Boat Tails!!!

[jmoore]

I'm thinking that the lead core in either 30-30 or 30-36 was fairly pure lead wire, esp, in the '70s. I suspect, however, the jacket thickness of the 30-30 bullets was thinner, allowing for easier base upset.

Feel free to smack me upside the head if you can prove me wrong, Mr. Horton! As long as its at least somewhat useful info, its part of the fun.

[JBS]

There is a great deal to be said for thin or J4 jackets and their ability to upset and fill the bore. The fellows that swedge their own bullets using expanded 22 LR empty cases for jackets have a great deal of luck with upset and bore fill. I just don’t need another hobby ( JOB ) of making custom $$$ jacketed bullets, casting is enough. Changing the subject just a bit doesn’t it just drive you nuts when you get a rifle in the shop that has a true, real live, SEWER PIPE barrel and the stinking thing shoots under MOA and defies all logic and physics as you understand it.

[Edward Horton]

I'm thinking that the lead core in either 30-30 or 30-36 was fairly pure lead wire, esp, in the '70s. I suspect, however, the jacket thickness of the 30-30 bullets was thinner, allowing for easier base upset.

Feel free to smack me upside the head if you can prove me wrong, Mr. Horton! As long as its at least somewhat useful info, its part of the fun.

Jmoore

In the 1970s they took the lead out of gasoline and put it in our bullets.

The deer I shot with these 30-30 bullets died of high octane lead poisoning and didn’t have time to complain about bullet construction.

So you are saying the lead core in the 500 grain .458 bullet below for shooting a Tyrannosaurs Rex, a Wooly Mammoth or rats in New York City has the same lead core as the 30-30 bullet on the right ???

I thought I read that the lead core alloy also changed with velocity and bullet weight but I “might” have my bullet casting alloys filed in the wrong area of my beautiful mind.

P.S. "You may fire when ready, Gridley." I “might” have short term memory loss, long term memory loss, plus Alzheimer's, but I’m still better looking than you are.

[Edward Horton]

There is a great deal to be said for thin or J4 jackets and their ability to upset and fill the bore. The fellows that swedge their own bullets using expanded 22 LR empty cases for jackets have a great deal of luck with upset and bore fill. I just don’t need another hobby ( JOB ) of making custom $$$ jacketed bullets, casting is enough. Changing the subject just a bit doesn’t it just drive you nuts when you get a rifle in the shop that has a true, real live, SEWER PIPE barrel and the stinking thing shoots under MOA and defies all logic and physics as you understand it.

I had a custom Texas .500 Smith and Wesson come into the shop the other day smoking badly, once I got the proper draft set and changed the BBQ sauce everything was “cookin’.

P.S. The barrel didn’t have any rifling left at all and was burned totally black.

[JBS]

Now that funny right there, I don’t care who you are.
I couldn’t afford a round to fire it !
Somebody has way to much time on their hands.

[ireload2]

I think the effects of the length of a boat tail bullet are being confused with the effect of the boat tail.
"Short" as in round nose will often out shoot pointed bullets too. But it has nothing to do with the base design.

[jmoore]

Mr Horton, today the bullet mfg's tweak just about everything in their premium lines, but, yes, aside from the wire size, the composition of the lead in "standard" bullets is about the same- basically pure Pb. Makes it easier to swage into the final bullet form. Jacket construction is more often changed to optimize terminal preformance.

Cast bullets are a completely different animal.

I think that in the standard '03a3 barrel twist of 1 in 10" the shorter bullet factor wouldn't be a big influence, if anything that twist is a bit fast to begin with.

[milprileb]

Okay, I bite. Where does one find rebated bullets to reload with?

[jmoore]

Lapua Bullets! They can be found w/ a bit of searching, but don't know if they come in the .331-.312" size. .308" yes!

Pic in this post:
Greek 303 Ammo - Page 4 - Military Surplus Collectors Forums Click on that mess.

[Edward Horton]

Okay, I bite. Where does one find rebated bullets to reload with?

Milprileb

I bought a 1000 .311 Russian pulls not knowing that they were steel core boat tails, the only Enfield’s they shoot well from are my Enfield’s with new or slightly used barrels.

My well used 1943 Maltby with a two groove barrel likes to shoot these Russian boat tails sideways. I use these Russian pulls for fire forming cases, as any newly manufactured flat base bullet out shoots them hands down.

Out of curiosity I just ordered some FMJ Prvi Parizan .303 ammo from AIM to see if it had a rebated boat tail.

Prvi Partizan .303Brit 174grn FMJ

New Production .303 British ammunition by Prvi Partizan (PPU) of Serbia. Features a 174grn Full Copper Jacketed Lead Core bullet, Brass Case, and Non-Corrosive Boxer Primer. Packaged 20rds to a box, and 500rds (25 boxes) to case.

At the Prvi Partizan website it states it sells military ammunition

PPU Rifle, Light Machine Gun And Machine Gun Ammunition

303 British Ball, Mk-7z
303 British Ball, Mk-8z

The Prvi site also states it sells components, cases, bullets etc. and their .303 boat tail sure looks like a rebated boat tail design.



When the Prvi .303 ammo arrives I will pull a bullet and keep you informed.