boattail or flat base, can have serious effects on your handloads.

www.gunsandammo.com

 

[West Calamus]

An amazing range of responses you arr getting. But bullets don't seal from the rear, they seal from the side so it's the walls of the bullet that are actually pushed into the grooves and lands to seal. Boat tails actually offer slightly more surface area than a flate base at the rear to absorb the heat of the combustion's flame front, tranferring heat into the bullet and away from the barrel. So, if anything, the BT design would delay erosion, not accelerate it.
But, truthfully, this very slight difference would be hard to measure, a de minimus experience.

This LR group is a different lot. 98% of rifle owners will not go through 6 boxes of ammo for their rifle. 1+% will. Only the remaining fraction of 1% will ever shoot out a barrel.

If you are a LR hunter, high BC bullets (all boattails) are important cuz they carry more energy further with less drop. Personally, I appreciate them because we can do more with less when it comes to LR hunting. Under 200 yds everything works.

Point well taken BUT!!! I would change 200 yards to 500 yards and there is a lot of cartridges that only deliver enough energy (1200 ft lbs.) to shoot large mule deer that come in under 600 yards. The main advantage of a flat base is some rifles are more accurate with a flat base then a boat tail. Ask the bench rest shooters what they shoot. If you have a nicked crown on your rifle a flat base will probably be more accurate because of the way the gas pattern disperses out the end of the barrel and upsets a boat tail more then a flat base. As far as scope adjustment a 2 click added at 500 yards for a FB over a B-T is no big deal to me. With all that said I shoot mostly B-T's but definitely don't rule out Flat Base on a 450 yard deer rifle that likes the Flat base better. Just my opinion and no disrespect to anyone with a different viewpoint.

 

[1mechanic]

Sometimes I have a hard time expressing my thoughts into words but after reading the article posted by JustMe2 it confirms something I considered on boat tail bullets. As you reduce the area in front of pressure, the pressure increases like putting your thumb over the end of a hose. With the taper of the boat tail as the burning gun powder pushes against the base the gasses going up the sides will increase in pressure blowing past the bearing surfaces of the bullet to bore, like blow by on cylinder rings, producing more gasses in front of the bullet to effect trajectory. The problem I have is I like the B.C. on the boat tails and want to shoot them over the flat base but want the flat base accuracy. lol

 

[Mikecr]

It would be very difficult and very expensive to credibly test & prove one way or another.

 

[1mechanic]

Yes but think about it with such a long bearing surface on most boat tail bullets the bullet is past the freebore and the lead before it leaves the case, granted the case expands before the bullet totally seals in the barrel but does it totally seal?

 

[1mechanic]

Just random thoughts from a mechanic.

 

[old_heli_logger]

Maybe some bullet manufacturer should make a bullet with a poly carbonate boat tail that would compress flat until it leaves the barrel

 

[1mechanic]

And drop off after leaving the barrel like a sabot?

 

[Murph1951]

Most BT bullets, but not all, the word "MATCH" is included in the description. This should be a hint to hunters. But some hunters just don't give a crap. It is not about how far but how clean is your kill.

 

[FEENIX]

I love boat tailed bullets for their flight characteristics but...
Can someone help me to understand why, due to their shape, that they don't excellerate throat erosion. It would seem to me that flat based bullets would seal better and boat tailed ones would cause a "blow torch" effect upon firing. Someone please help me to see how this is not true. This is not a joke.

Since your query has been answered, you and I know what happened to your first post; my best advice to you as you move forward is to know the site rules. This no joke. Cheers!