Hornady A- Tip bullets

[Millsworks]

Anyone used these new bullets?
I think they would make a great hunting bullet. But a bullet designed for match should be cheaper. Tuff to afford 600+ of those at the prices I have seen.

 

[Pilotscrappy]

The aluminum tip bullets? They are spendy, but I've only seen positive results from everything I have read about them.

Are they a huge step up from say a eld match? Probably not, but to each his own.

 

[kthomas]

Running the numbers, I don't see enough of a ballistic difference over say a Berger Hybrid to warrant the cost.

If I wanted max BC performance, I would spend just a bit more and get lathe turned solids.

Personally, at their current price point, I don't see advantage to them. I can spend a lot less and get slightly worse BC, or spend not a whole lot more and get much more BC from lathe turned. The $/ballistic advantage just doesn't seem to be there with the A-tips.

If Hornady can get the price down, they will start becoming a much more platable option. Right now they sit in a weird niche spot based on the performance vs price.

 

[John Glidewell]

there are a number of threads on here discussing them. You can find them for $57/100 too. I like them, getting great results with them so far. Recooped 7.5 min at a mile over the bergers running the same speed.

 

[michiman]

my 6.5 153's just came in today. they look awesome, dont really care for the packaging tbh. Will post some range results when i get a chance.

 

[XLR308]

My main interest in them is how they will perform on flesh and bone.
I have an axis and hog hunt coming up the end of January and may see what they do to hogs.
My current load and what I'm most invested in using on the trip is the Berger 130 Hybrids in a 6.5x47.

 

[John Glidewell]

 

[Millsworks]

Ballistic gell results?
A good video on velocity and mushroom result at high and low would be good to see.
But I would think these would be great on elk and large muleys.
Hopefully someone gets them out this fall.

 

[xdeano]

I've seen guys dumping critters with them already. I know guys who have been testing them for the last year and they perform. I just got done doing a ladder at 500yds and my vertical dispersion was crazy small. First 5 rounds were around 1/2", over 15 rounds and over a 3grns of powder were around 2.5" of vertical, maybe. I never did measure. This was with a 6.5 Saum using the 135grn Atip.

Hope that helps.
Deano

 

[NamibHunter]

Red box arrived today with 153 gn Atips. Looks like a great bullet.

But: it is a very long bullet! Does it really truly stabilize out of a 1:8 twist 6.5 mm barrel? Anybody shot them out to 1000 yards yet, with no keyholing?

Only issue i have seen so far is that if you drop a loaded round on the tip, it will deform. Tip is quite soft. Handle them with care!

What speed are folks getting in a 24 or 26” barrel out of a 6.5 Creedmoor?

 

[michiman]

Red box arrived today with 153 gn Atips. Looks like a great bullet.

But: it is a very long bullet! Does it really truly stabilize out of a 1:8 twist 6.5 mm barrel? Anybody shot them out to 1000 yards yet, with no keyholing?

Only issue i have seen so far is that if you drop a loaded round on the tip, it will deform. Tip is quite soft. Handle them with care!

What speed are folks getting in a 24 or 26” barrel out of a 6.5 Creedmoor?


View attachment 7272015

I was getting ~2770 out of my 26” barrel. 8” twist. Although my best groups and best ES/SD was for a load at ~2740

I shot them at steel out to 1054. They shot very well out or my rifle. Significantly better than the Eld-m.

 

[NamibHunter]

I was getting ~2770 out of my 26” barrel. 8” twist. Although my best groups and best ES/SD was for a load at ~2740

I shot them at steel out to 1054. They shot very well out or my rifle. Significantly better than the Eld-m.

Thanks for the feedback, good to know!

Just curious: Do you know group size at distance and how does it compare with say ELDM or Berger Hybrid, is vertical less than before?

Is the claimed consistency improvements and higher BC buying you enough to justify the cost increase.... Looks like wind drift is about 12% less at 1000 yards compared to the Berger 140 Hybrid out of a 26” barrel, which is helpful.

 

[John Glidewell]

I tested these and the 135s last year. I ran RL16, RL26 and N560 with the 153s and RL16 with the 135s. The 153s in a creedmoor ran best getting pushed hard, like 44-45 grains or RL26 at 2830 in 28" barrel 8 twist. They were on the ragged edge of pressure though and hard on brass. No heavy bolt lift but primers were starting to go flat. The 135s were running at 2895 and an easier load on components (I think it was 42.4 of RL16, not 100%). I got to shoot them both to 1083 to true them up and then checked my ballistic computer at a mile, which I have shot numerous times with other 140 class bullets. There was very little difference in elevation, the gain was with wind, but very minimal. (.2 mils at a mile with 10 mph wind) In my opinion the juice was not worth the squeeze. I am now running a new 144 Berger at 2865, very easy load of 41.4 of RL16. For the cost of the bullets vs performance, the Berger wins, hands down. Just for the sake of numbers... The 135s at a mile were 59.9 moa or 17.4 mils at a mile, The 153s were 61moa or 17.7mils at a mile and the new 144 Berger is 60.2moa or 17.5mils at a mile. I shot out a barrel testing bullets and powders. Just my opinion, but hard to beat the Berger with RL16.

 

[NamibHunter]

I tested these and the 135s last year. I ran RL16, RL26 and N560 with the 153s and RL16 with the 135s. The 153s in a creedmoor ran best getting pushed hard, like 44-45 grains or RL26 at 2830 in 28" barrel 8 twist. They were on the ragged edge of pressure though and hard on brass. No heavy bolt lift but primers were starting to go flat. The 135s were running at 2895 and an easier load on components (I think it was 42.4 of RL16, not 100%). I got to shoot them both to 1083 to true them up and then checked my ballistic computer at a mile, which I have shot numerous times with other 140 class bullets. There was very little difference in elevation, the gain was with wind, but very minimal. (.2 mils at a mile with 10 mph wind) In my opinion the juice was not worth the squeeze. I am now running a new 144 Berger at 2865, very easy load of 41.4 of RL16. For the cost of the bullets vs performance, the Berger wins, hands down. Just for the sake of numbers... The 135s at a mile were 59.9 moa or 17.4 mils at a mile, The 153s were 61moa or 17.7mils at a mile and the new 144 Berger is 60.2moa or 17.5mils at a mile. I shot out a barrel testing bullets and powders. Just my opinion, but hard to beat the Berger with RL16.

Good info.

Any difference in “waterline” on steel, so less vertical, or no?

They claim a major improvement in BC variability, but if that does not translate into smaller groups and higher hit percentage at long distance, it won’t matter much.

From the Berger web site, they claim less than 1% BC variation. I vaguely recall other run-of-the-mill bullets have up to 6% variation. See below.

 

[John Glidewell]

Good info.

Any difference in “waterline” on steel, so less vertical, or no?

They claim a major improvement in BC variability, but if that does translate into small groups at long distance, it won’t matter much.

NO, they all performed very well at distance. I did get higher BCs than listed after truing. The 144 Berger is running at .354 right now and good to 1083. I have not tested it farther yet. I am sticking with he Bergers now. The added cost for the A-tip is just not worth it, my opinion, and I did not shoot Bergers until last year. I was a Hornady fan.

 

[michiman]

Thanks for the feedback, good to know!

Just curious: Do you know group size at distance and how does it compare with say ELDM or Berger Hybrid, is vertical less than before?

Is the claimed consistency improvements and higher BC buying you enough to justify the cost increase.... Looks like wind drift is about 12% less at 1000 yards compared to the Berger 140 Hybrid out of a 26” barrel, which is helpful.

Posted this a couple days ago.

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/heavy-6-5-cm-report.6991715/

 

[NamibHunter]

Red box arrived today with 153 gn Atips. Looks like a great bullet.

But: it is a very long bullet! Does it really truly stabilize out of a 1:8 twist 6.5 mm barrel? Anybody shot them out to 1000 yards yet, with no keyholing?

Only issue i have seen so far is that if you drop a loaded round on the tip, it will deform. Tip is quite soft. Handle them with care!

What speed are folks getting in a 24 or 26” barrel out of a 6.5 Creedmoor?


View attachment 7272015

Done some pressure testing with the 153 Atip bullet at 450 yards:

Happy to report that the 153 Atip stabilizes just fine out of an 8 twist 26” barrel at anything above 2400 fps (started very low and worked up). That is a pretty remarkable achievement for such a long heavy bullet. Compare that with the 150 gn Sierra SMK that requires a 7.5 twist barrel, which almost nobody is running today.

Accuracy was superb with all three powders. Groups were usually below 1.5” to 2” from a rickety table at 45 yards. Pretty sure i can do better from a more stable position. Well, maybe... ?

Tried three different powders so far, but did not reach max pressure yet, so will have to load higher. Was able to achieve higher speed than i anticipated for such a heavy bullet in the tiny 6.5 Creedmoor case: Got to 2785 fps without pressure signs, using Hodgedon Superformance, but still experimenting with different powders. [Will not use Superformance for anything but a hunting load, and was just curious what it would do. Not the ideal powder for a competition load.]

So far tried H4350, Superformance, and RL-17 and none of them reached max pressure, probably because the bullets are loaded ridiculously long, so more effective case capacity. Plan to try Varget as well and Win760.

BTW: Not recommending RL-17 because it is very temperature sensitive, just have it on hand so tried it. RL-26 might be better from a temp stability perspective.

At the upper speed range, recoil was significantly higher compared to the 140’s, it felt more like a 308. No surprise there.

Still a work-in-progress, will report more results once i have tested a few more powders.

Question: What powders have you guys tried for the 153 Atip, and which gave best accuracy and speed?

 

[Steel head]

The 190 7mm BC appears legit
Plugging in speed and advertised BC into the kestrel I was less than a half mil off at a bit over 2000 yards and a couple of mils less than the other 185/190 bullets at similar speeds on that target.

 

[260284]

I tested these and the 135s last year. I ran RL16, RL26 and N560 with the 153s and RL16 with the 135s. The 153s in a creedmoor ran best getting pushed hard, like 44-45 grains or RL26 at 2830 in 28" barrel 8 twist. They were on the ragged edge of pressure though and hard on brass. No heavy bolt lift but primers were starting to go flat. The 135s were running at 2895 and an easier load on components (I think it was 42.4 of RL16, not 100%). I got to shoot them both to 1083 to true them up and then checked my ballistic computer at a mile, which I have shot numerous times with other 140 class bullets. There was very little difference in elevation, the gain was with wind, but very minimal. (.2 mils at a mile with 10 mph wind) In my opinion the juice was not worth the squeeze. I am now running a new 144 Berger at 2865, very easy load of 41.4 of RL16. For the cost of the bullets vs performance, the Berger wins, hands down. Just for the sake of numbers... The 135s at a mile were 59.9 moa or 17.4 mils at a mile, The 153s were 61moa or 17.7mils at a mile and the new 144 Berger is 60.2moa or 17.5mils at a mile. I shot out a barrel testing bullets and powders. Just my opinion, but hard to beat the Berger with RL16.

What brass were you using for the above tests? I have 300 of the 135s and am using Rl16 with Peterson brass and CCI450s. Shot 3 of them last night at 415 yards over my 140 ELDM load, 40.9 gr Rl16, .045" off the lands, and they wereabout 1.5" horizontal and just under an inch vertical. I used 2855 fps in Strelok and they were .1-.2 high. Planning on using them for the Hornady Steel Chalenge in August.

 

[NamibHunter]

The 190 7mm BC appears legit
Plugging in speed and advertised BC into the kestrel I was less than a half mil off at a bit over 2000 yards and a couple of mils less than the other 185/190 bullets at similar speeds on that target.

Wow! Sounds very good! Not so long ago, you needed a 338 to do this. That really is one heck of a distance for a 7 mm.

Some questions if you don’t mind: Is the bullet still supersonic at that range, and where does it drop into the transonic range below 1150 fps, and how does it handle the transition to subsonic?

Is their advertised BC optimistic or pessimistic?

Sorry for the million questions, just very curious! Have to decide soon between spinning up a 300 PRC barrel (for 250 class bullets), or perhaps one of the faster 7 mm calibers.

Namib

 

[BoltActionBrotherhood]

I have been running the atips since before they came out officially. I love the 153s in my 6.5cm. Using rl 26 in a 26inch barrel I got them moving FAST. I ran into zero pressure all the way up to 2920 fps. Tested all the way up to 3050 fps, which was definitely hotter than they should ever be loaded.
I to found 2830 fps is a good spot for the rl16.
I have taken these out to 2000 yards and they run great!

 

[John Glidewell]

What brass were you using for the above tests? I have 300 of the 135s and am using Rl16 with Peterson brass and CCI450s. Shot 3 of them last night at 415 yards over my 140 ELDM load, 40.9 gr Rl16, .045" off the lands, and they wereabout 1.5" horizontal and just under an inch vertical. I used 2855 fps in Strelok and they were .1-.2 high. Planning on using them for the Hornady Steel Chalenge in August.

Been a while, but either Peterson or Starline. I also found overall performance improved (at least in my rifle) with a BR primer over the 450s.

 

[Steel head]

Wow! Sounds very good! Not so long ago, you needed a a 338 tp do this. That is one heck of a distance for a 7 mm.

Is the bullet still supersonic at that range, and where does it drop into the transonic range below 1150 fps, and how does it handle the transition to subsonic?

Is their advertised BC optimistic or pessimistic?

Sorry for the million questions, just very curious!

Namib

Target was 2020
Subsonic is 2050 that day
I was actually shooting them at a mild 2865 FPS.
Accuracy appears excellent as does consistency
BC work on multiple targets from 530 on out only being slightly low at 1930 and .3-.4 at 2020

These bullets have a similar BC than a Berger 300 but I can launch them faster than a 338 lapua.

 

[NamibHunter]

Target was 2020
Subsonic is 2050 that day
I was actually shooting them at a mild 2865 FPS.
Accuracy appears excellent as does consistency
BC work on multiple targets from 530 on out only being slightly low at 1930 and .3-.4 at 2020

These bullets have a similar BC than a Berger 300 but I can launch them faster than a 338 lapua.

OK so the published G7 BC for the 190 gn 7mm Atip is accurate. Kudos to Hornady for not inflating the number. [That is aimed at you, Nosler marketing department.]

A set of stepped G7 numbers will easily take care of the few clicks offset beyond 1900 yards. And very likely Mr. Litz at Applied Ballistics will have a custom drag model for this bullet soon. [Just checked, it is not yet included in the AB ballistic calculator.]

What caliber are you using? Presume a short action mag like a 7 SAUM will get the needed speed... Any other good options?

 

[Steel head]

OK so the published BC for the 190 gn 7mm Atip is accurate.

A set of stepped G7 numbers will easily take care of the few clicks offset beyond 1900 yards. And very likely Mr. Litz at Applied Ballistics will have a custom drag model for this bullet soon.

I didn’t even bother fully trueing that day.
Just took notes as wind was substantial that day.
I don’t think a stepped BC is even necessary.
a very slight velocity or BC change and it would be about perfect.

Thinking about it that scope is actually 99% at 20 mils That’s probably the real factor.

 

[NamibHunter]

Biggest challenge with these heavy-for-caliber bullets is to get them up to a decent speed. Curious what powders folks have tried and what speed they are getting in 6.5 CM?

I am not a speed demon, and if i get a good accurate load above 2630 fps for the 153 gn Atip out of a 26” barrel, i will be happy!

Have tried H4350 and not yet pushed it all the way to pressure max. Got around 2550 fps before i stopped. Could have gone higher.

 

[Steel head]

Biggest challenge with these heavy-for-caliber bullets is to get them up to a decent speed. Curious what powders folks have tried and what speed they are getting in 6.5 CM?

I am not a speed demon, and if i get a good accurate load above 2630 fps for the 153 gn Atip out of a 26” barrel, i will be happy!

Have tried H4350 and not yet pushed it all the way to pressure max. Got around 2550 fps before i stopped. Could have gone higher.

R16 and R26.
I didn’t bother pushing the 7mm a tip hard yet it’s performance at longer ranges was still impressive.

 

[wapiti16b]

So forgive my ignorance, does the aluminum tip withstand heat deformation better than the polymer tips and effect BC in that manor or is it the new design?
I will try a box for hunting if expansion is improved over polymer and look forward to any information people are willing to share!
Thanks!

 

[NamibHunter]

So forgive my ignorance, does the aluminum tip withstand heat deformation better than the polymer tips and effect BC in that manor or is it the new design?
I will try a box for hunting if expansion is improved over polymer and look forward to any information people are willing to share!
Thanks!

I believe the deformation and melting of the plastic tips caused by aerodynamic heating (air friction) was resolved by using a different type of polymer in the new bullet designs. That affected BC at longer distances, and was found by Hornady via dopler radar testing, which is a solid scientific measurement technique. I think we can believe that to be true. The Amax line of ammo likely had that problem (along with all other manufacturers at that time, who all used the same grade of polymer). The Hornady ELD-M and ELD-X lines use the new polymer tip which is apparently much more heat resistant. So i believe that particular problem was solved some time ago.

However, these injection molded plastic tips are NOT all made exactly the same, and that causes some inconsistency in the actual BC from bullet to bullet. I believe Litz tested that for multiple bullets and found BC differences of around 5% for the worst offenders, if i recall correctly. [Not sure if he ever tested the ELD-M bullets, probably not.] I also know from my own measurements that base to ogive can vary by up to 0.007” between bullets in the same batch, and that is not good for BC consistency or MV.

The A-tip line of ammo has different weights and a slightly different (better) shape, and a longer boat tail. The heaviest ones are very long and set new BC records for their weight class, and they all use machined aluminum tips for better geometric consistency. Hornady claims a BC deviation of around 1%. Presumably a CNC machine does a better job than injection molding. That would make sense. I also suspect they might do a better job on on the base to ogive distance with the A-tip, but that remains to be seen.

These bullets are also packaged sequentially as it comes off the production line, and thousands of them are not dumped in a washer to remove the oily layer. Yes they are oily when you get them, very slippery and easy to drop. Hornady ships a red cloth bag with the packaging to rub the oil off the slick bullets. A bit more manual effort. Guess this move is a testament that there are still minor variations between different batches, but that at least the in-batch variation over 100 sequentially manufactured bullets is way down. That is a good thing.

My own testing showed (moderate) improvement in group size at longer distance. Saw 1.5” groups at 450 yards for 153 gn A-tip vs 2.5” groups for 147 gn ELD-M. Is that enough to justify the almost 2x price increase? Not sure yet.... still testing.

Have not hunted with it, but folks who did claim that it expands well and was effective. Not recommending it for white tail or elk hunting, as there are better options. [Would like to hear from more folks who tried it for hunting. Might try it on feral hogs in the Texas Hill Country soon.]

IMHO it is a useful step forward in bullet manufacturing technology. Main disadvantage is the higher price.

 

[BoltActionBrotherhood]

These atip defiantly hold up, I can grab a photo of both the 153 atips and the 338 300gr Atips recovered at our 2000 yard target. The tips are 1000% intact on the misses in soft dirt.

 

[Mainer]

These atip defiantly hold up, I can grab a photo of both the 153 atips and the 338 300gr Atips recovered at our 2000 yard target. The tips are 1000% intact on the misses in soft dirt.

Red box arrived today with 153 gn Atips. Looks like a great bullet.

But: it is a very long bullet! Does it really truly stabilize out of a 1:8 twist 6.5 mm barrel? Anybody shot them out to 1000 yards yet, with no keyholing?

Only issue i have seen so far is that if you drop a loaded round on the tip, it will deform. Tip is quite soft. Handle them with care!

What speed are folks getting in a 24 or 26” barrel out of a 6.5 Creedmoor?


View attachment 7272015

HMMM.....

 

[michiman]

Biggest challenge with these heavy-for-caliber bullets is to get them up to a decent speed. Curious what powders folks have tried and what speed they are getting in 6.5 CM?

I am not a speed demon, and if i get a good accurate load above 2630 fps for the 153 gn Atip out of a 26” barrel, i will be happy!

Have tried H4350 and not yet pushed it all the way to pressure max. Got around 2550 fps before i stopped. Could have gone higher.

I’ve shot the 153s from my sako trg 6.5 cm. 26” barrel. I had phenomenal performance with with 42.4 gr of h4350. Velocity average was 2734 SD 2.5 ES of 6. I pushed them up to about 2775.

Range Report - Heavy 6.5 cm report

I was able to get out this past weekend and work on some more load development. Rifle: Sako TRG 22 6.5 cm. 26” barrel Brass: virgin lapua brass Bullets: Hornady A-tip 153 gr and hornady Eld-m 147 gr Powder H4350 Primers: cci br2 I was shooting at 200 yards. Conditions weren’t ideal It was...

www.snipershide.com

 

[BS Shooter]

Has anyone had any tip deformation in magazine do to recoil? I have ran into this on other bulletin and was wondering how the Atip holds up?

 

[NamibHunter]

Has anyone had any tip deformation in magazine do to recoil? I have ran into this on other bulletin and was wondering how the Atip holds up?

Have shot them out of a Savage 12 in 6.5 CM, without a brake. Rifle has a 26” bull barrel, 1” diameter, so fairly heavy. No damage to the tip due to recoil.

Not trying to badmouth the A-tip, and happy to confirm that they shoot well.

The drop was from 4 feet on a hard tiled floor in my reloading room. It was a loaded round, Lapua brass, and an accidental drop. Run your own experiment, maybe i was just unlucky.

BTW: Open tip Berger bullets like the Berger Hybrid does the same, also the same for plastic tipped bullets, they don’t like to be dropped on their noses, so not a unique issue with the A-tips. I was just expecting a metal tip to be more robust. It is a rather soft aluminum alloy, probably to make the machining go quicker.

I don’t think damage in the mag is going to be a real issue. My point was rub off ALL of the annoying oil so you don’t drop them accidentally. They are very slippery.

 

[NamibHunter]

Shape differences in 153 A-tip compared to 147 gn ELD-M: Much longer boat tail, longer bearing surface, and a different tip.

BC is only marginally better. Main reason to consider it is the BC consistency claim. That seems to hold true, based on my testing.

Works well out of a standard 8 twist barrel. Tried it in two rifles, one worn out Savage factory barrel, and one shiny new MPA barrel. Both were happy to stabilize it, even at speeds down around 2400 fps. Managed to get speed slightly above 2700 fps before pressure signs showed up.

 

[BS Shooter]

BTW: Open tip Berger bullets like the Berger Hybrid does the same, also the same for plastic tipped bullets, they don’t like to be dropped on their noses, so not a unique issue with the A-tips. I was just expecting a metal tip to be more robust. It is a rather soft aluminum alloy, probably to make the machining go quicker.

I don’t think damage in the mag is going to be a real issue. My point was rub off ALL of the annoying oil so you don’t drop them accidentally. They are very slippery.

I have ran into issues with different types of bullets and the tips getting deformed under recoil so I agree it’s definitely not unique to any specific type but like you said was hoping the metal would be more robust. I was thinking about trying them in my 300 Lapua so we will see how they hold up.

 

[NamibHunter]

I have ran into issues with different types of bullets and the tips getting deformed under recoil so I agree it’s definitely not unique to any specific type but like you said was hoping the metal would be more robust. I was thinking about trying them in my 300 Lapua so we will see how they hold up.

Had a good look at the aluminum tips under a magnifying glass, and noticed that they are not rounded like the plastic tips, they are squared off, flat tipped. It seems Hornady thought of the possibility of damage in the magazine due to recoil, and flattened them off in their CNC machines. It also has a fairly large diameter, which gives up a little bit in BC, in exchange for more robustness.

I think there is almost zero chance of damage in the magazine. Yes i would have preferred a slightly harder material, but that probably would have pushed up the price even more. Dropping a loaded round that weighs 79 grains total on its tip from 4 feet on a very hard tile surface is a lot worse abuse than what a metal magazine will inflict under recoil. Hornady has decades of experience manufacturing 50 BMG rounds with similar aluminum tips, and that caliber has more recoil than anything else out there. Run your own test, but i bet you will be happy.

My complaint was about the slick oily slippery nature of the bullets. I understand why they are doing that, but it is an inconvenience. But I solved my problem the old fashioned way: I clean the bullets better, and bought a soft gel carpet for my work area, and if i drop a loaded round or a precision made die, nothing bad will happen.

Please test and let all of us know what you find.

 

[NamibHunter]

Photo of the Hornady A-tip’s flat tip, as it comes out of the box, looks pretty recoil resistant to me.

 

[NamibHunter]

My main interest in them is how they will perform on flesh and bone.
I have an axis and hog hunt coming up the end of January and may see what they do to hogs.
My current load and what I'm most invested in using on the trip is the Berger 130 Hybrids in a 6.5x47.

Gunwerks video of a antelope hunt using the 153 gn Atip:

Was a 690 yard shot, buck ran 40 yards or so. Tunnel for an exit wound.

Lethality looks awesome, at least on an animal of this size. Meat damage could perhaps be an issue.

Does anybody have experience hunting with this projectile?

 

[NamibHunter]

Got some measurements done for the last 34 of the remaining 153 gn Atip bullets:

Small sample, measured on an FX120i which has 0.02 gn resolution.

I got a 0.3 gn weight range, which is adequate but not really exceptional in my experience (for example, when compared to Berger). If i removed the 2 heaviest and 2 lightest bullets, it gets much better. Expect SD is a little better than most bullets. Competitive shooters will likely still want to weight sort. And no I am not planning to do that.

Base to Ogive measurements were very consistent: max was 0.8410”: min was 0.8435”. So ES was 0.0025” (2.5 thou). SD probably closer to 0.5 thou, have not entered numbers into Excel yet. This is a pretty good result.

 

[Steel head]

I found the tip to ogive consistency on the 190’s amazing.

 

[NamibHunter]

Checked a total of 40 ELD-M 147 gn bullets: This particular batch was remarkably good. The prior batch was not. Results below.

In terms of bullet weight. An ES of 0.26 grain. Which is good.

Base to ogive gave an ES of 0.0015”, which is very good.

Sadly the ELD-M bullets are not always this consistent, and i have several baggies of rejects that are off by 4 to 7 thou. About 5% did not make the grade. Hopefully the A-tip is better in this regard.