Ive been working loads for my aac-sd build with 168gr smk, Varget or IMR 4895. I do have some 175smk sitting here. I shoot at 100 yards because that's all our range goes out to. Would I notice any difference in accuracy if I switched over to 175 and worked up loads with it? I have varget, imr4895, imr4320, h335, and RL15 powders.
- Thread starter Truth223
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Yes, No, and Maybe. Reloading is part science and part art, and 100% process. Until you actually go through the process and work up a 175 gr load in your rifle, then you will know the answer to your question.....
To put your question another way, what you really asked was: "How long is a piece of string?"
To put your question another way, what you really asked was: "How long is a piece of string?"
If you are getting .5-.75" accuracy at 100yds then don't sweat it. Especially if that gun still has the original stock and trigger and hasn't been floated and bedded. There is nothing wrong with working up more than one load though. When it's hard to find one component you will have something else to turn to.
I just started reloading this year since it was getting too expensive to buy ammo for the 700 AAC SD I bought in October. Still learning as I go, but I have had much more success with 168g than 175g. If I can ever find 175s again I want to try again to see if I can get better results.
If you're "only shooting 100, why worry about using a heavier bullet? I shoot a lot, at 100. 150s or 168s. Heavier bullets, for me, are for "longer range performance". I tried a 125 Spitzer, for my 308, and they shined, at 100. I just joined another range, that goes to a thousand yds. That's where I'll take the heavier bullets. If the 168's work for ya, why change. I use Varget, but i managed to find some RL-15. Guys here like it. Figured I'd give it a try. One of my "best" loads, for my 308 5R, is 37.3 grs. Viht-135 behind a 168 SMK.
Honestly, at 100y, you could run sime very light rounds and have no accuracy problems at all. 168 gr rounds really start to shine jn the 300-800 yard range where their higher BC matters. 175s extend that capability out past 1000y. At shorter ranges, given the same pressure loads, those lighter rounds in the 155gr and under category really are your best option, imo. At those ranges 300y and under, where BC is not as important, The higher MV will result in less overall lag time and thus, less wind deflection and a flatter traectory, giving you longer danger space.
Trying it would be the only way to find out. You may find that even cheap hunting bullets shoot well at that distance. My 308 used to shoot a 180gr SP into really nice little groups.
I tried some speer 168gr hpbt today with varget and they didn't shoot for shit. Was lucky to get 2 shots to touch. Then shot some factory FGGM 168gr and was sub moa. Cant figure out why my .308 reloads group worse than fggm factory loads.
Hopefully u played with seating depths and charge weights? U using match dies on a good single stage press? U powder charging with a tight tolerance?
Havent messed with seating depths yet. COL is 2.790-2.800 . Using rcbs dies on a lee single stage. I have a brian enos digital scale and a redding trickler. Every piece of brass passes with the le Wilson guage after sizing.
I usually shoot 5 or 10 rounds of a charge weight. Today I shot 43.3 and 43.6gr of Varget, Win LR primer, FC brass and 168gr smk and didn't shoot anything to write home about. Il post up my target here in a few.
U mention two different bullets in the last two posts. Is it the 168 match king or a Speer 168 hpbt?
And btw, the FGMM 168 load is the standard by which all others are judged, as in, lots of handloaders cannot even get their loads to group tighter at 100 than the Gold Medal. Just fyi
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2 different sets of loads. Sorry for the confusion.....
No worries
I'm curious, to be honest, If u only played with two different charge weighs today, maybe u haven't even stumbled upon an accuracy node yet. And the seating depth could be instrumental as well. How far are u trying to jump the 168SMK?
I am loading Berger 168 GR. VLDs with 43 grains of H4895 and BR2 primers loaded out to 2.815. These work well in my M1A Scout which I have accuratized and in my Stoner pattern AR in 308. The 175 did not perfrom as well but I have not gone out beyond 200 yards yet. My understanding is the 175 will be better performers at longer ranges.
Bison Armory which put together my Mega Maten 308 recommends the 175 SMK and LWRC user manual also recommends the 175 grain projectiles for the 20" REPR which I got last week.
Bison Armory which put together my Mega Maten 308 recommends the 175 SMK and LWRC user manual also recommends the 175 grain projectiles for the 20" REPR which I got last week.
I can get Hornady 150 FMJBT's to group better then FGMM (@ 100 yards) just by simply sorting brass and bullet weights. This is out of 2 different .308's, doing all of this with Lee dies and W748 of all things.
FGMM IMO is slightly over rated, especially if you hand load. I have also not been impressed with the few different lots I have seen chronographed..
Not trying to sound like king dick over here but .308 win is a very easy caliber to find accuracy with.
To answer your question know they will both shoot. But as some other posters have said if you are just shooting 100yds use lighter bulelts. I run the 135gr SMK or the 140gr Nosler CC at the 200/300yd line or the Speer 125gr TNT at 200. No sense thumping the heavier bullets as the only affect you'll get with them at 100yds vs. the light bullets is recoil.
FGMM IMO is slightly over rated, especially if you hand load. I have also not been impressed with the few different lots.[/QUOTE]
I can agree - I think the FGMM is a good load but I am able to get better results with my hand loads and those Berger VLDs.
I can agree - I think the FGMM is a good load but I am able to get better results with my hand loads and those Berger VLDs.
I never had luck with the speer 168gr HPBT bullet.
I was low on 168smk at the time and a friend sold them to me very cheap. Only reason Im using them. I still have 20 rounds of them loaded with varget. I think I might just pull them and save the Varget for something else.
You should "go back" to the basics. You need to get a guage, to check your chamber. Then, ya need a guage, to check the "distance to your lands, with the ogive of the bullet you want to use. then work up a load. You're kinda stabbing in the dark, right now. Ya want to "wind up, about 2 thousands back from your lands, with your bullet ogive.. My "good load", with Varget, was 44.7, 168 SMK.. 2.96 OAL, for my 5R.Just me, Josh.
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I have a hornady headspace kit, but no clue how to use it. Dumb noob question, but what do the terms lands and ogive mean?
What a remarkably unhelpful, misguided, and uneducated post. The number one rule for reloading for a magazine feed rifle, is it's got to actually feed from the friggin magazine. Now I'm sure your loading length 2.96" for ya "good load" is not from a stock Rem 700 mag, unless your single loading it. So what good is it to tell a newbie to "wind up about 2 thousands back from the lands", when most likely his stock Rem 700 lands are 0.2" longer than his stock magazine length???
And if you think he needs a guage (sic) to check his chamber, for STD's maybe, how about recommend the one you use??? You do know what it's called, don't you? And If you recommend a "guage" (sic) to check whether his lands are in the same zip code as his chamber, tell him the one you use, if it's not too much trouble.
In short, be helpful with a new reloader if you can, but no need to leave him "stabbing in the dark" without a paddle......
I'm going to post up some pics of my targets and loads here in a few hours. Maybe that will help you guys figure out what's going on.
No such thing as dumb noob question...
The rifling in the barrel consists of lands and grooves. Lands being the 'high' part. The ogive of of a bullet is the spot where it goes to it's full caliber from the tip. There are two other terms that come into play: jam and jump. Jam refers to the amount one would touch the ogive of the bullet into the lands. Jump is how much free travel between the ogive and the lands. We are talking typically single digits thousandths of an inch. You use some sort of bullet comarator tool to figure out your jump/jam.
Every gun is different. Some guns and some guys prefer a 0.005" jump. Others touching the lands. Others more jump. My personal experience is limited in this arena. I tried a couple different jumps in my .308 and they made no difference than going with the stand OAL as listed in my books. I was only shooting at 100 yds; maybe it'll make a difference at 500 or 1,000. Also, I've been told that the type of bullets I use (Sierra matchking) are not that sensitive to jump, while other bullets are.
Headspace is something different; in a non-magnum round, the cartridge shoulder butts up against the front of the chamber; this is what 'holds' the cartridge in place. There is a slight amount of 'wiggle' room between the shoulder and the front of the chamber when the bolt is closed; typically a couple thousandths. Again, every gun is different. With a headspace gauge, you can find the dimension of your chamber. If you reload a piece of brass enough times, it will grow in the shoulder area and you'll notice that it's hard to close the bolt. That's when it's time to 'bump' the shoulder back, and using your headspace gauge gives you the amount of bump needed.
Now, I'm not even going into the argument of Full Length versus Neck Sizing only. That's another topic for another thread....
But back to the original post at the the top of the thread: My rifle loves 168 gr SMKs in front of 42 gr of H4895 at 100 yards. I get ragged holes and a shit eating grin which is what it's all about for me...
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