please explain to me just what/were these are. thank you.

A useful site when you want to know things like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meplat


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogive

In simple terms (cause I'm a simple guy)
Shank is the full diameter section of the bullet
Meplat is the flat on the tip
Ogive is the curved section between the shank and the meplat.

thanks so much guys! one more for ya. lands end? im thinking its were the chamber meets the rifleing? or were your caseing lip might bottom out if its to long?

quote:

Shank is the full diameter section of the bullet
Meplat is the flat on the tip

Well stated, in few words!

Some real accuracy nuts use the Sinclair tool to trim the meplats on their bullets to better make them consistent. I have done this, but first I find a bunch of bullets that are the same in length from base-to-ogive with the Sinclair "hexnut" comparator, then I trim them. Some people sort by weight, others by base-to-ogive measurement. I've done it both ways. I trim the meplats on Sierra MatchKings because the tip is a bit of a crunched cone (like on a blank round), but do not trim Hornady A-max bullets because they have that nice, pointy plastic tip...

quote:

Originally posted by fishguts:
thanks so much guys! one more for ya. lands end? im thinking its were the chamber meets the rifleing? or were your caseing lip might bottom out if its to long?

On a rifle you have the chamber, throat/free bore, Leade-this is the start of the lands, they are cut on an angle to accept the bullet. The throat diameter is just a few .001" larger than the groove/bullet diameter.