One of the most accurate, extreme-long range rifles in the world is the CheyTacⓇ Intervention M200.
Naturally, the quality of the action, barrel, and how it’s bedded will impact accuracy, but no small part of this picture belongs to the bullets themselves.
The M200 rifle is chambered in both .375 and .408 CT, both of which are made with solid copper, CNC-machined bullets that are quite different from the stock FMJ and OTM ammo that other long-range shooters are using.
Here’s the whole picture, summarized.
Full Metal Jacket
Most ammo that shooters use for training – including some long-range shooters – is full metal jacket, or FMJ.
When FMJ is manufactured, a lead bullet core is shaped, and then a copper jacket is drawn down around the bullet from the nose, leaving the base open.
This creates a bullet with a hard exterior and reasonable radial symmetry, that is fairly easy to spin-stabilize and which will be serviceably accurate at close and intermediate ranges.
With a quality rifle, FMJ ammo can even be somewhat accurate at longer ranges – but not pinpoint accurate, due to small aberrations in the jacket symmetry.
Open Tip Match
The next (and better) interaction for long-range shooting is a type of ammo called open tip match, also known as OTM and sometimes erroneously referred to as hollow point.
In open tip match ammo, the lead bullet core is shaped, and then a copper jacket is drawn up from the base and pinched off at the nose of the bullet, leaving a small hole in the tip.
Doing so in this manner fully encloses the base and the core except for the small void at the nose, resulting in a jacket that has a far greater degree of radial symmetry.
Because there is less opportunity for minor inconsistencies in the thickness of the jacket that will result in a less stable radial symmetry profile, these bullets are far more receptive to spin stabilization.
Consequently, open tip match ammo is generally more consistent than FMJ and therefore makes a better option for long-range shooting and competition.
CNC-Machined, Solid Copper Bullets
While open tip match ammo is (as the name suggests) match quality, it cannot rival the performance of CNC machined solid copper bullets, for two important reasons.
One is that solid copper bullets have no core; they are effectively one piece of copper alloy, so there is no possibility for an incongruity to arise between the jacket and the core, since there is no core.
The other has to do with the process of CNC, or computer numerical control, machining itself. In CNC machining, very precise controls are leveraged on the process.
This results in a precisely machined bullet which is peerless in quality next to FMJ and OTM ammo.
As a result the quality of these CNC machined solid bullets is unrivalled, as is the symmetry they exhibit. This makes them much more accurate at extended ranges, and is one of the secrets to the M200’s accuracy.
Where to Learn More About the CheyTacⓇ Intervention M200 Rifle
Want to learn more about the features of the CheyTacⓇ Intervention M200? Visit B&B Firearms or get in touch with them to learn more about this rifle and its ammo.
