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Posted: 6/24/2011 5:09:42 PM EDT
| I've loaded several thousand .223 rounds and am still learning. As a rule, I like to load 55gr. boat tail because their easy, put the bullet on the case after charging and run through my single-stage press. Flat base bullets I need to hold on to as I feed them into the seating die, it's a real slow process. Teach this grasshopper a better and faster way! Thank you. |
| I've alway thought flat bases were more accurate than boat tails - I think I got this from Hatcher's Notebook. So within 250-300 yards, I use a flat base bullet and outside of that a boat tail trying to get a better ballistic coefficient and therefore less drop. |
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To measure the difference between flat base or boat tail bullets requires an accurate rifle inside the useful range of flat base bullets. There are some very good boat tails, and I don't think I'd worry about this much unless you're shooting pure, short range benchrest.
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I've alway thought flat bases were more accurate than boat tails - I think I got this from Hatcher's Notebook. So within 250-300 yards, I use a flat base bullet and outside of that a boat tail trying to get a better ballistic coefficient and therefore less drop. What he said ^^ In .224, I use 55 grain vmax (flat base) for 100 yard shooting and long bthp for everything else. |
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If you deburred the case mouth inside and out, seating flat based bullets should go smoothly. Don't know what brand of dies you are using, but one of the good features of Hornady dies is a sliding bullet seater that centers a bullet just before seating. This plus hold with your hand. It is easier to manufacture consistent/accurate flat-base than boat tail bullets. If you look at most of the short range bench rest bullets you'll find that a lot of them are flat base designs from people like Berger and Shilen. Out of an AR15 the differences will be mostly irrlevant |
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That being the case, I'll stick to Hornady 55 gr. FMJBT's. Easy to load fast and a very good bullet. Thanks for the help. They're good FMJ bullets, but they aren't very good bullets. Pretty much any match or varmint bullets outclass them easily. It's a matter of design. |
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I use a die like this one but mine was custom made.
Not my vid but you get the idea. drop the bullet in and go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjIotCJ7xG8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc1lDG9E_UI&NR=1 |
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There used to be much dicussion of throat erosion with boat tail versus flat bullets as well as discussion of accuracy of boat tails and flat base bullets in worn bores, and IIRC, the flat base bullets had the edge on both counts.
Of course that was also in the context of surplus rifles where new barrels would be comparatively expensive and very non-original looking. In an AR, if you wear out the bore, throw the barrel out and install a new one for $200-$300 and just drive on. –––– A bigger accuracy issue is that many FMJ bullets are also boat tailed, but the consistency of the base on an FMJ is very hard to keep consistent and that lack of consistency equates to reduced accuracy. The 173 gr bullet used in M118 special ball is a good example. It was a very accurate bullet as FMJ's go but not quite as accurate as the 168 gr SMK used in M582 ammo - in large part as the 168 gr sierra used a hollow point design, and a target style non expanding hollow point is much easier to control in terms of consitency of both base and tip as any excess lead just collects in or extrudes out the tip rather than collecting at the much larger base where you can have issues wth the bullet remaining concentric. So...if you are also comparing FMJ versus a HP or SP design along with flat base or boat tail, the point style is a far more important factor in accuracy - all other things being equal. |
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IMHO
Boatails are not necessarily more accurate, but better ballistically. i.e. Higher BC. I suspect flat base bullets may be easier to make more consistently, making them more accurate, at least at short ranges. Then the higher BC comes into play at longer ranges and boattails supersede flat base. IMHO Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
| My humble experience is that boat tails vs flat base is which one do I have in stock. If you have a damaged/ poorly cut barrel crown flat based bullets will shoot more accurately. Convetional boattails tend to shed their jackets more often on big game (I've killed over 100 head; deer to moose with everything from .223 to .45ACP, all handloads) |
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both my speer and hornady book say that boat tails are most accurate. I'd like to know where in those manuals you thought you read this. Sorry misread the books, they state that they retain a higher amount of velocity and drop less than their flat based counter parts of equal weight, etc. |
If you are out to make precision reloads, speed is not and will never be your friend.  Load and shoot whatever is best in your rifle, some like boat tails, others like flat base.
Now, I've not run into this issue with my ARs yet, but my 6.5 swede (1905) hates boat tails, but will shoot MOA with almost any flat base over 120gr. As for seating flat based easier, beveling the case mouth after you trim the case to length will help a bit. Best of luck to you. |
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