Hornady A-Tip Match Bullets

[Schmo]

Thanks. All I need to know. I’ll use the 108s or 109s

 

[Ucsdryder]

The new .257 A tip is intriguing. Pretty good BC increase over the 134. Not sure I want to be the guinea pig for terminal performance..the 134s have been perfect so far

I’m building my daughter a 25prc around the a tip. If we don’t like the performance we’ll drop to the eldm. I’m hoping to build a sweet little back country rifle I can use too when she’s not looking! That bullet out of a short barrel doing 3000fps looks like a winner on paper!

 

[Mountainrancher]

What causes the inconsistency’s? Is it jacket? Core? Aluminum tip? Something else? Seems like they should work just like an eldm

 

[eLightfoot]

Would be cool if they made an AtipVT with a void under the aluminum tip to allow the front of the bullet to collapse and expand. In theory the aluminum tip would be driven back into the bullet and act like a wedge.

 

[Ryan Avery]

@Ryan Avery, @Formidilosus, Are there enough reports on the 6mm 110 A-Tip on game to say whether or not to use it.

I shot or witnessed three animals shot with 110 Atips and three shot with 230 Atips. It's either a dramatic wound channel or a field tip wound channel. Very heckle and jeckel.

 

[Ryan Avery]

What causes the inconsistency’s? Is it jacket? Core? Aluminum tip? Something else? Seems like they should work just like an eldm

In my opinion, the metal tip is not consistently coming off.

 

[B23]

What causes the inconsistency’s? Is it jacket? Core? Aluminum tip? Something else? Seems like they should work just like an eldm

I don't have any personal experience shooting anything with them but I tend to think it could have something to do with what they hit upon impact and how fast they're going when they make contact.

That Aluminum tip has to be much harder then a plastic tip so I can see where it would drive that al. tip back through the bullet much more aggressively causing the bullet to expand very rapidly particularly is it hits bone going in and the higher the impact velocity likely just accelerates that even more. Compared to a slower impact velocity or where the initial contact is in soft tissue.

I could be all wrong but that's my theory on it.

 

[PNWGATOR]

NOT recommended for big game hunting!!!

The A tips are ‘inconsistently inconsistent’ and I quit using them because they’re unreliable delivering wound channels.

 

[wind gypsy]

NOT recommended for big game hunting!!!

The A tips are ‘inconsistently inconsistent’ and I quit using them because they’re unreliable delivering wound channels.

You mean consistently inconsistent?

 

[Ucsdryder]

@Ryan Avery My gunsmith showed me pictures of different weight class A-tips that he’s cross sectioned. Very interesting. Some have zero void, others have a big void. I assume this is why different class bullets are showing different characteristics on animals. I think the bigger the void, the better chance of an explosive reaction.

 

[180ls1]

@Ryan Avery My gunsmith showed me pictures of different weight class A-tips that he’s cross sectioned. Very interesting. Some have zero void, others have a big void. I assume this is why different class bullets are showing different characteristics on animals. I think the bigger the void, the better chance of an explosive reaction.

I remember reading from a guy who does depredation work noticed similar things with like kind Berger .284 vs .308 having substantial different bullet performance on game. I could see the same thing happening here.

 

[huntnful]

@Ryan Avery My gunsmith showed me pictures of different weight class A-tips that he’s cross sectioned. Very interesting. Some have zero void, others have a big void. I assume this is why different class bullets are showing different characteristics on animals. I think the bigger the void, the better chance of an explosive reaction.

Yep I've also seen them cross sectioned.

7mm 190 A-tip had no void behind the tip. Lead all the way to aluminum

230 A-tip, medium void behind the tip

250 A-tip, massive void behind the tip

I would think those would all perform differently and have heard/seen reports of them performing differently also. I suspect the void, or lack of void is the reason, as well as being paired with the aluminum tip.

 

[PNWGATOR]

You mean consistently inconsistent?

Sure.

The A-tip does NOT deliver consistent terminal wound channels. Period.

The A-tip is NOT a hunting bullet.

For hunting,..it’s a fail.

Period.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Sure.

The A-tip does NOT deliver consistent terminal wound channels. Period.

The A-tip is NOT a hunting bullet.

For hunting,..it’s a fail.

Period.

Curious which a tip bullets you have used and how many animals do you have a shot with them?

 

[PNWGATOR]

153 gr

Six.

 

[Ucsdryder]

153 gr

Six.

The 153 I saw cross sectioned had ZERO cavity behind the a tip. I wonder if that had something to do with it.

 

[PNWGATOR]

The 153 I saw cross sectioned had ZERO cavity behind the a tip. I wonder if that had something to do with it.

Possible.

Terminal performance was so inconsistent that I quit using the A-tip.

On paper they’re everything a bullet should be. In practical application afield ‘killing’ animals not so much.