Range Report SouthWest .308 ammo question

[Tunin]

How much _real_ difference do any of you notice between SW Ammo's regularly loaded .308 with 175 SMK's and their Lapua brass 175 SMK's?

Does anyone have decent comparison targets? Are the velocities close enough to use the same dope and practice with the regular ammo but take the premium to matches?

$210 for a case of 200 is an awesome deal. I'm just looking for reasons why I'd want to shuck out the extra cash for the Lapua brass.

Thanks for your time and effort.

 

[tnichols]

Re: SouthWest .308 ammo question

I'm assuming you are running it through a bolt gun, and if that's the case, you would have some nice, once-fired Lapua brass in the event that you were to start reloading. Sorry I don't have any experience with SW ammo, so I don't have test data to share. Either way, you'll end up with brass to be used later if needed.

 

[Notso]

Re: SouthWest .308 ammo question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tunin</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How much _real_ difference do any of you notice between SW Ammo's regularly loaded .308 with 175 SMK's and their Lapua brass 175 SMK's?

Does anyone have decent comparison targets? Are the velocities close enough to use the same dope and practice with the regular ammo but take the premium to matches?

$210 for a case of 200 is an awesome deal. I'm just looking for reasons why I'd want to shuck out the extra cash for the Lapua brass.

Thanks for your time and effort.

</div></div>
I suggest you get the Lapua brass version. And then send me the empty brass. I'll take it off your hands so it doesn't clutter up your garage. I'll even pay the postage.

edit: Seriously though... what brass is their "regular" stuff. If WIN, I get just as good accuracy out of WIN brass as I do out of Lapua and its half the price. WIN reloads nicely too, but it just might not last as long as Lapua.

If you never plan to reload, then it really doesn't matter and I wouldn't spend the extra. I honestly have not seen much difference in accuracy between Lapua and other brass's SD and ES. I know its heresy here, but I've shot a LOT of Lapua brass and just don't see the hype.

 

[Tunin]

Re: SouthWest .308 ammo question

Yep, I believe they use Win brass for their regular loads. And I'm not yet reloading at this time. I'll get an order of their regular loads and compare them to the Fiocchi 175grSMK's I'm shooting now. I'm expecting them to do a little better even than the Fiocchi's. Once my rifle gets back from the gunsmith I'll let you know.

Thanks for the replies y'all.

 

[Guest]

Re: SouthWest .308 ammo question

Winchester is used for our standard loads.

The Lapua brass has slightly more uniform neck tension, and the primer pockets are more uniform. This translates into less vertical dispersion at extreme ranges.

For those not requiring benchrest accuracy, or shooting at the farthest practical limits of the 308 cartridge, we also load our Run N Gun 308. It is loaded in remanufactured LC brass, and is capable of all practial accuracy requirements out to 600 yards. You also feel a lot less guilty about leaving it on the ground after finishing a stage in a match.

 

[neeley205]

Re: SouthWest .308 ammo question

I ran some win brass swammo over a chrono about a month ago. They had great consistancy. I will be trying the lapua loads next. Looking forward to it. Ill post chrono differences when I get them to compare.

 

[jrob300]

Re: SouthWest .308 ammo question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MikeSWammo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Winchester is used for our standard loads.

The Lapua brass has slightly more uniform neck tension</div></div>

My last buy of Win. 300WM brass would not group worth a damn until annealed. Not sure what their problem was (is?) but I could *definitely* feel the seating pressure difference round to round. Poor ES and big groups. Annealed them and, Whammo! Consistent seating, tight ES and itty bitty groups from the same load.

YMMV.

John