Let’s look at the external features of a long range bullets and break them down by section.

Meplat: the point of the bullet. Rules of supersonic flow are that pointy is better at reducing drag. A large front surface pushes the air and doesn’t let the shockwave attach to the body. This leads to a high pressure cushion of air in front of the bullet. With a point, the shockwave attaches and removes that cushion for less drag. However, manufacturing methods can’t make a perfect point so they do the best they can.

Ogive: the curved profile from the bearing surface to the meplat. Usually a secant profile, tangent profile, or hybrid combination of the two (a little trigonometry refresher, tangent is a smooth transition while secant has a hard transition point). When talking about a measurement point, such as base to Ogive, it is the point on the bullet nose where the bullet diameter is the same as the rifle bore diameter. The location of this point is controlled by the shape, which is typically unique to manufacturers. The distance from the this point in a loaded case to the rifle lands is known as bullet jump.

Bearing surface: this is the full diameter portion of the bullet, the bullets caliber. This portion is what contacts the case neck and engages the bottom of the rifling when fired.

Boat tail: long range bullets typically use a “boat tail” to help relieve drag. Shown in the image, transitions in supersonic flight produce “expansion fans”. this is a region where the shock wave changes directions, and the maximum angle the wave can turn is controlled by fluid dynamics. For a bullet shape, the area behind the expansion fan has less pressure than I front of the fan. This creates a pressure difference resulting in drag. The boat tail gives an extra transition area so that the transition angles at the transition and bullet base is smaller. This reduces the low pressure zone behind the bullet to help reduce drag.

Although all bullet manufacturers have their own dimensions, these features typically found in all long range, high BC bullets.