Doncha love it when someone prefaces their response with "You are failing..." Ha! Can you fail posting what is essentially a question?
Here's another one i'll risk failing at - is the extra length of a spire point relevant when you consider that most of that length, if i am envisioning it right, is made up in a longer taper that doesn't contact the rifling? I can absolutely see the spire point creating issues with case length and potential intrusion of the bullet into the powder space, but would a flat or round point bullet not actually have more surface area in contact with the rifling than a spire point and so actually be the longer bullet where stabilization is concerned?
Thanks for the info on twist rates in the 99. Interesting stuff.
Yes, it's the entire length of the bullet from the tip to the end. A long spire point or a boat tail which has more surface that doesn't touch the rifling doesn't matter - it's the entire bullet length.
I've done trials on this myself with 100gr Nosler Partitions in old 250-3000's with 1-14" twist. Without modification, the long Noslers (which Nosler says won't stabilize in old 250-3000's) get 8" groups at 100 yards. File the lead point off them (which never contacts the rifling), which reduces the weight about 2 grains but the length goes down 1/10th of an inch - and the groups tighten up to 1.5"-2.5".
