What is ogive?

Need some clarification on ogive, like what is it?
I won't get into the technical terms associated with the word "ogive", but I'll give you a simple explanation of what it is.

It is that part of a bullet where the shank, the bit that is one calibre wide from the base, starts to taper to the tip, which BTW is called the "meplat".
In other words, it's the part of the bullet that is tapered near the top of the bullet, but below the meplat, or tip.
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let me try this one more time :rolleyes:
In ballistics or aerodynamics, an ogive is a pointed, curved surface mainly used to form the approximately streamlined nose of a bullet or other projectile.

The traditional or secant ogive is a surface of revolution of the same curve that forms a Gothic arch; that is, a circular arc, of greater radius than the diameter of the cylindrical section ("shank"), is drawn from the edge of the shank until it intercepts the axis.

If this arc is drawn so that it meets the shank at zero angle (that is, the distance of the centre of the arc from the axis, plus the radius of the shank, equals the radius of the arc), then it is called a tangential or spitzer ogive. This is a very common ogive for high velocity (supersonic) rifle bullets.

The sharpness of this ogive is expressed by the ratio of its radius to the diameter of the cylinder; a value of one half being a hemispherical dome, and larger values being progressively more pointed. Values of 4 to 10 are commonly used in rifles, with 6 being the most common.

Another common ogive for bullets is the elliptical ogive. This is a curve very similar to the spitzer ogive, except that the circular arc is replaced by an ellipse defined in such a way that it meets the axis at exactly 90°. This gives a somewhat rounded nose regardless of the sharpness ratio. An elliptical ogive is normally described in terms of the ratio of the length of the ogive to the diameter of the shank. A ratio of one half would be, once again, a hemisphere. Values close to 1 are common in practice. Elliptical ogives are mainly used in pistol bullets.
 
Sorry, I tried at first to simply direct without getting into rocket science, but then I thought that kept back the knowledge, so I decide to bring light to this matter lightbulb... where did my beer go :D by the way I think you might get by without bullet comparator, just use your caliper and seater plug from bullet sitting die, it usually works without major fliers...
 
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I love this forum... :) Jinx, because of your answer I think I finally understand why they call them spitzer bullets. Is it because they use a spitzer ojive ratio???? Learn something new every day
rc
 
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