Ignoramus5102 wrote in news:cptool$gkp
:

I remember that in Russia, there were special drill bits to start
holes. They had a thick shank and sharp (think 40 degrees) conical
end. So they were very rigid and could start a hole precisely where it
was positioned. No "walking". Then you'd switch to whatever drill bit
was necessary to complete drilling.

It was useful for cases where you could not use a punch.

Are there such things in the US, and if so, what are they called?

i

MSC (mscdirect.com) stocks several brands of spotting drills in a 118
degree point (which of course matches the standard drill point angle). I
have found these to work really well both for drilling on the drill press
and mill and especially for the starting holes for hand held drilling in
alkward places. There are also other point angles available.