On another forum I mentioned that during the Friday practice at the recent Harris, MN 1000 yard match I had an opportunity to compare two very different .45 caliber paper patch bullets.
It started with me shooting some loads Brent Danielson and I loaded at the range to test his powder in my rifle. The load was my usual long-range load of 83.0 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss but with a different lot number than what I have been shooting. Everything else was the, primer, brass and bullet.
The loads we assembled, 20 rounds, were not shooting too well, but I was managing to keep them all on paper except one that missed low. There were 3 or 4 other shooters that were watching as I shot. When I finished I was somewhat disappointed that it hadn't gone better.
That's when Steve Farringer said that it would be interesting to see how a known good load shot as a comparison. So I grabbed a box of my loads that had everything the same except with 83.0 grains of my 1 1/2 Swiss. To be completely fair this is a load I have developed over time and it shoots very well. No load development was done with Brent's powder. We just loaded the same weight, 83.0 grains because that's what I use.
I laid back down and fired 3 shots, much to my relief they all went inside the 10-ring! I believe there was an X or two but the main point is they shot to center and within the 10-ring. Prefect elevation and windage.
In that same box were 10 paper patch bullets given to me by a friend to try when I had a chance. This was as good a chance as any.
My long range bullet is an elliptical bullet that has shot very well for me over the past 10 years. It holds up very well even when the winds get nasty. I think of it as the perfect long range bullet.
The ones my friend Ray gave me to try are rather blunt nose pour bullets with a short ogive and that little flat on the tip. Someone said, "Those look like muzzle loader bullets!", and they do. They look like a hunting bullets.
As I loaded the first one I commented that I'd probably have to come up some to hit paper, but how much? Well there's one way to find out, shoot it with the same sight setting and see.
So I lined up and when Mike said the conditions looked good I let her go. The target went down and I was in the scope after the shot and saw nothing to indicate a miss.
To my complete surprise and everybody else's too it came up a 10! Hmmm, that's odd! Well let's shoot another! I did and that one came up inside the 10-ring as well! Now my brain is working hard trying to understand how this can be. So I shot a 3rd one and said, "If that one is a 10 I'll be shocked!". Well, you know it came up inside the 10-ring too!
So now I'm left wondering just how much it really matters what kind of nose a bullet has, even at 1000 yards? I will say that this all happened late in the afternoon and the winds were fairly mild, but not calm. I do believe the more blunt designs are easier to get to shoot well, at least that has been my experience. Think of the Lyman 457125, what rifle doesn't shoot that bullet well!
So here are the two different bullets I shot, 3 of each, that resulted in six 10s in a row without ever touching the elevation.
The one on the left is Ray's bullet, the one on the right is mine. The load was the same for both. Ray's is 1.415" long and weighs 545 grains. My bullet is 1.430" long and weighs 532 grains.
I have to say that the fit of Ray's bullet in my bore was just nice and snug and there is a lot of guiding diameter there with the long shank so I'm not surprised they shot well, just surprised that they shot to the exact same POI at 1000 yards! And the same windage too!
Something to think about I guess, I sure don't understand it.
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Two long-range .45 caliber paper patch bullets.
