Boattail pistol bullets

[10mm Witness]

The name says it all. Thoughts? I would think if it's good for rifle bullets it's good for pistols as well, given the pistol bullet is being pushed supersonic which is above 1128 fps. Also that there is enough base of the bullet to create the beveled edge required and it does not encroach on the pressure ring space.

[skeettx]

Another word for boattail pistol bullets is bevel base bullets and there are lots of them.
The only use is for easier seating, not a performance issue.
Mike

http://www.atgreloading.com/t891-flat-base-or-bevel-base-bullets-for-handguns

[Bullshop Junior]

The main reason to shoot boat tail bullets in a rifle is to give the bullet less drag (higher BC) in a pistol we are not usually shooting far enough to make a huge differance.

[Utah Shooter]

The main reason to shoot boat tail bullets in a rifle is to give the bullet less drag (higher BC) in a pistol we are not usually shooting far enough to make a huge differance.

Yup. You are not shooting with them far enough to make a big difference.

[HollowPoint]

A couple of years back I undertook the project of making some cast lead bullets for a .45 caliber air rifle I had just bought. I thought that a Boat-Tail bullet would help with the exterior ballistics so I did some research on the subject.

As has been already stated, the general velocities and distances that pistol bullets are shot at would show negligible increases in performance by incorporating a Boat-Tail into the design. However, there should be no negative consequences to utilizing a Boat-Tailed rear end on pistol bullets.

Of course there will always be those who will want to mention that the extended length that a Boat-Tail might impart, could cut down on the case capacity and thereby possibly effect velocity. I say, "So What."

During the course of my informal research into this subject I did find more than one official research study that indicated that pistol bullets with Boat-Tailed bases did tend to be inherently more ballistically superior to similar pistol bullets with plain bases.

Before posting this reply I did try to find those resources/links but I can't remember the exact working I used in my initial internet search that brought up those results. I'll keep looking. If I find them again I'll edit this post to include those findings.

Incidentally, I ended up selling my .45 caliber air rifle and the bullet mold was converted into something else. I do remember posting pics of that particular bullet mold on this website. I think it was in the "Special Projects" section.

HollowPoint