Short answer: yes. 0.6MOA on a good day, 0.85MOA on a bad day. So, picking the right ammo to stock up on is my priority.
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This is the sole time I was ever able to group Hornady TAP ELD Precision 168gr well; it was like a laser beam and felt effortless. This one box shot well the entire day across the board. This was in March 2024, and I haven't been able to replicate it since. I'm trying to get it to work again as it is the ammo I wish to use while also having the best BC and features for long range. | View attachment 8503767
The entire day shooting Fed. GMM SMK 175gr was consistent like this with the 20" Walther barrel. If I had to grab just one ammo today I could count on, it'd be this. But, it has the worst range and BC. |
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This has been the current trend with Hornady TAP ELD Precision 168gr, tested with both the 20" and 24" barrel. Since removing and retorquing the barrels on both rifles, the groups have shrunk from 4MOA down to this. The 24" likes it a lot more, and without the flier, it would have been a 0.8 MOA group. I need to get more of the ammo and test more for a greater set of data. | View attachment 8503769
Both rifles now, strangely, like Hornady Black A-Max 168gr: 20" above, 24" below. They were shooting around 2 MOA prior. This is was unexpected and also needs more shot data.
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Considering these are 1/2 to 1/4 MOA rifles, this isn't hard to accomplish -- with the right ammo -- and I've been transparent on here, on r/LongRange and on Instagram with all my shot data. What I'm struggling to wrestle with are the quirks of a 1:12 twist barrel with modern ammunition. And so far, the 20" rifle feels different from the 24" which I'm also trying to understand: the 24" is notably easier to shoot, easier to handle.
There's gotta be guys here with years upon years of Arctic Warfare AW308 experience who can lend their thoughts, yea? What have been your experiences? What are you old dogs using besides custom loads? What factory ammo did you love best for your AWs? Right now, the best option I have is "Go with Fed. GMM SMK 175gr and accept being limited to 800 yards effective, 900 yards max." And I'm not satisfied with that.