Hornady Introduces Patented Drag Variability Reduction Technology

Hornady can finally announce—now that the patent has been granted—its Drag Variability Reduction Technology (DVRT) it has been harnessing since 2018. The cutting-edge bullet-tip design was developed using Doppler radar and Schlieren imagery and increases uniformity of bullet drag from shot to shot.

The approach decreases dispersion at long range by optimizing bullet tip shape to provide excellent overall drag and unrivaled bullet-to-bullet consistency. Specifically, the meplat must be flat—not pointed—and the diameter of the flat meplat is a specific ratio to the bullet diameter. The new technology decreases the drag variation from shot to shot, resulting in less dispersion at long range.

Development began in 2016, with a discovery on Doppler radar. During recordings of consecutive shot strings, an irregular drag curve was observed when the impact of one shot was significantly different than others in the group—the dreaded “flier.” Over the next year, testing continued to identify the cause of these errant shots across multiple bullet designs and manufacturers.

By 2018, Hornady had fully developed and refined the technology. It was immediately implemented into the company’s Heat Shield Tip design and in the A-Tip Match bullet. The patent application was submitted to protect the intellectual property and, now that it has finally been granted, the company can publish the science behind its DVRTs and fully outline the benefits it brings to shooters.

“As a bullet company, Hornady has always prided itself on innovation and we are always looking to push the boundaries of bullet design,” said Jason Hornady, vice president at Hornady. “This is evident with our recent innovations of the A-Tip Match bullet and Heat Shield Tip technology and also in past innovations like InterLock and the secant ogive. The new DVRT is yet another groundbreaking innovation from Hornady and a significant addition to the field of ballistics.”

Drag Variability Reduction Technology is available in the company’s A-Tip Match, ELD-X, ELD Match, ELD-VT and CX. It’s also harnessed in Precision Hunter, Match, Outfitter, Superformance (CX loads), V-Match and Hornady Black cartridges.