A firearm cartridge with a bullet including a body and a nose element. The
body has a forward end, and an opposed rear end, with an intermediate
cylindrical portion between the ends. The front end of the body defines a
cavity that may have a cylindrical shape. The nose element is formed of a
resilient material such as an elastomer, and has a first portion received
in the cavity, and a pointed second portion extending from the forward
end of the body. The bullet may be received in a centerfire rifle casing,
for safe use in a tubular magazine rifle, so that the resilient tip
protects against discharge of an adjacent cartridge primer by absorbing
energy of recoil or other impulse. The second portion of the tip has a
small meplat, and is smoothly contoured with the exterior surface of the
front of the bullet, to provide an increased ballistic coefficient.