Ogive Radius

Ogive radius describes the curve of the nose, the ogive, measured as a multiple of the bullet’s diameter. A bullet with a seven-caliber radius has a nose curved on a radius seven times its own width, and the larger that number grows the longer and more gradual the point becomes.

A longer radius generally yields a more aerodynamic nose and a higher ballistic coefficient, which is why long range designs favor extended ogives often paired with a secant-ogive form. The benefit is real but bounded, since a very sharp nose still ends in a meplat whose size and uniformity also affect how cleanly the bullet cuts the air.