Bullets With Battered tips

Q: Every time I fire my Mauser .30-06 the lead tips of bullets in the magazine get battered and deformed. How does this affect accuracy? Is it true that the soft lead tips of pointed soft- point bullets melt at high velocity?
Aaron Hughes

Time to ditch these bullets, perhaps???

A: Some time ago in an article, I mentioned the difference in downrange bullet performance resulting from tip deformation. There’s no question that a bullet with a deformed or flattened tip has a reduced ballistic coefficient, but its effect upon accuracy is minimal. Any damage to the bullet’s base, however, does have an adverse effect upon accuracy. There is little question that the lead tip slumps back during firing due to the force of acceleration. But it is doubtful that the tip actually melts from air friction as it travels downrange because the time of flight is too short.

Nick Harvey

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The late Nick Harvey (1931-2024) was one of the world's most experienced and knowledgeable gun writers, a true legend of the business. He wrote about firearms and hunting for about 70 years, published many books and uncounted articles, and travelled the world to hunt and shoot. His reloading manuals are highly sought after, and his knowledge of the subject was unmatched. He was Sporting Shooter's Technical Editor for almost 50 years. His work lives on here as part of his legacy to us all.