New rifle not liking soft points

[GalvestonWader]

First off, Im new to AR's. Not real familiar with them.

So I have a new Larue PredatAR in 7.62 and went to shoot it for the first time yesterday. This is going to be used for hog hunting so I went with Hornady Custom 165 gr BTSP, as this soft point works great in my other bolt guns. I really dislike ballistic tips for hunting due to past experiences with them fragmenting and breaking apart rather then giving me a big mushroom upon impact.

The bullets gave me very tight groups yesterday, but was having a problem feeding a new round after ejecting a spend round. A couple of times it failed to feed and a couple of times it really dented/damaged the soft point on the bullet when it did feed. Some of the time it worked fine.

These were the first rounds ever fired from this brand new rifle. Does it just need to be shot more to get broke in? Do AR style rifles just not like soft points? I can see where the soft point could get damaged when feeding from a semi auto...makes sense to me. If soft points shouldnt be shot from this rifle, any suggestions on a good round to try? As I said before Im not a fan of ballistic or plastic tips for hunting.

Sorry if any of this is obvious info that I should already know. Like I said Im new to ARs. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[hlee]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

Do you reload? I would take another look at ballistic tip performance (YouTube AMAX ballistic gelatin test, for example). Many offerings now come with bonded core tech (swift scirocco for example). Also, Barnes bullets come with and without plastic tips and these tend to hold up better than any lead core bullet. Soft point bullets are going to get mangled by the rapid action of an AR.

 

[russ10x]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

The soft tips will not work well in a semi automatic. Even with feed ramps. You have an unbelievably great gun there. Go with balistic tip. Even 175 grain M118LR has incredible terminal balistics, and decent penetration. You'd be better off. Good luck!

 

[ORD]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

+1 on many soft points not playing well with semis. Stick to jacketed, solid, ballistic tips, etc. and you should be fine.

As hlee indicated, the Barnes TSX and TTSX (ballistic tipped) bullets are phenomenal on all manner of game animals, including hogs. If you reload, you are all set with just the bullets, but if not, several mfgs load them including BH, Cor-bon, Barnes in their own VOR-TX line, Buffalo Bore, Doubletap, etc.

Despite warnings to the contrary, I have used "match" bullets successfully (and ethically) on game animals for years and the performance is there. Don't underestimate what can be done with your average SMK, etc. too.

Good luck and congrats on your Larue!

 

[judgedelta]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

I have shot a lot of Sierra 165 Gamekings, both spire point and hollow point in my LMT MWS without any problems. I can't tell the difference between these and 168 Matchkings at 100-200 yards.

 

[jtom66]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

I have taken hogs and whitetail at using 168 FGMM - no problem at all.

 

[GalvestonWader]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

I am going to try some new ammo. Looking for some the above mentioned 168gr Fed Gold Medal Match. Talked to Larue today and they recommended thid also. Any ideas on where to get some?

 

[hlee]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

As you are in Houston, Carter's Country sells them. I think that I have seen them at American Shooting Center as well.

 

[GalvestonWader]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

Carter's is out at the 3 locations I visit. Not having any luck finding the FGMM. I found some Hornady Match BTHP 168. Any opinions on how it compares to the FGMM? I might try that and see how it performs.

 

[hlee]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

The Hornady match 168 shoots better in my LR308 than the FGMM 168. That is my standard for comparison when working up hand loads.

 

[GalvestonWader]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

Good to know. Im gonna go shoot tomorrow or Thurs when the weather clears up and try the Hornady Match. I will report back with my results.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[Grand]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

A while back I spoke with the guys at JagerPro, who are in the business of killing pigs with .308 gassers. He said their preferred bullet is the 180 Partition. So, perhaps you can pick a bullet that is less pointy, or try seating depth adjustments.

I just picked up a few hundred 150g Power Points for pig hunting. They are not quite as pointed as other soft points and I'm hoping they feed in my DMPS upper.

Good luck.

 

[texas_vet00]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

Galveston - I have a box of 168 FGMM for you if you'd like to try it out...will be in the Galleria area for meetings tomorrow afternoon or you can swing by the house (Pearland) on Friday.

 

[Infinity]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

Hornady Amax is worth looking at for consistent accuracy and hunting success.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

I had similar issues with a new AR15. It went away, then returned briefly when I added a few new magazines to the collection.

I buffed the inside of the magazine feed lips with steel wool and feeding improved satisfactorily. I think the problem was being caused by the rough new metal finish on the feed lips. Once they were polished/broken in, my problems disappeared.

Greg

 

[okiefired]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

Although quite a few people use them on thin skined game, Sierra itself doesn't recomend SMK's for hunting. I'm sure you'd be happier with one of Barnes' offerings. I will say though that I believe your aversion to ballistic tips for killing is unfounded. Good shooting.

Okie

 

[jtom66]

Re: New rifle not liking soft points

168 FGGM in stock:

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php...-bthp-20rd.html