Thinking about reloading .223

[ocabj]

Meplats are sometimes not uniform. As far as stuff in the actual meplat hole, it could be just polishing media. Can you poke it out with a toothpick? It shouldn't be a problem as far as accuracy is concerned. The hollow point in match bullets doesn't make the bullet more stable in itself. The reason why a match bullet is a "hollow point" is because the bulk of the bullet mass, or core, is near the base. When the jacket and tip are formed, the result is a hollow tip or point. The fact that there is something in the meplat, such as displayed in your photo, won't affect aerodynamics.

[Technical Ted]

And they are... non-cannelure... do Nosler have cannelured 77gr HPBT??

Cannelured OTM from either Nosler or Sierra were a special order item for the Mk262. Neither company offered cannelured 77's as part of their catalog.

The problem is, they don't know what firearm, cartridge and chamber the end user is seating the bullets for. Not everypne's loading these for AR15's.

Bullets should be seated to the cannelure and crimped. If the cannelure's too high on the bullet, the base could take up valuable internal space needed for powder charge. If the cannelure's too low, the bullet might not seat deep enough to fit in a magazine.

If you need a cannelure and want to take the time, there are always cannelure tools:

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/2,350.html

http://www.corbins.com/hct-1.htm

http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar47.htm

[Jicko]

ocabj, MANY of my bullets have those "stuff" in the meplat hole.... do your lot have similar "stuff" too? We assume that we are buying from similar lots since both of yours and mine are coming directly from Nosler, only 1 wk apart...

Meplats are sometimes not uniform. As far as stuff in the actual meplat hole, it could be just polishing media. Can you poke it out with a toothpick? It shouldn't be a problem as far as accuracy is concerned. The hollow point in match bullets doesn't make the bullet more stable in itself. The reason why a match bullet is a "hollow point" is because the bulk of the bullet mass, or core, is near the base. When the jacket and tip are formed, the result is a hollow tip or point. The fact that there is something in the meplat, such as displayed in your photo, won't affect aerodynamics.