Which .308 projectile for 1000y target shooting, considering 20" barrel lenght

[Defusion]

If you would have a set range of 1000y, and a 20" (1/12 twist) barrel on your .308, which would be your preferred projectile?
My gut says it would be easier to get something fairly heavy like the 175gr SMK up to a decent velocity (as to retain supersonic flight up to 1000y) rather than something like the 155 scenar or #2156 SMK, but would love to hear from the experts.
I'm thinking the 155gr bullets would do better in longer barrels.

How about something in between, like the 167 lapua? (168gr SMK doesn't seem that great for 1000y, so that one is out)

Please consider that I'll be doing load development at 100m. The 1000y range is about a 6hr drive away, so sadly won't be going as often as I would like. I hope I can get away with accuracy testing and some chrono results, then make like 500 rounds before the trip.

 

[NGCSUGrad09]

The short answer: 175gr or 190gr SMKs or Nosler Custom Competitions; going as fast as you can get them would be a safe bet.

However, do some reading as this topic has been covered A LOT in this forum.

 

[dustinoif3]

I'm curious as well to where this thread will go. I have a 20" 1-12 as well. I've read 168 amax's will go. 168smk no go and I've read on here guys shooting 175smk's out of this barrel length out there. If you apply the greenhill formula it comes up with the 168 for that twist. But then again each rifle will shoot different. I posted a question about 180's out of a 1-12 and got mixed reply's. Most say that bullet will not stabilize. Some say shoot it and see.

 

[Hardmix]

I would try one of the following in a warm load for your gun; smk175, amax 178, Hornady 178 hpbt match or the 185 Bergers.

Hardmix

 

[Dan Newberry]

I agree with the above, on the 175's to 190's.

Check into some of the Lapua 185 grain FMJ boat-tails... and you should be able to drive them to 2450 fps without much trouble. That'll make it to 1000 yards in most elevations.

We had a guy shooting these bullets in last weekend's long range class, and they are extremely accurate--and for some strange reason, they're showing a higher BC than Lapua's 185 Scenars. That's kinda weird, but that's how JBM hashed it out anyway. His rifle was a 24" Remington 12 twist, by the way.

All I can say is the FMJ Boat-tail 185's impressed me quite a bit, and the shooter was only driving them to around 2500 fps. He easily shot to 1040 yards... Lapua is indicating at .547 BC with the FMJ's...
Lapua Bullets 30 Cal (308 Diameter) 185 Grain Full Metal Jacket Boat

And oddly enough, only .521 for the 185 Scenar. (The FMJ's are a little more expensive, but not too much).

You may, with the right powder, get the 185 FMJ's to 2500 fps.

Dan

 

[Defusion]

NGCSUGrad09, thx for the hint on the 190 SMK. I thought it would be too heavy for the 1/12 twist rate, so limited my search to max 175gr.
After a short search it appears it will stabilize. I'll need to try them to be sure though. 175 SMK seems like a safe bet though.

Damn, 2 more posts while i was typing. You guys are fast! Sierra and lapua is easiest to get a hold off over here, so will probably try some 175 and 190 smk and 185 scenar, see how fast I can get 'em.

 

[Dan Newberry]

Again... the FMJ Boat-tail Lapua has a better BC than the Scenar, or the 190 Sierra.

 

[Rob01]

Hornady 178 BTHP has a .530 BC and can be sent out of a 20" barrel in the high 2600fps range pushed by Varget. It will do well to 1000.

 

[LawnMM]

Hornady 178 BTHP has a .530 BC and can be sent out of a 20" barrel in the high 2600fps range pushed by Varget. It will do well to 1000.

What he said

 

[glock63]

185 berger Juggernaut. I am in the process of developing a load with RL 17 in lapua brass. Early results are promising.

 

[WillAdams]

Use the 175 Berger OTM or 185 Juggernaut. The results will be much better than trying to push a 155 from a short barrel. Try 2000MR with either projectile. The 155 really needs a 30" barrel.

 

[Defusion]

Again... the FMJ Boat-tail Lapua has a better BC than the Scenar, or the 190 Sierra.

Sorry, forgot to mention that one. Never really gave anything other than the scenars a serious look, but the numbers look pretty good.

Hornady 178 BTHP has a .530 BC and can be sent out of a 20" barrel in the high 2600fps range pushed by Varget. It will do well to 1000.

Hornady isn't as well available as the lapua and sierra offerings, but I'll look around for some. Looks like it's better than the 175 SMK. If just as affordable, it should make for a great all-round bullet to stock up on.

185 berger Juggernaut. I am in the process of developing a load with RL 17 in lapua brass. Early results are promising.

This looks like a great bullet. Supersonic well past 1000y according to my ballistic calculator. A bit expensive though.

Currently my list of bullets to try would be: Lapua 185gr fmjbt, 175 SMK, 190 SMK.
If I can get some, hornady 178gr.
Maybe the bergers as well, depending on availability and cost.

 

[Dan Newberry]

I don't think the 190 SMK will serve you that well. It's a great bullet if you can get it moving, but some of the other options would be better.

I don't know how many bullets Hornady and Sierra are exporting these days... but I will say we can't hardly find any decent supply of either company's long range 30 cal stuff... that's why I recommended the Lapua bullet, since you'd perhaps be more likely to find it where you live.

Dan

 

[Defusion]

Yeah, the sierra stuff is basically in stock from before all the issues in the US. Cheaper than lapua currently.
280 per 1000 of the 175SMK, vs 325/1000 for the 185gr scenars or 360/1000 for the fmjbt

ps. have you done any OCW testing with vihtavuori powders in 308?

 

[Dan Newberry]

I haven't done the testing, but I've seen others do it. There's data out there.

For those price differences, the 175's would be hard to turn away from. While those Lapua FMJ's are great bullets... they are more money than I would have expected.

Of course if you can buy large quantities of the 175 SMK's, you can probably double your money on the US market by flipping them for sale over here... Just kidding. Almost.

If you can get the 175 SMK's, they'll serve you well. I know more than a couple of guys shooting these from 20" guns at long range, and they make it to 1040 yards with no trouble.

Dan

 

[Defusion]

Well shit, I just found out the dealer which had a great price on the 175 SMK (probably) no longer has them in stock.
Asked about 168 and 175 SMK by mail, I only got info on the 168. Will ask again to make sure, but I expect they're sold out. The 168 was his last batch as well.

Update: 175gr available at importer, but price has increased to 425/1000. Too rich for my blood. Thats berger territory!

Guess I'll give the 185 lapua's a go, and buy up the 168 SMK for shorter ranges.

 

[Creature]

178gr Amax(or BTHP)
44.5grs Varget(work up to this of course)
Win Primer
Win brass
COAL 2.845
2602FPS
20"bbl with 1/12 twist(FNH PBR)

WIN