AN ADVANCE IN BULLET TECHNOLGY
The introduction of plastic-tipped varminting bullets was a technological breakthrough of the first order. Not since development of the gilding-metal jacket have varminters seen such a significant improvement in bullet per- formance. THE PLASTIC TIP GIVES BULLETS THESE ADVANTAGES:
1. Higher BC, improves every external-ballistic characteristic; 2. Increased overall length, for any given mass and point design this allows for a longer shank;
3. Effective expansion potential to lower velocity; and, 4. More durable tip. 1) Advantages are obvious: • Flatter trajectory; • Less wind deflection; • Higher terminal velocity and
energy; and,
• Shorter time-of-flight. 2) Generally, the longer the shank,
the easier it is to develop an accurate load and the more accurate the bullet can be. Beyond this, the plastic tip allows the inclusion of a longer ogive for any given bullet mass. For example, the 22-caliber, 40-grain Nosler BT. This bullet has the same ogive as the 55-grain BT. Before the advent of the plastic bullet tip, it evidently had never occurred to any manufacturer that it could incorporate the same (efficient) ogive on relatively light bullets that it used on heavier bullets.
In some instances (bullets with exposed lead), this was probably a le- gitimate limitation but in hollow-point designs this was not a legitimate limita- tion. For example, Berger offers a 22-cali- ber, 30-grain HP that has exactly the same ogive as heavier Berger 22-caliber
HPs. Berger merely truncated the core (it reaches only to the ogive base). The longer 36-grain Barnes Varmint Grenade uses the same approach. So, the plastic tip introduced an era of lighter bullets with an efficient ogive. This would justify an entire ar- ticle. Many varmint hunters still seem to believe that relatively heavy bullets have an advantage, especially when used in high-performance chamberings. For example, someone who might use the 40-grain BT in 223 loads might use the 55-grain BT in 22-250 loads. Sometimes heavier bullets do have an advantage or two but when we run the numbers for ideal loads with each bullet, it turns out that the only varmint- ing advantage the heavier bullet has is less wind deflection. This is true, re- gardless of chambering, from Hornet to Swift. The heavier bullet generates more recoil and across the useful varminting range it has more drop, and it will not reliably expand or disintegrate to greater distance than will the lighter bullet. Many of us have discovered that lighter bullets with the same ogive give us better overall varminting results (at least on lighter species). This should not be surprising; after all, velocity is king and always will be. Those who do not
Light 22 caliber frangible bullets for use in cartridges from the Fireball to the Swift,
left to right: Hornady 35 NTX, Nosler 35 BTLF, and
Barnes 36 Varmint Grenade (VG). Nothing about outside appearance (or inside appearance, for that matter) of a frangible bullet directly suggests anything about terminal performance. However, for long- range shooting, BC always matters and it would seem that the Barnes VG would be at a noticeable disadvantage for shots toward the far end of feasible range. Only field-testing will suggest which, if any, has the terminal performance advantage against which species and in which chamberings. If all goes well, I soon will be using a large pile of Fireball ammunition on a Richardson’s ground squirrel hunt. Then, I will know which works best for that and, I expect, for exterminating blacktail prairie rats, too.
www.varminthunter.org Page 41
believe that are welcome to throw rocks. The rest of us will take advantage of the technology that allows us to use a projectile forty times faster; and, using the same logic, we will use the lightest bullets that work because we can launch those fastest.
tages:
3) This gives two distinct advan- a) Greater effective range poten-
tial; and,
b) Greater useful velocity and twist-rate potential.
a) Is obvious. All else being equal,
plastic-tipped bullets will properly expand or disintegrate at lower veloc- ity and therefore those will give added ranging potential. What is not obvious is that the significant BC advantage of this design gives about 10% greater ranging potential for any given retained velocity. In total, these bullets will work properly to at least 20 percent greater distance. Surprising as this might be, a 223 loaded to maximum safe veloc- ity with the 40-grain Sierra BlitzKing provides significantly greater effective varminting range than the original 48-grain, 220 Swift factory load gave! Similarly, best loads in the 22 Hornet using the 40-grain Hornady V-Max at least duplicate the varminting potential
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