Met Someone Intersting at the Range Yesterday

[Pop Watts]

It was the second time I have talked to this guy at the range.

He owns his own business making theatre tools to perform keyhole surgery, so he has a lot of very precise CNC type machines at his disposal. As a hobby he has spent 5 years CNC machining his own projectiles to get the best accuracy out of his single shot 220 Russian Improved that is necked out to 6mm. Not sure what he calls it but he made his own reamer and dies etc. So as I am drooling over his brass and aluminium fully adjustable bench rest that took him 4 months of his spare time to build he showed me his best projectile ever - and it looks like a lead cast projectile I shoot in my 25-35. His super projectile has 3 driving bands on it that engage the rifling and seal the bore to get the best out of his powder burn. The nose of the projectile rides inside the lands (he calls it a bore guide) and has a flat tip.

What the? He has made projectiles the same shape as a lot of us are shooting in old lever guns - but I admit that his are machined to much tighter tolerances and are machined from bar stock made of secret alloy to his own specs.

Well he is a great bloke who is passionate about his shooting and I left with his details and an invitation to visit his workshop any time I can get there.

Now all I have to do is convince him to get rid of that funny bolt gun he is playing with and start making some nice machined projectiles for some of my old lever guns.

Pop.

[rjohns94]

Very kewl. Let us know if you convince him to come over into the light of lever guns.

[olyinaz]

Very interesting. I'd like to know why the blunt nose? It also sounds like he's talking about 6mm PPC, which is based on the .220 Russian as well, but his could be of some alternate case length and shoulder angle. As an FYI, the 6.5mm Grendel s also developed from the .220 Russian, but I'm not sure how popular AR type chamberings are in Oz.

[Blaine]

I'd like to know why the blunt nose?

For some reason, blunt will have a less erratic flight path as opposed to sharp nosed. I do not know the reason, but, it's along the lines of dimpled golf balls, and blunt torpedos being easier to keep on course than other designs....Maybe that's why our levers seem so dang accurate: bullet design for tube mags....

[Marc]

I'd like to know why the blunt nose?

For some reason, blunt will have a less erratic flight path as opposed to sharp nosed. I do not know the reason, but, it's along the lines of dimpled golf balls, and blunt torpedos being easier to keep on course than other designs....Maybe that's why our levers seem so dang accurate: bullet design for tube mags....

It has to do with the location of the center of pressure and the center of gravity of the two different shapes. The pointed bullet's center of pressure is farther ahead of the center of gravity so side forces are more destabilizing.

The dimpled gulf ball has to do with boundary layer flow and I am not going there.

[Blaine]

I'd like to know why the blunt nose?

For some reason, blunt will have a less erratic flight path as opposed to sharp nosed. I do not know the reason, but, it's along the lines of dimpled golf balls, and blunt torpedos being easier to keep on course than other designs....Maybe that's why our levers seem so dang accurate: bullet design for tube mags....

It has to do with the location of the center of pressure and the center of gravity of the two different shapes. The pointed bullet's center of pressure is farther ahead of the center of gravity so side forces are more destabilizing.

The dimpled gulf ball has to do with boundary layer flow and I am not going there.

It's Black Magic, I tell ya....

[cshold]

The real question is:

Whats he think of the .243 Win. as a deer round

[hfcable]

The real question is:

Whats he think of the .243 Win. as a deer round

Probably the same thing Elmer Keith said about the 243: IIRC, he said it was excellent...... the best varmint round available at the time.


i agree with him.

[3leggedturtle]

Pops. I had a friend like that when I was 11. He taught me to reload. He would also lathe turn brass, bronze and copper into bullets. Said he was part of a team that was making projectiles out of alternative metals for the military, When copper and lead was short in supply. He also made his own reamers for 25 Krag, 25/303 British and a few others. I only have a few bullet molds he made as a reminder of him. One is out of brass. The other is a 330gr or so Blunt RN boolit for a .45 colt. Also have a Spire Point with a meplat a little bigger than a large rifle primer for the 45/70. I remember him saying it was made this way in case some one tried to use it in a lever action. Hope you have many more range and bull sessions with him. 3leg

[olyinaz]

I'd like to know why the blunt nose?

For some reason, blunt will have a less erratic flight path as opposed to sharp nosed. I do not know the reason, but, it's along the lines of dimpled golf balls, and blunt torpedos being easier to keep on course than other designs....Maybe that's why our levers seem so dang accurate: bullet design for tube mags....

It has to do with the location of the center of pressure and the center of gravity of the two different shapes. The pointed bullet's center of pressure is farther ahead of the center of gravity so side forces are more destabilizing.

The dimpled gulf ball has to do with boundary layer flow and I am not going there.

Thanks guys.