Spitzer bullet design motivations?

[Warbow]

Can anyone tell me about the history of spitzer bullets?

I always see people claiming that "they were designed to tumble in flesh." I figured that they were designed for the greatly improved ballistic coefficients which gave better trajectories and more range than flat and round-nosed bullets. The yawing in flesh, I thought, was just a secondary effect due to the shape and not really a primary design concern.

Do I have it mixed up? I'm just skeptical because the people who are usually saying this seem to be the ones who will also tell you that getting hit by a .45 ACP will "throw ya' across the dang room!"

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I figured that they were designed for the greatly improved ballistic coefficients which gave better trajectories and more range than flat and round-nosed bullets. The yawing in flesh, I thought, was just a secondary effect due to the shape and not really a primary design concern.

You are correct. The spitzer was designed for better aerodynamics. The terminal ballistic effect was an unintended consequence of the design.

 

[mete]

Spitzer is the german word for pointed.The pointed bullet is there for a higher ballistic coefficient [maintains velocity better]. Bullet yaw is due to bullet length vs twist rate of the rifling. That can be made to happen by choosing a twist that will stabilize the bullet in air but not in the target.