A  Word About Meplats

Some ammo and bullet manufacturers are promoting meplat size as something it is not!  We at Buffalo Bore can use any meplat size we choose on our cast bullet loadings.  We have done a great deal of research to determine optimum meplat size per caliber of bullet.

First, we have noted that in most situations, too big a meplat will carry too much weight forward on the bullet and be detrimental to accuracy.  These detrimental effects to accuracy are most apparent at long range, but are also often noticeable at close range.  With too much weight forward on the bullet nose, the bullet tends to loose some external stability as it flies through the air.  Also, with too large a meplat, the bullet loses its aerodynamic qualities and becomes a close range only proposition.

Second and of greatest importance is that no cast bullet nose remains constant after making impact with any type of big game animal!  We have used every commercially available bullet and several that are not commercially available in our testing.  Upon impact, even the best alloys will smear the meplat edges.  As the bullet passes through muscle and bone, its shape on the nose is changing rapidly.  Some bullet noses will start to mushroom slightly while others will rupture and a little and still others will smear off the meplat edges to varying degrees.  This happens with EVERY cast bullet in the world!  Because of these factors, there is no way to determine the original meplat size of any cast bullet recovered from game or other test medium.  We recognize that the bigger meplat will initially "slap" a little harder on impact, but after an inch or two of penetration, all bets are off as to how the meplat is performing - as it will not stay constant.  Even in identical testing situations, all results on identical cast bullets vary.  Also, no two field conditions can EVER be duplicated!  So, we feel it is impossible to attribute terminal performances to meplat sizes that are changing in varying and unknown degrees every time an animal is shot.

In our testing, we have noticed that meplats over .300 inch (in 45-70 cartridges) may “hang up” when being fed though modern lever action designs. Of our seven factory test lever guns chambered in 45-70, two of them will experience a “glitch” when loaded cartridges with bullets having a meplat over .300 inch in diameter are fed through the action at high speed. Wouldn’t this be great in an emergency??? The old adage of “too much of any one thing, is not good”, certainly applies with meplats.

While we like big meplats, we are not willing to attribute performance characteristics to them that do not exist.  Further, as previously noted, there are external and internal ballistic tradeoffs in increasing meplat size and putting too much weight and area forward on the bullet.  After extensive testing, we have chosen meplat sizes that we believe will give the best overall performance in a wide range of uses and needs.  We think we are using the best overall designs anywhere in the industry.  We have come to this conclusion after much experience and testing.