[Marshall Stanton]

Alan, the term Bore Ride Bullet refers to the nose section of the cast bullet.   Many, if not most cast rifle bullets are of a Bore Ride Design.   Where the nose of the bullet is more-or-less the same diameter of the bore of the barrel, NOT GROOVE DIAMETER.   The theory is that the bullet nose will be guided by riding on top of the lands and the driving bands seal the bore being full groove diameter, or slightly over groove diameter.

Notice on the photo below the reduced diameter of the nose portion of this .30 caliber Lyman 311041 bullet.

For applications where velocities don't go much above 1800-2000 fps. Bore ride bullets can shoot well if properly fit to the gun, but the key to these is fitting the nose to the bore.   The truth is however that bore ride bullets are not great shooters at much over the modest velocities I've mentioned here.   A lead alloy bore-ride bullet simply can not be supported by the narrow lands of modern rifling at higher velocities.

Now, compare the strength of the nose of the bore ride bullet above with our 30 caliber 160g WLNGC bullet shown below.

Notice at the point of the arrow, this bullet is full GROOVE diameter, making both for a strong front driving band, and a bullet nose that is supported not only atop the lands but to the bottom of the grooves, thereby providing a much more secure and stabil guidance for the bullet.

Hopefully this little illustration will make the concept of the bore ride bullet a little easier to visualize.

God Bless,

Marshall

 

[Marshall Stanton]

Ray,

You'll just have to be faster on the submit button! :biggrin:

We sure do appreciate you on the forum!

God Bless,

Marshall

 

[Marshall Stanton]

Jim,

As a general rule, yes, to a great extent the full diameter of the nose will greatly enhance accuracy potential, especially at higher pressures/velocities.  However, the amount of unsupported nose weight ahead of that strong frontal driving band will determine the overall accuracy potential of the bullet.  If the bullet has a very long, gently tapered nose profile, leaving a third or more of the bullet's length unsupported in the bore, then some pampering will be necessary to attain good performance.

However, the bullet you describe, of which most of our rifle bullets in our lineup are designed are more accurate as a rule than bore ride bullets, especially at the higher velocities.

God Bless,

Marshall