WB
Good stuff! I have heard the theory and I guess largely
Tuesday, November 01, 2022, 09:12

that it is mostly true. The flat point changes the dynamics in relation to the diameter and imparts energy so suddenly, over a larger area, related to the size, that material simply gets out of the way and makes a path for the projectile to more straightly travel. A smaller tip, flat or no, not sufficiently sized, does not. So that situation the projectile is more likely to deflect when tougher material is encountered. I have seen pointy bullets do strange things. Long nosed cast rifle bullets seem to tumble wildly unless hollow pointed to blow the nose then end up with a wadcutter base to continue on. A sideways bullet does not go straight nor usually as deep.

The pound sand effect is that in reverse. Your fist will not travel far in sand no matter how hard you hit. But a smaller finger poked slowly will penetrate. it's energy transfer.

Shooting bars of soap with Gary's flat tipping tool on rimfires is very interesting. Simply making a flat point will blow a larger hole in the medium. Up to the point of a full wadcutter making the most energy transfer. BUT there is a point, a ratio of flat tip to diameter and weight. The tip can be too large suffering long range accuracy and actual deep penetration as well. I've read some experts saying that the ratio is somewhere around 70% of diameter for optimal performing "flat tip". But if you are only shooting short range and thinner critters, the flatter the better? I prefer a bit more versatility myself.

We did some really good work on critters with the .475 LB in both revolvers and single shot handguns. All with flat tipped cast bullets in the 325-400 gr. range. We agreed in the end that the 325-355 gr. weight was our favorite.