BROUGHT TO YOU BY
BULLET BULLETIN
A boattail bullet can be a game-changer at long ranges.
GET ON BOARD WITH BOATTAILS
With their structural resistance to atmospheric drag, velocity retention and flatter trajectory, this style of bullet provides higher striking energy further out, perfect for long-range hunters. STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
I
use a rather large number of different projectiles for the battery of rifles I’ve accumulated over the years, and the family has certainly grown in recent years. I enjoy experimenting with different bullet construction, weight, sectional density, ballistic coefficient, diameter and conformation. Sometimes the
application might be a little skewed, either based on availability or accuracy, but I’ve always enjoyed trying to match the bullet to the hunt and/or the animal. There has been an undeniable shift in bullet design over the last decade or two, with the strong emphasis being placed on the highest ballistic coefficient possible, and I’ll certainly attribute that to the immense popularity of long-range shooting. When I was growing up, I always
remember my dad choosing Sierra boattail spitzer bullets for his .308 Winchester; I didn’t have that option, as I was shooting a tube magazine lever-action .30-30 Winchester. In the ignorance of youth, I really felt like I was missing out, what with my slow-moving roundnose bullets, let alone the lack of a boattail. Ol’ Grumpy Pants’ scoped .308 Winchester shot lights-out (it was the Indian, not the arrows) and my iron-sighted lever gun (in the hands of a novice) couldn’t americanshootingjournal.com 69
