Match Grade Bullets

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4runnerman

New member
Hi.Another question. How many here use only Match Grade Bullets for Target shooting?. Rifle in question is 308. I started with Serria Match in 155,155 Palma.168 and 175's. Has any one else had great luck with other weights that are not Match Grade?. I understand match grade bullets are better,but are they that much better?. In Serria as far as match grade goes , you are limited to the ones i have mentioned. I tried a few Hornadys and some others in match grade also,but was wondering about the rest. I was thinking about 190's and 200's ,but they are not match grade bullets. 1/10 twist if your wondering. I don't want to shoot the lighter bullets,for no good reason ,just don't want to. I realize they are only 2 or 3 bucks cheaper to shoot,but i shoot around 400 a weekend and that could add up fast.

Any in-put is great

Thanks Guys and Gals (politicaly correct):D
 
I only use Hornady 168gr A-Max Match ammo for my 308 it's much cheaper than the Serria Match Kings and I get just as good or better groups.
 
If your 'Target' shooting is for competition then every iota of quality should be included in your kit. Really cheap bullets can lose points. Been there, done that. There are some really bad bullets out there claiming to be Match grade.
One time I Mex-Matched 150Sierra MK's . The original 'Ball ammo held the black at 200 yards. Switching the bullet to the MK's held a tight ten ring. A lot depends on your desires and the depth of you pockets.
 
I always try to find the type/weight bullet that each gun/barrel shoots best.Both of my 308's shoot different weight bullets the best.They both shoot 168gr AMax/SMK's good,but one really shines with the 208gr Amax,while the other loves 210gr Berger VLD's.
As far as shooting non match bullets,both of my rifles shoot the Nosler Combined Technology 168gr ballistic tips great,but they're not any cheaper to shoot than the match bullets.
 
Match bullets also have very thin jackets designed to fragment and prevent ricochets that could possibly hurt fellow competitors.
 
I have loaded some Sierra Matchking Palma 155gr. for my 30-06 and got the best accuracy Ive ever got with that rifle. I think it can do better so next Im gonna try some 190gr. SMK since its a 30-06 and see if it shoots them better.

I mostly load Sierra bullets. I get as good of accuracy with 55gr. fmj sierra bullets in my handloads as I do with match 75gr. Hornady. I have used Hornady and Remington some but for the price and quality its hard to beat Sierra.
 
Thanks For all the in-put. Bamashooter- I never buy on line so i was not aware of 190 match. The store i buy from onlycarries them in BTHP not match Grade. I only shoot 175 SMK's in Matches,but was looking for others. I read a article a while ago that said the 308 starts to shine when you get over 190 gn bullets. I wanted to get some thoughts on this as it seems 155,168,175's seem to be the norm. The 155 Palma did shoot great,but i think when you push that thing out past 600 or so yards,the wind is going to play to much of a factor with it. I do like Hornady bullets for sure,but the BC seems a little better with Serria. My 223 only gets Hornady's and it's scary accurate.

Might have to order a box of 190 SMK's and give them a shot.

Thanks Again all
 
I run Berger 175gr BT LRs. And if was shooting a lot i imagine i would feel the impact on my wallet, but they shoot great in my rifle also. The main reason i shoot them is BC. I'm obsessive SOB when it comes to BC. And in grain class that i would run a .308 at (155-175) it has the highest BC i've found. Which really carries over to 1000yds. The .015 larger BC value over the SMK has given me, given the right conditions, supersonic out to 1200yds. This without any altitude help as i'm not in the mountains, in the delta those don't exist haha. The levee is about the closest thing.

If you want to stick with match bullets i look to sierra or hornady, they seemed to priced decently. I remember you said you shoot a lot and if i were in the same position as i said i could see 50$ a box of the bergers start weighing the back of my mind. As mentioned ealier Amaxs are a great alternate also, good high BC and you can use it as a multi purpose round, hunting and target.
 
Howdy Blackops. I made it to range today.Set up at 200 yards for some load development shots. Who would figure,,MId December and 57 degrees out..
Any how I messed with 175 SMK's and Hornady 168 A-Max. Loaded 10 groups of 5 at various powder charges and different primers. I did get 2 loads that performed very well. The Hornady 168's went into bullseye and the Serria 175 grouped very well. I still think the Serria,s did pull a tighter pattern than the Hornadys. Will have to mess with COL next round and see what happens. Here are the 2 pics of the good ones,
 

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I'm cold natured so i don't mind the 57 degrees, although it is strange.

Those are some nice groups. I'd stick with the 175s myself. I've just grown attached to that weight bullet in the .308
 
Thanks Blackops. Im just so tempted since i read that article on 190's and 200's now. Another post in here mentioned 208 Hornadys to. Could i do better????. Coureosity is going to kill me all winter now. Yes it was very nice out there today and only a 15 MPH wind to go with it. Got another invite to join a private shooting club today. Only has a 200 yard range though.$100.00 bucks a year and you get your own private key to get in.
 
Try some Nosler match bullets. I've found them to shoot as well as Sierra's and typically cost a bit less. I've never tried Hornadys, but they should shoot well also. The Noslers are all I've shot for several years in my .223 now and I see no reason to stop.

Also, I'm wondering if your .308 can drive a 190+gr .308" bullet fast enough to make use of the better BCs they offer. It seems to me most people running .308s stick with the 175-178 and lighter bullets, while the 190-220s are better run in something with a bit more boiler capacity, like a .300 Magnum of sorts.
 
Good point P990- I read a article that states the only reason most do not shoot a 190 or 200 in a 308 is due to recoil. The 308 is by no means the best or most accurate rifle in the world,but it is the #1 used in comp shooting. So in order to get back on target faster they (comp shooters) stay with a lighter bullet. But the 308 will launch a 190 or a 200 at a good MV.( so i have been told). I know i tried to get a 175 Serria up to 2850 FPS and failed at that . Best i could do was 2740FPS. Im trying to toy with 1000 yards and beyond with this thing.
 
I've never noticed a big difference in the recoil shooting the 208gr or 210gr pills,but then I shoot my 300WM with the same bullets,and usually shoot 405grs out of my 458 SOCOM.
I can't remember the velocities of the loads,but I have them wrote down in my log.
They both shoot 1/4-1/2 moa groups out to 300yds,that's as far as I shoot on paper.We shoot metal plates out to 600 at my deer lease,and they work great.

I've never been a speed demon,I just load for accuracy,and have never had to load near or past max levels to get the performance I want out of my loads.
 
I use whatever I can find for shooting. I have really good experiences with Remington, and Federal.

Then i tried some Hornady Match 178gr BTHP's I picked up for hunting. Holy moly! REALLY tight groups. I wish I could afford to shoot match ammo all the time!
 
In my .308 & 30-06, I found that Sierra or Nosler 168 gr, HPBT match bullets work extremely well in my 1:10 barrels.
In the AR 223, 1:8 barrel, the best so far have been Sierra 69 gr HPBT match bullets. (.43" group) However I do have some Hornady 75 gr Amax bullets on order for trial as I have heard a lot of good things about them.
Please note, that bullet selection is dependent upon your rifles barrel twist and intended range.

Roger
 
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