Cacciatore as very few of us know eachother and therefore don't know whether or not to believe what we say here is some quotes that I found about match grade bullets which are readily available on line by. As I have only one axe to grind and that being to get the very best bullet I can for the most accurate shot possible on ANYTHING I point my weapon at.
Everything 2 Describes a match grade bullet as:
�A boat tail hollow point bullet is a match grade bullet design that uses the concept of a teardrop like shape to give it a lower drag coefficient and make it produce less turbulence in its wake. Only the base of the bullet has a boat tail like shape, the ogive is still pointed, it can also have an open tip for even better accuracy at long ranges.�
�Conventional bullet design usually make use of a flat or even concave base which creates turbulence and hence affects accuracy. The effect is not much really but when you are sniping at ranges of excess of 500 yards you need all the help you can get. �
Sniper Use of Open-Tip Ammunition
MEMORANDUM FOR COMMANDER, UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
SUBJECT: Sniper Use of Open-Tip Ammunition
DATE: 23 September 1985
1. Summary.
This memorandum considers whether United States Army Snipers may employ match-grade, "open-tip" ammunition in combat or other special missions. It concludes that such ammunition does not violate the law of war obligations of the United States, and may be employed in peacetime or wartime missions of the Army.
2. Background.
Sierra MatchKing 168-grain match grade boat tail For more than a decade two bullets have been available for use by the United States Army Marksmanship Unit in match competition in its 7.62mm rifles. The M118 is a 173-grain match grade full metal jacket boat tail, ogival spitzer tip bullet, while the M852 is the Sierra MatchKing 168-grain match grade boat tail, ogival spitzer tip bullet with an open tip. Although the accuracy of the M118 has been reasonably good, though at times erratic, independent bullet comparisons by the Army, Marine Corps, and National Guard marksmanship training units have established unequivocally the superior accuracy of the M852. Army tests noted a 36% improvement in accuracy with the M852 at 300 meters, and a 32% improvement at 600 yds; Marine Corps figures were twenty-eight percent accuracy improvement at 300 m, and 20% at 600yds. The National Guard determined that the M852 provided better bullet groups at 200 and 600 yards under all conditions than did the M118. [FNa1]
The 168-grain MatchKing was designed in the late 1950's for 300 m. shooting in international rifle matches. In its competitive debut, it was used by the 1st place winner at the 1959 Pan American Games. In the same caliber but in its various bullet lengths, the MatchKing has set a number of international records. To a range of 600 m., the superiority of the accuracy of the M852 cannot be matched, and led to the decision by U.S. military marksmanship training units to use the M852 in competition.
A 1980 opinion of this office concluded that use of the M852 in match competition would not violate law of war obligations of the United States. (citation omitted) Further tests and actual competition over the past decade have confirmed the superiority of the M852 over the M118 and other match grade bullets. For example, at the national matches held at Camp Perry, OH in 1983, a new Wimbledon record of 2--015 X's was set using the 168-gr. MatchKing. This level of performance lead to the question of whether the M852 could be used by military snipers in peacetime or wartime missions of the Army.
During the period in which this review was conducted, the 180-gr. MatchKing (for which there is no military designation) also was tested with a view to increased accuracy over the M852 at very long ranges. Because two bullet weights were under consideration, the term "MatchKing" will be used hereinafter to refer to the generic design rather than to a bullet of a particular weight. The fundamental question to be addressed by this review is whether an open-tip bullet of MatchKing design may be used in combat.
Berger Match VLD Field Testing Results
During the 2006 hunting season, Eric Stecker, Master Bulletsmith at Berger Bullets, is receiving regular feedback from hunters who are field testing the Berger Match VLD bullets. There is no better way to test how a bullet will perform on an animal than to put it through a real world hunting situation. That is exactly what Trevor Rosencranes did on a recent elk hunt. Trevor used a Berger 6mm 105 grain Match VLD to take an elk at a considerable distance. "I believe the Berger Match VLD used to harvest the elk performed exceptionally well. The bullet penetrated the chest cavity and had enough energy to decimate the lungs of the large animal. Berger's dedication to superior long range accuracy makes shots like mine possible." said Trevor Rosencranes, Cloud Peak Gun Works.
The VLD (Very Low Drag) design incorporates specific features that creates a bullet with a higher than normal BC. The primary design feature is a secant ogive. This sharp nose shape (secant ogive) allows the VLD to shoot flatter and be less affected by the wind. Berger also discovered that the secant ogive gives the VLD bullet the ability to penetrate from 1 to 3 inches in the animal before it starts to expand. The VLD�s delayed expansion allows it to open up deep inside the organs creating a devastating wound channel. This massive organ damage is too much for an animal to handle which leads to the animal dropping fast.
