Boat Tail Bullets

[truck driver]

I've always have had a hard time getting Boat tail bullets to shoot good till I started loading for my 35 AI and was wondering if what I have learned applies to all boat tail style bullets.
I've learned that the ABs need to be seated deep in the case with lots of jump and was wondering if this applies to all boat tail bullets?

 

[Bruce Mc]

If things were only that simple. No they don't. I've found Sierra SBTs to shoot best close to the lands as well as the two Speer SBTs I've loaded over the years. I believe its been said here that the Berger's need to be loaded close up too.

 

[Guy Miner]

I've almost always had an easy time of getting boat tail bullets to shoot well - almost always.

You've got to figure that the vast majority of NRA High Power competitors, thousands of shooters, putting far more rifle ammo downrange than most of us deer & elk hunters, use Sierra Matchking boat tail bullets. Nosler, Hornady and Berger are also in widespread use, mostly their boat-tail bullets.

These competitors usually fire a standard course of 200, 300 and 600 yards. They often use .223 or .308 rifles, and for all the rapid fire stages, they typically load to roughly magazine length. They have to. For their long-range ammo, some will "load long" getting the ogive closer and closer to the rifling, minimizing jump! Hows that for opposite of what we often read here on this forum in particular?

So - what I'm saying is that the boat-tail bullets are commonly selected and used in that form of competition, often in cartridges familiar to many of us. And they work very, very well.

Factory match ammo is typically loaded with boat-tail match bullets - and has to perform well in a wide variety of firearms.

When I was competing, with my bolt action .308, I'd just load to "magazine length" for all my ammo. Rapid fire or long range. It was all the same. And I scored rather well with that. Always with either Nosler or Sierra boat tail match bullets. So... if it's not that the boat tail bullets are inaccurate, or hard to work with. It's likely just a quirk of an individual rifle. Something along those lines.

Regards, Guy

 

[BretN]

TD, I've got one gun that historically shoots flat base bullets better, or maybe it's just that it's easier to find a sub MOA load for the flat base bullet in that gun, especially if it's a Sierra PH bullet. My recent load work up with AB bullets in that gun did turn out well, once I backed the bullet .050" off the lands. Normal cup and core bullets I will run closer to the lands though, usually .010-.020" off unless the magazine limits that. Then magazine length dictates the OAL.

In my other guns, I haven't had that problem at all. They've actually been quite easy to find good loads for, both flat base and boat tail. What I have learned is that my guns consistently shoot Noslers and Sierras bullets best, so that's mostly what I shoot now. I have gotten good results from Hornadys and still have a bunch of them, but sometimes it feels like I have to work harder to get there or sometimes accept 1.5" accuracy at 100 yards instead. If I can get Hornadys from the factory cheap when I'm going through Nebraska, I get them. If I have to pay full price, I'll reach for Noslers or Sierras.

Lately, I've also worried less about fussing with OAL, as it's just one more variable in load development. I've been loading to book or magazine length and seeing what the gun likes. Often with these modern machined guns and fully floated barrels, it doesn't seem to take but a couple of trips to the range to find a bullet powder combo that is sub MOA. Sometimes I will then go after ideal OAL. But if I can get my hunting guns consistently shooting under an inch at 100 yds, I'm pretty happy. Now that I've made sure all my rifles have a free floated barrels, load development has been much easier and more enjoyable.

In the end, use what works. There's not a thing wrong with flat base bullets at normal practical hunting range.

 

[truck driver]

I only have one rifle (257 Roberts) that will flat out shoot bug holes with any style bullet I load in it and that has a custom barrel on it. If I could afford it the first thing I would do is put a custom barrel on every rifle I own but that's not going to happen though I wish I could. The only rifle I own that I bought new is a Ruger M77 and I did more work to it than any other rifle I own or I should say paid some one before I learned how and it won't shoot boat tails as well as flat base and I do load it to magazine length. All my rifles barrels are free floated and bedded with the breach area supported. The Ruger has been so consistent since it was bedded that I only need to fire one round out of it each year to check the POI and it hasn't changed since the work was done back in the 1980's. Funny how some people don't like the Hornady bullet but it has been one of my favorites over the years and has accounted for most all the game I've killed with the exception of my first white tail buck and It was killed with a Sierra GK bullet or should say 2 since it needed a finishing shot.
I always bought the cheapest bullets I could get and for most the time the flat base bullets of any brand were always cheaper so I guess maybe I never gave the boat tails a chance since I didn't want to spend the money. SPS has changed that for me and I can buy affordable bullets to shoot.
I'm getting ready to start work on the 7RM and the reason for the question was for loading BT and ABs in that.

 

[Guy Miner]

That Hornady bullet you mentioned - it wasn't by chance the 100 gr flat-base .257" soft point was it?

That little rascal is one heck of a bullet! Accurate, and works well, even at high velocity.

Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

Re the 7mm Rem mag - that was my choice for several years and I still have an abiding respect for that cartridge.

Loved the 175 gr bullets. Used the 175 Nosler on elk, and it shot the 175 SPBT Sierra into nice groups downrange.

Also did well with 160's, either Sierra or Nosler. I think the Partitions were the only flat-based 160-168 gr bullets I used in the 7mm. They all shot pretty well.

I didn't use them much but the 140 gr bullets also worked well.

For me the 7mm Rem mag seemed to come alive and really respond well to max & near max charges of slower burning powder, particularly RL-22. And, back when it was available H870. Never saw any point in loading it light. Very controllable cartridge for the shooter too. I thought the recoil was very similar to a .30-06, which can't be too far from the mark, as many of the powder charges & bullet weights are similar.

Regards, Guy

 

[BretN]

To be honest and fair, my experience with Hornady bullets has been a long and winding road tied to my M70 .280 featherweight. I learned to reload with this gun. I struggled for years to get that pencil thin barrel in a beautiful stock to shoot even 1.5" groups at 100 yards. I did get the flat base bullets to shoot better than the boat tails. I bought a Bell and Carlson stock and that has made a huge difference. I've shot quite a few deer with Hornadys and never had any failure from them. So I wouldn't hesitate to load them and use for hunting at all really.

A recent attempt to get 139gr BT's to shoot well in that gun again resulted in just so-so accuracy. So I have just determined that in that gun, it is no longer worth the effort when I have a Sierra PH load and a Nosler AB load that broke MOA performance without much effort. I'd be lying though if I told you my past experience didn't at least color my opinion on Hornady bullets, which aren't really any cheaper than Sierras now. But when I go through NE and they have factory second IB, GMX or SST's for $12-14 for 100 I happily buy them.

 

[JD338]

For me it depends on the rifle. My 280AI shoots bug holes with the 160 gr AB .015" off the lands
while my 338 RUM has shot .5" at 200 yds with a 250 gr AB loaded to the max magazine length and who knows exactly how far off the lands that is.

JD338

 

[truck driver]

Thanks for all the comments fellows. I was looking for a short cut but I guess there isn't one.

Guy it sure is that 100gr Spire point and you can cover a 5 shot group with a dime and still have room for more.

The 7mag I have some 140gr BT, 150gr Pt and 160gr AB to work with and was wondering if the BT was like the AB and liked to be seated deep in the case.

The Hornady flat base Spire Points always shot well for me and would kill clean if I put them in the right place where as with the Sierras I had trouble with them not expanding and punching right threw with an exit hole the same size as the entrance with 150gr spitzers out of my 30-06. The 150gr Hornady's would blow a shoulder to pieces but I liked the 165gr Spire points which seem to work great loaded to around 2900fps.

 

[Horsethief]

I had a 270 Win that grouped 130gn Hornady Interbonds high and left of where other bullet groups were from the same rifle. I tried different powders, different seating depth, but nothing could get those Interbonds close to the 130 flat bottomed Hornady Interlocks or the 140gn Interlock boat tail bullets. I think it came down to the smaller bearing surface of the Interbonds was effected in a much different way than the other bullets. This could also be a function of how the barrel harmonics were much different with the Interbonds. I traded those bullets to my dad for more of the 140 boat tails.

One of the most accurate loads I've made for my 300 Weatherby is the 180gn Hornady Interlock flat based bullet with a max load of RL-19. At 300 yards it groups just over 1.25" off of a bipod. As long as the bullet is supersonic, the flat base is not going to have a big effect on accuracy.

Now and then, a particular handloaded bullet and powder combination simply doesn't work. That's when its time to try a different powder close to the same burning speed and get back to shooting. My wife hates it when I tell her I'm testing new loads at the range. Almost everything I load uses a boat tail bullet.

Last but not least, the Hornady 100gn spire point is a great bullet from my 257 Wby. Too bad Hornady discontinued that bullet recently.

 

[PJGunner]

The only boat tail bullets I've really done anything with are the 150 gr. Sierra Game Kings in my .270. Shot nice tight groups from the start to what was maximum for the rifle. Needed to buy more and couldn't find any so I switched to the Nosler Partitions that I've had for a long time. Dropped the charge a hair and loaded to the same setting as the GK's. Point of impact was within a half inch of the Sierra load. Really didn't even have to tweak the scope settings. If I've used boat tailed bullets in anything else, it's been so long ago I sure don't remember.
I'm not counting the TSX bullets I'm playing with in the .257 Bob, 7x57 a.280 Rem.
Paul B.