Why Hollow Points Fly Straight

by
at Hornady Manufacturing Co. posted on January 10, 2017
hp-1.jpg

The starting point for an accurate bullet is the jacket concentricity. You have to have a bullet that has a very concentric jacket. If it gets over .001” it will definitely show up on the target. Generally speaking, spending a lot of time trying to get jackets under .0005” is not going to get you much because this will be covered up by a lot of other things.

From a pure physics standpoint, a hollow point does have some advantages for trying to achieve greater accuracy. A lot of bullets are “over stabilized” in the common barrel twist rates that are used in competition. When a bullet is over-stabilized it will take it longer to “go to sleep” or stabilize, following any disturbance at the point of muzzle exit. Hollow point bullets literally have no lead in a significant portion of the jacket at the front of the bullet. This results in a bullet that is longer for a given bullet weight than, say, a soft point bullet with lead all the way to the nose. The result of the longer bullet for the same weight, coupled with the hollow cavity in the nose, is a bullet with a more rearward center of gravity and a slightly lower stability.

The bottom line is the bullet goes to sleep quicker and you achieve better accuracy. You can go too far with this, however, and get a bullet that will fly point first but never go to sleep, never stop yawing, and it will shoot all over the paper.

Latest

2024 Youngeagles SA 1
2024 Youngeagles SA 1

A Young Eagle’s Perspective On South Africa

Max Mauer of the U.S. National Young Eagles Rifle Team competed at the 2024 Target Rifle World Long-Range Championships in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in March.

NRA Pistol Nationals Travel To Illinois, Smallbore Nationals Held In Iowa: 1949 National Matches

The experimental limited field National Matches format was abandoned in 1949, with separate locations for NRA’s smallbore rifle and pistol tournaments as a new feature that year.

Discover The Coated Lead Advantage

There’s a reason why experienced shooters are embracing this latest bullet technology.

Salt Lake City To Host Olympic, Paralympic Winter Games In 2034

Following a decade-long process, Salt Lake City will again host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2034. Previously, Salt Lake City hosted the Games in 2002.

Daniel Horner Successfully Defends Modified Division Title At 2024 USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals

Daniel Horner secures Modified division title at the 2024 USPSA Multi-Gun National Championship in Minnesota, Jul. 19-21. He was shooting a SIG MCX-SPEAR LT rifle.

U.S. Paralympic Rifle Shooter McKenna Geer’s Instagram Account Restricted Prior To Paris 2024 Games

McKenna Geer, the first-ever U.S. woman to medal in a Paralympic shooting event, was censored on Instagram last week for what Meta has deemed content that “impedes our ability to foster safer communities.”

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.