Bullet talk

[Rooster52]

Do you think there is any benefit to a boattail bullet over a flat base or vice versa ?

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

Boattail will have less drag moving forward but less mass assuming length is fixed for magazine size or powder capacity and a flat base will have a higher sectional density at the same length because all of the space past the ogive of the curve is full.

A flat base would be better for a deep penetrating short range moose round (160 gr 6.5mm bullets come to mind) while a boattail has better ballistics at longer range.

Flat base= Better Sectional Density
Boattail=Better Ballistic Coefficient

 

[belly-deep]

At normal hunting distances, there is no practical advantage.

 

[sbhooper]

At normal hunting distances, there is no practical advantage.

This. Unless you are a "over 500 yard" type of guy, there is essentially no difference in performance.

Generally, the flat-based tend to hold together a bit better, too-in my experience. Sometimes, a rifle likes one over the other as far as accuracy, but mine have usually preferred the flat-based bullets.

.

 

[Gr8bawana]

At normal hunting distances, there is no practical advantage.

100% agreeed. Then again it seems to be a lot of views of what "normal" is. To me it would be under 450 yards. My longest shot at an animal was 416 yards in 40 years of hunting.

 

[Dan O]

I like the Nosler partition and that is a flat base. If you run the ballistic programs for example a .308 180 grain partition with bc of .474 vs a 180 grain accubond bc .507 you won't find much actual difference in the field between the two. BUT you may find a bigger difference in how one shoots in YOUR rifle as compared to the other. Mine prefers the partition but that's just my rifle yours probably will be different.
Which ever shoots best in your rifle should be the one you use.
With the CDS system and a good range finder the bullet drop is covered. The huge issue is wind drift and learning to dope the wind. For that time behind the rifle is what you need. A prairie dog town is a good place to work on that.
Dan

 

[mtmuley]

Never thought about it. I shoot what shoots. Flat, boattail or rebated. mtmuley

 

[Gunner46]

Some guys like Blondes, some guys like Redheads. Which does your rifle like?

 

[voyager]

You don't mention what kind of hunting/shooting you'll be doing, let alone the cartridge.
If you're hunting out to 300 yds, I'd suggest it doesn't make enough difference one way or the other.
Any difference would probably be towards the flat based bullet, which is easier to make concentric
and have a squared base.
Further, not all boat tails are created equal. Depending on the mfr, the boat tail can be anywhere from
5 to 8 degrees. And btw, all those ballistic coefficients everyone gets excited about are simply
educated guesses at best. You have to shoot the distance to verify, and make adjustments as needed.

Only Hornady's ELD-X bullets have scientifically calculated BCs. The best article I've read to date about Hornady's bullet is published in Rifle Magazine, Jan 2016, #284.

You might also wish to pick up a copy of Applied Ballistics, which covers in detail without boring the reader very much about bullet flight.

 

[Walkathon]

I'm with the guys above who shoot whatever hunting style bullet will group well. My longest shot to date is about 320 yards so either type would have provided the same result for me.

 

[danr55]

My rifle like bullets with large ogives... Blonde/redheads doesn't matter. It's all in the ogives..