123 Scenar or 123 SMK in .260 Remington

[Radhoagland]

Anyone shooting these with good success? They have a good G1 BC but Sierra emailed me and said that bullet has a .242 G7 BC.
I am wanting to throw them over 3000 fps and shoot out to a grand. I know the heavier bullets have higher BC but prefer a slighter recoil.
I have also considered the 123g Scenar's they have a slightly better BC. Basicly wondering how they handle cross winds bullet drop is not an issue for me. I have heard the 123g Scenar's buck the wind better than any 130g bullet out there? Anyone willing to throw in their 2 cents?

 

[Rthur]

I can't speak for the SMK's but the scenars are a solid choice in the 260. They will not buck the wind better than a Berger 130vld or a JLK 130. The difference will be close until you get to 6-700 and beyond. A 130 at or close to 3000fps is about as good a choice for the 260 as is available. I would say your wind call will be more important than the bullet with these choices. good luck


R

 

[BoilerUP]

Bryan Litz has calculated the 123 SMK's G7 at .260, Lapua lists the 123's G7 @ .263.

Nosler's 123gr CC are clones of the 123 SMK, but cheaper.

You're not gonna be able to push a 123 hard enough to beat a 130gr Berger in the wind.

 

[Wildboarem]

I switched to the 123 class as the 140's were getting tough to find. SMK's and Amaxs, both shoot around 1/2moa at over 3100fps. 44.5 gr of rl-17 or h4350 get me their. Haven't taken that load past 435 yds yet but the ballistics is less elevation and only .1 mil more wind at a grand. The 123's just beat the 140's under a 1000 yds.

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[Radhoagland]

I switched to the 123 class as the 140's were getting tough to find. SMK's and Amaxs, both shoot around 1/2moa at over 3100fps. 44.5 gr of rl-17 or h4350 get me their. Haven't taken that load past 435 yds yet but the ballistics is less elevation and only .1 mil more wind at a grand. The 123's just beat the 140's under a 1000 yds.

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Spot on dude! 123 over 140's all day!

 

[ArmyJerry]

am now doing well with the 123's and 140 smk's, the Amaxes did not shoot well through my rifle, tried hard and wasted lots of time and powder. I started shooting the 130 CC's, they spoiled me, great bullet out of the 260, Varget for all except the 140's, I use H4350 for them.

 

[wchartz]

I have shot the 123 SMK's for about 2,000 rounds in my bolt gun. I have a 25" barrel and get 2975 fps using 41.3 gr of Varget in Lapua cases. It shoots about .4 MOA 5 shot groups and is equal in accuracy to several other of my best bullet/load combinations. According to the Shooter program at 1000 yds. it shows a drop of 8 mils and in a 10 mph crosswind 2.2 mils windage. I think that I am near maximum pressure in my gun but I have gotten 10 loadings out of my most used batch of Lapua brass. Some of the primer pockets are close to loose but no noticeable gas leaks, head separations, backed out primers or split necks yet. My best heavy bullet load was using a Lapua 139. It starts out at 2777 fps using H4350 and is close to maximum. The program shows 8.9 mils drop and 2.2 mils windage. It looks like the 123 SMK has the advantage in target shooting. Of course the heavy bullets hold up better energy wise at the longer ranges. I am not recommending loads so start several grains lower than I show and work up.