A secant ogive is a nose shape whose curve meets the shank at an angle rather than blending in smoothly, leaving a subtle break where the two meet. That sharper, longer profile reduces aerodynamic drag, so for a given weight and caliber a secant design usually carries a higher ballistic coefficient than a tangent one. This is why high-BC target and long-range hunting bullets so often use secant or hybrid noses.

The cost of that efficiency is sensitivity. A pure secant ogive frequently has a narrow window of seating depth where it shoots its best, and it can react sharply to changes in jump to the lands. That tuning fussiness is the trait most associated with the VLD family, and it is why many newer designs blend secant and tangent sections to recover some forgiveness.

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