Pointing Basics — How to Use a Bullet Pointing Die System
Tech Tip by Doc Beech, Applied Ballistics Support Team
I am going to hit on some key points when it comes to bullet pointing. How much pointing and trimming needed is going to depend on the bullet itself. Specifically how bad the bullets are to begin with. Starting out with better-quality projectiles such as Bergers is going to mean two things. First that you don’t need to do as much correction to the meplat, but also that the improvement is going to be less. NOTE: We recommend you DO NOT POINT hunting bullets. Pointing can affect terminal performance in a bad way.
NOTE the change in the bullet tip shape and hollowpoint size after pointing:
Don’t Over-Point Your Bullets
What is important here is that you never want to over-point. It is far better to be safe, and under-point, rather than over-point and crush the tips even the slightest bit. To quote Bryan Litz exactly: “Best practice is to leave a tiny air gap in the tip so you’re sure not to compress the metal together which will result in crushing. Most of the gain in pointing is taking the bullet tip down to this point. Going a little further doesn’t show on target”. So in essence you are only bringing the tip down a small amount… and you want to make sure you leave an air gap at the tip.
Also keep in mind, bullet pointing is one of those procedures with variable returns. If you only shoot at 100-200 yards, bullet pointing will likely not benefit you. To see the benefits, which can run from 2 to 10% (possibly more with poorly designed bullets), you need be shooting at long range. Bryan says: “Typically, with pointing, you’ll see 3-4% increase in BC on average. If the nose is long and pointy (VLD shape) with a large meplat, that’s where pointing has the biggest effect; up to 8% or 10%. If the meplat is tight on a short tangent nose, the increase can be as small as 1 or 2%.” For example, If you point a Berger .308-caliber 185gr Juggernaut expect to only get a 2% increase in BC.
Should You Trim after Pointing?
Sometimes you can see tiny imperfections after pointing, but to say you “need” to trim after pointing is to say that the small imperfections make a difference. Bryan Litz advises: “If your goal is to make bullets that fly uniformly at the highest levels, it may not be necessary to trim them.” In fact Bryan states: “I’ve never trimmed a bullet tip, before or after pointing”. So in the end it is up to you to decide.
Pointing is Easy with the Right Tools
The process of pointing in itself is very simple. It takes about as much effort to point bullets as it does to seat bullets. We are simply making the air gap on the tip of the bullet ever-so smaller. Don’t rush the job — go slow. Use smooth and steady pressure on the press when pointing bullets. You don’t want to trap air in the die and damage the bullet tip. You can use most any press, with a caliber-specific sleeve and correct die insert. The Whidden pointing die has a micrometer top so making adjustments is very easy.
Bryan Litz actually helped design the Whidden Bullet Pointing Die System, so you can order the Pointing Die and Inserts directly from Applied Ballistics. Just make sure that you pick up the correct caliber sleeve(s) and appropriate insert(s). As sold by Applied Ballistics, the Whidden Bullet Pointing Die System comes with the die, one tipping insert, and one caliber-specific sleeve. To see which insert(s) you need for your bullet type(s), click this link:
LINK: Whidden Gunworks Pointing Die Insert Selection Chart
Similar Posts:
- Bullet Pointing 101 — How to Point Match Bullet Tips
- ABCs of Bullet Pointing — Increase Bullet BC Uniformity
- How to Point Bullets — Whidden Bullet Pointing Tool Review
- Whidden Gunworks Bullet Pointing Die System
- Uniforming Meplats — How to Point Bullets with Whidden System
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Tags: Berger Bullets, Bryan Litz, bullet, Doc Beech, Pointing Die, Whidden Gunworks
This is a very good article for anyone considering closing the meplats on their competition bullets.
The article does a great job of teaching a class in Meplat Closing 101. Very simple and straight forward once you educate yourself on what is needed to get good ballistic closure.
As the article states, you first have to have a bullet that shoots. A bad bullet — or a good bullet that just will not shoot in your barrel — must be deployed for other purposes than competition. In short, it starts with the quality of the bullet. Work up the very best load with the bullet that allows you to get and keep a repeatable tune. Then the correct meplat closing can be a tremendous benefit to your long range success.
The author makes it clear that the easiest thing to do incorrectly is to close your meplats to create a bulge. I have been there and done that as well. No need to do that at all. Strive for a UNIFORM closure.
I am very proud to have worked with Ferris Pindell on the creation of the maplat closing die in 2002. I am even more proud of John Whidden and Whidden Gunworks and Bryan Litz for working hard to offer a great meplat closing die that ANYONE can use. Case in point, John tied a 1000 yard iron sight record just a short time ago with molly coated Hybrid 105s with meplats closed by his 11 year old daughter (who will be on the stage getting awards at Camp Perry in the near future).
I have closed over 260,000 meplats with my system which has grown from simply closing meplats for myself to detailed closing to a very advanced meplat closing process I now use. The bullets have set National records, won international championships, state championships, won 10 match agg championships, etc. My advanced meplat closing service currently takes me seven hours to trick out 500 bullets! But the Whidden System allows you you do 90+% of what I do by simply following the “pointers” in the article and John’s instructions — with a Whidden trick or two.
If you are closing meplats just to improve the BC, you have missed the biggest benefit of all — UNIFORM BC. Great BC allows you to “hide and survive” wind-reading mistakes. Uniform BC allows you to shoot waterline groups in the CENTER of the target where the scoring rings are larger. As an example, lets say you are shooting a great BC bullet at 1000 yards in your chosen condition. Man you are dead center on your windage, but you are leaking shots at 12:00 and 6:00. What do you do now? Chase the scoring disc and shoot another bad shot that leaks out? Focus on waterline vertical. The increased BC is free with even a poor job of meplat closing. Besides, if you don’t learn to read the wind, you will get beat by a shooter using a bullet with 50 to 100 BC points below your bullet with no meplat closing. Sure, that great shooter beat you but they will never be their best unless they also learn to get points in the loading room.
Back to the Whidden System. Meplat closing fixtures designed by Bryan Litz are great. They are just what you need. The Whidden fixtures allow you to discover the best closing for a given bullet — which is almost NEVER the fixture that just follows the ogive to the meplat!
A myth I want to trash: “you can close the meplat too small.” Not if you know what you are doing.
In anything in life, you quit improving and advancing when you think you know it all. My most hated myth: “It is the Indian and not the Arrows.” Well, we all know that you have to work at being an elite shooter , but this excuse is most often used by those who fall short of being their best because they just don’t know how to enhance their shooting package. You will never be your best by just picking the low-hanging fruit. “Accuracy is the culmination of tremendous trifles.” Ferris Pindell.
Learn to listen to what the bullet tells you. In testing or in competition, you are listing to and viewing a “conversation” between the bullet and the target. The bullet might sing out “that was a center X” but the target might reply that you went “tango uniform” with an 8. Ok learn what the bullet and target are saying and join the conversation with testing, record matches, research and study. Learn to take what what the bullet gives you. It you learn that well enough you can learn to take what you want. That is when you become an Elite Champion. The bullet is your friend — and can be modified to be your best friend on the range.
Lastly, become a student of the game you are shooting. Please invest in yourself and your efforts by purchasing the Applied Ballistics library by Bryan Litz. To begin with, purchase Applied Ballistics for Long Range shooting as well as Ballistic Performance of Rifle Bullets. Study, study and study some more — every day. Always remember that it is discipline and not desire that determine your destiny in life and the shooting game.
Regards,
Jim Hardy
Hardy Custom Bullets, Inc.
Passion + Precision = Perfection
Shop: 770-886-1997
Cell: 770-855-8960 (best)
email: jhardylaw@gmail.com
Well, it looks like I cross-fired with the “Lastly” on two paragraphs. Please forgive my oversight. If I had my wife proof read my posts, I would have no problems — but I would get the “look”.I sure wish we had (or I knew how to use) a correction feature.
Makes you wonder why the bullets are not just pointed in the first place. I see Sierra has started to close the tips on there matchkings.
The article notes, “In fact Bryan states: “I’ve never trimmed a bullet tip, before or after pointing “.
That’s interesting since in his book, “Applied Ballistics for Long Range,” he states, “As a general rule, you can say that if you’re already shooting very small groups, and you’re looking for that last bit of improvement, it may be worth the time to trim (uniform) your meplats.”
While John Whidden does not offer a meplat trimmer/uniformer, others do. Most notably, John Hoover of Accuracy One Shooting Supplies who developed and produces both meplat uniformers and tipping dies (http://www.bullettipping.com). The idea is to uniform the meplat prior to tipping the projectile. Hard to imagine that uniforming prior to tipping doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why work with tips that are all over the place in shape when you can work with ones that has been uniformed?
Would be great if Bryan would run some with-and-without tests on a range of projectiles and then publish his results in an article.
HOOVER BULLET POINTING SYSTEM
Contrary to what some people may think, if you do things right, the difference between tipped and non-tipped bullets is noticeable even at 600 yds. I am part of the Puerto Rico F-Class Open Team and our latest performance is posted at Precision Rifle & Tool’s Web Site at the following link, http://www.precisionriflesales.com/customers-in-action/our-shooters-from-puerto-rico-first-time-1000yd/ . It was not bad for our first 1000 yds. NRA Regional in Blakely, Georgia, due in part, to John Hoover’s Bullet Tipping system. We usually shoot 7mm RSAUM for long range (1000 yds.) and .284 straight and 6.5/.284 Shehane (.4840 body taper) for mid-range up to 600 yds. If you do things right with no short cuts, pointed bullets (with everything else done right….) could mean the difference between a borderline 10 and a 9… For us, this is very significant in F-Class competition. At the 1000 yds. Stars and Bars Regional at Blakely, if you access the link above, you will notice that the first four positions were separated by just one (1) point. 1st place aggregate was 786-(39X), 2nd place (my teammate Carlos) with 785-(40X), 3rd place 784-(29X), 4th place (myself) with 783(27X), 5th place 781-(31X) and 6th place (one of our teammates untied by X count) 781-(27X) out of a possible 800pts.
About Meplat Trimming and Bullet Pointing, we can assure you it definitely works. When done correctly, it will decrease differences and minor defects between bullets within the same lot, resulting in a more consistent Ballistic Coefficient. This will translate in a reduction of the vertical spread on the target (waterline consistency), especially at 600yds. and beyond. You will be impressed with the differences between two groups, one with pointing and the other without it. You will clearly see the group reduced by 30% to 40% in relation to “vertical”. With the Hoover System, using his Trimmer/Ogive measuring tool, we first sort by ogive, then by OAL, then trim by groups to the lowest length and then Tip to close the meplats to about half of the original on the hybrids. Using the Hoover Tipping Die, you will then come out with a perfect tipping with a no-cone effect, “unique”to the Hoover System. To reach perfection, you have to experiment, which is not a big deal. However, you will generally achieve a clean, consistent and beautiful pointing not possible with any other system on the market.
Regarding the Hoover System vs. the Whidden System, we have tried them both and when comparing one against the other, just by looking at them, you will see an obvious difference in quality and craftsmanship much superior in the Hoover Die. The Stainless Steel construction and design of the Hoover Die can never be compared to the aluminum alloy used in Whidden’s. On top of this, the Whidden System has only a few tipping punches against a big list of tipping punches from the Hoover System for nearly every caliber, brand and type of bullet on the market today. This shows how the Hoover System is considering the differences in geometry or ogives that characterize different bullets. In short, we prefer the Hoover System, although any of them should improve consistency.
Jose Ramirez – Team Puerto Rico
I offer a backdoor correction to the assertion that John does not offer a “meplat trimmer/uniformer”. While John does not offer a dedicated unit, he does produce caliber specific bullet holders for the Wilson trimmer setups. As almost every competitive shooter has a Wilson, this is a great way to go — especially when using a Wilson with a micro adjustment. Solid base, true cuts, and very exact with or without the micro adjustment. If you already have a Wilson, John’s bullet fixture is very affordable.
The Hoover tool is also a fine unit that does a good job.
Is there similarly a “base uniformer” that can be used to eliminate irregularity in the base of the bullets used? Seems to me that would eliminate any off-axis forces at the muzzle crown attributable to a lack of base perpendicularity to the bullet and barrel axis.