Difference in boolit design?

[toddn84]

Maybe a dumb question but what is the major difference in boolit design. Like swc,tc, and rn. Is one more accurate then the other or does it have to do with feeding? Also what is the difference in beveled base and plain base? Any help would be appreciated.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

No question is dumb when one is trying to gain knowledge or understand something. Lets start with flat base....that means that the base of the bullet is flat across in its diameter. A bevel base is when the circumference(all around) of the base has a slight bevel to it. On the subject of bullet design, books have been written and many good theories have been around for a long time. Shapes of noses and "bearing" which is the surface of the bullet sides that contact the bore of the gun vary. Round nose and pointy bullets have better "aerodynamics" (flow-ability through the air) than wadcutter or semiwadcutter shapes. You can't really say that one particular shape is more accurate than another as there are many other factors involved. Feeding has to do with getting a loaded round from the magazine or clip, into the chamber. Some bullet shapes feed easier than others (usually pointy or roundnose ones, but many semi wadcutters do also. That also depends on the gun involved. Conical bullets feed well as well as TC or truncated cone shaped bullets. Wadcutters are the worst shape aerodynamically, and they are primarily used in target work as they cut neat, sharp holes that make scoring easier. Semi-wadcutters cut sharp holes too, but they are favored for delivering more energy to the target. A lot of engineering and theory go into design; it is a complex field that involves velocity, rifling twist, powder charges and many other factors that can and do effect accuracy. It would be wonderful if it was simple and easy to explain, but it isn't. You need to read and keep asking questions and there are many well versed experienced members on this forum that will always and patiently answer you to the best of their ability. This hopefully has been a good start to getting you going. LLS

[largom]

If you are shooting a lever action [tube fed] gun you need flat nose or round nose boolits since the boolit/bullet point will rest against the primer of the cartridge above it in the tube. Why so many different designs? Because some designs work well in some guns and not so good in others. Another reason is so we casters can have many, many molds or if you shoot jacketed bullets you can have many, many boxes of different bullets. Helps the economy and promotes jobs.

Larry

[toddn84]

Is there a reason that nobody makes a round nose mold or bullet for the .40. There is a group buy for a noe round nose mold but im a little hesitant because there isnt one out there already

[largom]

The major mold makers produce what they can sell thousands of. NOE is a custom mold maker on this forum and produces molds that forum members want. They are also better quality than produced by the big guy's.

Larry

[toddn84]

I understand that. But why isnt there any rn mold or bullet for the .40?

[runfiverun]

fmj's [and lots of factory ammo] are rn nose just like the 45 or 9mm.
molds aren't because the 40 come along later and they took the feeding from updated 45's etc, feed ramps and magazines were modified right from the start to be able to handle feeding either the rn or the swc type bullet.
a rn bullet is not very efficient for either target shooting or for fighting/hunting,and isn't needed for feeding issues, so why bother?
there are lots of 9mm and 45 molds that are rn because there are bajillions of guns out there that won't feed a swc [except the H&G 68 in the 45 acp] as they are designed around feeding the rn bullet.

[toddn84]

Ah I see. Is there much of a difference between tc and swc?

[MtGun44]

Much of a difference in what? Shape of the boolit or some particular performance
aspect? More specific question would be helpful.

Bill

[toddn84]

more like accuracy?

[Blammer]

for the sake of accuracy and if I know what I know now and had to start from scratch to find an accurate boolit I would either choose a TC or a RN first if seeking accuracy.

[MtGun44]

Frankly, I don't think that there is any consistent relationship between boolit shape
and accuracy. For example, full wadcutters, that are aerodynamically horrible, are often
extremely accurate boolits. But I have many examples of SWC that are very accurate
also, and many report excellent results with certain of the RN designs.

I think that these sort of generalizations are pretty mushy at best and probably not of
much real value.

Now - as to target results, there are significant differences.

Bill

[fredj338]

I understand that. But why isnt there any rn mold or bullet for the .40?

The 40 was designed around a truncated cone JHP. SO a RN would be too long for correct OAL in the smaller 40 case. I have seen a few in the 140-150gr range, but not the heavier ones. Bevel bases were designed for easier relaoding. Some will swear the flat abse shoots a bit better, maybe, maybe not.

[runfiverun]

accuracy and distances.
a t/c will be more stable [cut through the air better] over longer distances than a wadcutter and a swc.
the wadcutter may be more accurate at shorter distances,and able to align the cylinder throats to the bbls throat better than the t/c in a revolver.
but it pushes too much air and becomes unstable at about 75 yds.
the swc will do better but will lose out to the t/c over distance.

[toddn84]

there is a group buy for a 180gr. rn noe mold right now. I think im just gonna go with a tc