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<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s your favorite type of ogive?<\/p>\n
What, you don\u2019t have an answer? You don\u2019t automatically have a favorite ogive? And you consider yourself a knowledgeable gun owner? For shame!<\/p>\n
In the never-ending discussion of ballistics, you\u2019ll come across two terms that seem obscure and insignificant but can have a profound impact on shooting and reloading: tangent ogives and secant ogives.<\/p>\n
These terms can be highly technical. After all, they are rooted in mathematics, geometry, and engineering. The casual target shooter likely has no understanding of the differences between tangent and secant, but the subject is not as confusing or intimidating as it seems. Frankly, you don\u2019t need a dual master\u2019s degree in physics and engineering to know the difference.<\/p>\n
To understand tangent vs secant ogives, we first need to take a step back and examine a few essential terms\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A bullet has numerous sections; understanding these components helps us understand tangent ogive vs secant ogives.<\/p>\n
The bearing surface is the cylindrical body of the bullet. It\u2019s the widest section of the bullet, the area that makes contact with the inner tube of the barrel.<\/p>\n
The meplat is the absolute tip of the bullet.<\/p>\n
The ogive (pronounced \u201coh-jive\u201d) is the cone-like section between the body of the bullet and the meplat. It’s the area that narrows from the bearing surface to the meplat.<\/p>\n
Ogive is an engineering and mathematics term<\/a>. (So are tangent and secant.) Ogive is the rounded end of an object, which can be either two- or three-dimensional. Ogives are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, mathematics, and other disciplines.<\/p>\n Another way to conceptualize the ogive is to think of it as the football-shaped front section of the bullet.<\/p>\n The tangent vs secant debate centers around the shape of the ogive.<\/strong><\/p>\n In mathematics and engineering, a \u201ctangent\u201d is the intersection of a circle and a straight line. A \u201ctangent line\u201d touches a circle or a curved surface at a single point. The term \u201cgoing off on a tangent\u201d comes from leaving the circle and going off on the tangent line.<\/p>\n Imagine a 2D drawing of a bullet\u2019s side profile. A tangent ogive means designers have drawn a line down from the point where the bearing surface meets the ogive. From this point, they created an arc to form the ogive.<\/p>\n For a 2D drawing of a secant bullet, instead of drawing the vertical from the intersection of the bearing surface and ogive, the line is brought backwards towards the base of the bullet. This creates a sharper, more visible point where the bullet begins to narrow.<\/p>\n This tends to create longer bullets that have an elongated, pointed profile.<\/p>\n Most shooters and reloaders are less concerned with the technical design and engineering facets of a bullet. What they want to know is how the design impacts performance and capability. The differences, in this case, may seem minor, but they can be significant to many users.<\/p>\n A bullet with a tangent ogive has a smooth structure; the bearing surface and ogive gently come together. The connection point on most bullets is nearly impossible to spot, as it gradually tapers into the nose. This makes the bullet better at aligning itself into the grooves or \u201clands\u201d of the rifling. The bullets are less sensitive to seating depth, making them easier to reload. Simply put, tangent ogive bullets engage better with the lands of the barrel rifling.<\/p>\n However, they are less aerodynamic than secant bullets. When comparing tangent vs secant ogives, you\u2019ll find that tangent rounds have a lower ballistic coefficient. This has implications for accuracy, especially at a distance.<\/p>\n Sierra MatchKings<\/a> are a good example of a tangent bullet. A lot of Nosler’s ammo line-up<\/a> is tangent also.<\/p>\n Secant bullets tend to have a higher ballistic coefficient, which is the measurement of air resistance. Basically, the secant design creates a more aerodynamic profile, so they are often better for long-distance target shooting.<\/p>\n Reloaders need to be very meticulous when seating secant bullets. These rounds are very sensitive to seating depth because the shape does not smoothly glide into the grooves like a tangent ogive.<\/p>\n \u2022 .223 Remington: 68-grain Hornady Frontier BTHP<\/a>What are Tangent Ogive Bullets?<\/h2>\n
![\"tangent](\"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tangent-Ogive.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat are Secant Ogive Bullets?<\/h2>\n
![\"secant](\"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/wp-content\/uploads\/Secant-Ogive.jpg\")
\nIn mathematics and engineering, a secant is a line that intercepts with a circle twice. Imagine a circle with a line going through, perhaps near the top. The two points where the line touches are the secant points. While a tangent line just touches the outside of the circle, creating a smooth, rounded beginning to the bullet ogive, the secant is far more sharp and abrupt.<\/p>\nThe Pros and Cons of Tangent Ogive<\/h3>\n
![\"Choice](\"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sierra-Matchking-bullet-with-tangent-ogive.jpg\")
Examples of tangent bullets:<\/h4>\n
The Pros and Cons of Secant Ogives<\/h3>\n
![\"Hornady](\"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hornady-with-secant-ogive.jpg\")
Examples of secant bullets:<\/h4>\n
\n\u2022 .350 Legend: 170-grain Hornady American Whitetail Interlock<\/a>
\n\u2022 .30-06 Springfield: 180-grain Fiocchi Extrema SST<\/a><\/p>\n
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