From the Bench

Years ago, just after I bought my milsurp M1 Garand from the US Army’s Director of Civilian Marksmanship ($162, with shipping) and hadn’t yet shot it, I made an impulse purchase of a box of Lapua .309-inch rebated boat-tail bullets from a retail vendor at a High Power Rifle match. I intended them as a contingency in case the Garand’s bore was excessively worn, and I thought at the moment the extra .001 inch of bullet might overcome that by fitting the bore more tightly. Such is the logical, if somewhat flawed, thinking of a young handloading newbie.

I knew nothing about rebated boat-tail (RBT) bullets at the time, had never even heard of them. RBTs are a bit odd-looking among bullets, not as odd perhaps as a double-ended wadcutter (DEWC), which looks in silhouette exactly like a soup can, and certainly not as weird as the ring airfoil tubular bullet (Handloader No. 358, October 2025). Standard boat-tails on rifle bullets that we are used to seeing transition at a sloping angle from the bullet shank to a smaller-diameter base. Rebated boat-tails differ from standard boat-tails in presenting an abrupt reduction in diameter before transitioning into the sloping angled boat-tail. There are several theoretical advantages to the RBT:

The boat-tail’s smooth transition permits a laminar flow of propellant gas around the bullet, which exits the bore ahead of the bullet in a kind of focused column and can disrupt smooth bullet flight. The RBT deflects gas to exit the muzzle in an annular dispersion (a ring shape) around the bullet, through which the bullet passes with less turbulence. The theoretical result is increased accuracy.

The RBT also acts somewhat to seal the bore and reduce gas cutting at the throat, extending barrel life, which is arguably more important to precision target shooting than to hunters.

Compared to flatbase bullets, the air flowing off the base of the RBT (as with the standard boat-tail) is less turbulent, resulting in less drag and in maintaining a higher ballistic coefficient (BC) over a longer distance. This effect is apparently more pronounced with RBTs, though, as a matter of note, it is also more pronounced with both types of boat-tails at subsonic velocities.

Despite theoretical advantages, there is much argument about whether or not the rebated boat-tail has a genuine practical advantage over the standard boat-tail. Theory may well be fact. The reality may be that custom-made or small-batch RBT bullets are made to a higher consistency and quality than mass-produced bullets and so shoot with greater consistency; or it may be what we already know – guns have “preferences” for bullets, and will shoot some with excellent precision and others with considerable disappointment. Be that as it may, RBT bullets today, if you want to try them, are pretty much a custom proposition, and if you want to experiment, Northern Precision Custom Bullets will make yours to order.

Bill Noody at Northern Precision Custom Bullets in Carthage, New York, recently sent me a sample of .308 160-grain Bonded Core Rebated Boat Tail Spitzer bullets (which, in bullet jargon, I suppose is “BCRBTS”) that I measured for consistency in weight, concentricity and length (base-to-ogive and base-to-tip). Results appear in an accompanying table, but to summarize here, the Northern Precision bullet demonstrates it is in the same class as a premium hunting bullet from a major manufacturer that I also measured for comparison. 

As with many custom bullet makers, Northern Precision’s advantage over the big brand-name guys is that Bill offers bullets in smaller quantities (50 rather than 100 or 500), and being a smaller manufacturer, he can cater to custom orders. When’s the last time you heard of a major manufacturer offering a 160-grain .308 RBT bullet? Bill and I worked out that bullet weight and configuration over the phone to test in my 308 Winchester CZ 600 Range Rifle.

Manufacturers typically package their bullets loose in bags or boxes, but Bill ships his custom bullets in sectioned styrofoam trays, each individual bullet nestled like an egg into an egg carton, and bullet tips protected with a blanket of bubble wrap. Trays of 50 bullets are then slid into sturdy cardboard boxes, and the end flaps are sealed closed with an adhesive label. Finally, the shipping box is well-padded with bubble wrap and newspaper, the latter offering some insight into local events around Carthage, New York. Given the cost of custom swaged bullets, such care to ensure bullets aren’t damaged in transit or in handling is important and much appreciated.

Northern Precision Custom Bullets specializes in the uncommon, such as flat-tip 480 Ruger bullets, bullets of .330 diameter for the 318 Westley Richards and “pinpoint” bullets for smokeless powder muzzleloaders. Northern Precision also makes tough, heavy, custom-weight bullets for big bore handguns in .429, .452, .475 and .500, the last two utilizing drawn 50 BMG jackets. New in 2025 is a 400-grain flat-tip bullet designed specifically for the 45-70 Marlin Guide Gun; Bill says this one has nearly 100 percent weight retention after expanding and is a good choice for the professional who’s guiding for moose and big bears and who wants a no-nonsense backup for clients shooting lighter calibers.

You get what you pay for, and individually hand-made custom swaged bullets – hand-made custom anything for that matter – isn’t cheap, and the cost for highest quality custom swaged bullets made to order can measure, not in cents per bullet, but in dollars per bullet. However, the satisfaction they can deliver in dropping a large, annoyed beastie or in gratifying curiosity through experiment is immeasurable. 

Check out Northern Precision Custom Bullets’ selection at NPCustomBullets.com. If you’ve got an idea for an experiment or a need for a totally new custom bullet, you can call Bill directly at (315) 955-8679.