BC. How important is it?

whether you want to develop the most accurate load or to do accurate shooting.
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Both....

But consider barrel life.
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When researching calibre choice, I noted that .308 was known for its longevity, when it came to barrel life. In the multiple thousands. My rifle has probably shot something like 3-400 rounds tops, including the 100 or so I have shot through it, based on the bore gauge measurements when I bought it which a barely fired gun.

If I shoot that same quantity in a year (and that would be a busy year of shooting) I should have over a decade of life in my gun. So, for the time being, I am not too concerned about wearing out the gun.
 
Barrel life for the .308's about the same as .223 Rem and 7x57 Mauser. 2000 rounds of pristine accuracy for competition, 3000 for almost as good as pristine.

Double that for a hunting rifle. Triple that for service rifle use in combat accuracy neds.
 
I don't hunt, but if I did I certainly would not shoot an animal at that distance.

Duly noted, and neither would I, but some people choose to do so and have the appropriate terrain to exercise their hobby, so I had to cover all possibilities.
 
so I had to cover all possibilities.
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True and that's all good.
I just wanted to put my own shooting ambitions/short-comings in perspective.

For me I just can't imagine a point where I am so competent that I would feel willing to try further out than that.

Clearly others on here have the skill set for that, though...
 
With a 308 you have interesting bullet choices when you are talking 1,000 yard shooting.

Bart B. might back me up when it comes to the 155gr Palma or "Fullbore" (depending on which country you happen to be in at the time) bullets at long distance. Yes they are typically launched hot, around 2,950 to 3,050 fps from long barreled 308s, but they are very accurate to 1,000 yards.

Recently an AMU shooter cleaned a 1,000 yard High Power target using Berger 185's, a very impressive accomplishment (his team mates using the same load did not score nearly as well).

For years the Sierra 168gr Match King bullet was the king of accuracy from 300 to 600 meters. It was originally designed for 300 meter Olympic Free Rifle, and it was the bullet used to take the Gold medal back from the Russians after they showed such dominance in the 50's. The 13 degree boat tail did it no favors in the transonic range and it proved unsuitable for shots 800 to 1000 meters.

Berger recently released a 168gr VLD Hybrid bullet with a very impressive BC and shallow boat tail design that makes it a competitive choice for long distance, as it has a higher BC than the 175gr SMK, and can be driven faster.

Still, in the end, any suitable bullet WILL GET YOU TO 1K. The particular BC of the bullet doesn't matter so much as whether or not it is accurate at the distance you plan to shoot.

So pick the maximum distance you want to shoot. Then pick a bullet that will get there accurately. Between two bullets being used for target work BC doesn't mean much as long as they are both accurate at the distance you are shooting.

Since you are just starting out in distance rifle work, get a whole bunch of bullets, all one brand and model, do a load workup (you've been working with the OCW method), and once you get a load that shoots sub-MOA you should start shooting at distance.

Jimro
 
once you get a load that shoots sub-MOA you should start shooting at distance.
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Still in the pipeline! I think it likely that I'll load up that 40.9gr as you suggested. Once my N350 has been used up, I think I may opt for a tub of N140. It seems to get more velocity being a slower powder.

If my Amax/N135 load works well, I may use the N140 on 155gr Scenars for now. Those will do for my local rifle range where 300m is max.

Handlerer2's point on FB bullets for cheaper practice is also a thought.

Ye gods.....
Even in this country with next to no choice, there are a bazillion options open to me as to which course to take! It's nuts, I tell you.

Options are nice, but that much trial and error, given my current trend of once a month shooting will take me forever!! :eek:

To think that I'd believed that a simple choice based on BC would have solved my 1K shooting ambitions, leaving only a hint of practice... :rolleyes:

It's threads like this that make how much I don't know so excruciatingly clear....
 
Sierra's 155-gr. Palma bullet is not launched "hot" as is often what lots of folks think. With a 30 inch barrel, normal loads at max safe SAAMI spec pressures will push them out around 3000 fps. So will the 7.62 NATO 147-gr. FMJBT bullet loaded to NATO pressure specs as it's often the only legal round (has to be arsenal ammo; no handloads allowed) to shoot in fullbore competitions around the world. Some overseas arsenals have bought thousands of Sierra's 155s to load in their ammo and it's very accurate so loaded.

I and others have shot cleans at 1000 yards with handloaded 155's. In my opinion, I'd rather shoot 155's from a 30" .308 Win. barrel in calm wind conditions at 1000 yards than 190s or 200s from a 28" 30 caliber magnum barrel. It's lighter recoil in equal weight rifles makes it much easier to shoot accurate. The rifle moves around much less from recoil while the bullet's going down the barrel. They strike the target much closer to where I call the shots than heavier bullets from magnums do.
 
James,

If 300 meters is your max distance, even flat base bullets will do fine. I don't consider anything long distance until you are out past twice a "max point blank range" distance with a rifle.

Jimro
 
If 300 meters is your max distance, even flat base bullets will do fine. I don't consider anything long distance until you are out past twice a "max point blank range" distance with a rifle.
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It is. For now.

There are longer range locations, I just don't know where they are as yet.

I'll investigate the FB bullets tomorrow to check on availability.

I also pulled all my unused Amax and Scenars so I now have a few more on hand to do another OCW (Scenars) and the 40.9gr OAL sets for the Amax.
 
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