Anyone here using the Hornady A tip bullets? (.308)
- Thread starter Mean_Man
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I started using them in my new barrel and they hammer! Running them at about 2710fps pushed by Varget. Was actually just out today getting zeroed and shooting them to 1000 for a match this weekend. Every time I shoot them I am more amazed at how easy they were to find a load for as I only tried three charges.
I don’t think they are overly long at all. Below is a pic of the 176 ATip with a 178 BTHP on left and 168 ELD-M on right. I run them in a standard .308 match chamber in a PVA prefit barrel.
I don’t think they are overly long at all. Below is a pic of the 176 ATip with a 178 BTHP on left and 168 ELD-M on right. I run them in a standard .308 match chamber in a PVA prefit barrel.
How many grains of Varget and what is your barrel length to achieve 2700 fps? I'm thinking about playing with the 168 ELD-Ms to achieve 2800+ fps, it should hit 1k and closer with ease, and maybe be a 5/6mph wind gun.
Not sure if there is a go to jump per se with these. I started loading them at .045” off the lands so I had room in my mags and haven’t moved it. If they are like the other ATips then they jump without issue and don’t need to really be near the lands.
And that's where I'm at... I'm not in shooting competitions, just getting into long range and just for my own kicks... so are they worth it is what I'm trying to determine. if I want to try some of these for hand loads or the 169gr SMK... neither being offered so far as I know as a factory loading.
So far I have found 3 factory loadings that I can reasonable get and stock up on slowly like a box a week over time locally. FGMM 168gr, 175 and Hornady 168gr ELD. I was hoping to find the 178gr but haven't seen them anywhere and until I see which projectile/load it likes I don't want to order online and pay the shipping for 1 box. The goal is to then take whichever has the best mean radius per 20 rounds and buy 200 or so projectiles of that, and two different powders and see which powder with that bullet gives the best mean radius per 20 shots, and THEN then I have my load....So maybe by the end of summer I'll have all the componets figured out
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4064, varget and rl15 are your friends with 168 to 178 grain bullets.
RL15 is temp sensitive and what works when it's cool outside may be over pressure when it gets hot. Don't discount the 155 eld bullets, they have a very respectable bc and you can get them moving pretty fast.
RL15 is temp sensitive and what works when it's cool outside may be over pressure when it gets hot. Don't discount the 155 eld bullets, they have a very respectable bc and you can get them moving pretty fast.
Your first picture speaks 1000 words. You’re right, it’s not especially long. Check out the length of the bearing surface on the A-Tip though.
I’m not saying this is a problem, just pointing out a detail that I think is worth considering. In my SAAMI chamber the A-Tips touch the lands at 2.910”. At that length, the boat tail and a few thou of the bearing surface is below the neck/shoulder junction. That’s why I suspect that there is something to be gained with a longer freebore. (I could be totally wrong lol)
I have a long freebore 308 reamer on the way from JGS. I’m looking forward to trying the A-Tips again in the future when I have a barrel chambered with that reamer.
It’s about the same to lands in mine at 2.905” and I load at 2.860. No issues at all in actual use and very accurate. Sometimes those perceived issues aren’t really issues.
And that's where I'm at... I'm not in shooting competitions, just getting into long range and just for my own kicks... so are they worth it is what I'm trying to determine. if I want to try some of these for hand loads or the 169gr SMK... neither being offered so far as I know as a factory loading.
So far I have found 3 factory loadings that I can reasonable get and stock up on slowly like a box a week over time locally. FGMM 168gr, 175 and Hornady 168gr ELD. I was hoping to find the 178gr but haven't seen them anywhere and until I see which projectile/load it likes I don't want to order online and pay the shipping for 1 box. The goal is to then take whichever has the best mean radius per 20 rounds and buy 200 or so projectiles of that, and two different powders and see which powder with that bullet gives the best mean radius per 20 shots, and THEN then I have my load....So maybe by the end of summer I'll have all the componets figured out
How far you plan on shooting them? Reason I ask is the 168 SMK in the FGMM is a crap bullet for long range. Crap BC and doesn’t go transonic well. The 175 SMK is better and will do better at longer ranges but the 168 ELD is excellent. Higher BC than both and does fine through transonic. I have shot them to 1250 yards in matches with factory ammo and then I loaded them up with Varget. All depends on how far you plan to shoot. If only out to maybe 600 than any of them will work.
Also I wouldn’t use factory ammo to gauge a bullet performance as that ammo may not be good in your rifle but if you loaded that bullet then it may shoot great. You can use it as a possible idea but don’t make it the deciding factor.
Varget and RL15.5 which is their temp stable line as well as AR Comp are powders I’m considering.
Realistically in my part of Georgia 500yards is a long shot due to all the woods, so dispersion is my main concern over BC and elevation compensation. My buddy has some pasture land that we might be able to eke out 600 but without driving to maybe one range I know of I doubt we can shoot further on a whim.
500 yards isn’t too far so any would work. What does the word dispersion mean to you?
Same as cone of fire. Or what a lot of people refer to as a group. However I’m more interested in measuring mean radius over larger shot counts. Not saying I’m alway going to shoot a higher count shot count, BUT I want to know what the gun actually does, and is likely to do far as worst case vs ideally. Which is why I was talking about 20 shot, shot groups to decide on a factory ammo load.
One reason I was looking at the 168 & 175gr SMK projectiles is the tangent ogive as I understand it is less picky. Where as secant (I think I spelled that right) while more aerodynamic can be more picky. So I wanted to put a classic tangent vs a newer secant as well.
As I understand it the projectile and the powder make the most noticeable difference or affect on the loads dispersion. Which is why while I don’t know for a fact what powder is in the factory cartridge, at least maybe I can see what projectile is in whatever load it likes the best. And while that’s not conclusive of anything maybe it hints at a preference to keep in mind before I go buying 500 projectiles.
Ok but you are already going into this way too deep down the rabbit hole and you will burn out barrels trying to find the perfect group. You don’t need to test 20 shot groups to find ammo that works. Just a little advice from someone who has been doing it for decades. If you want to dismiss the advice then that’s fine too as it’s your time and money.
The ELD-Ms are not jump sensitive either. They do not need to be at the lands to shoot well. I have shot them in multiple calibers as far off as .080” and they shot great. Same for the ATips. All three calibers I use them in are jumping at least .045”.
The problem with your train of thought as factory ammo is also loaded to SAAMI spec for OAL so it might not be the place the bulletin likes to be and handloading allows you to tune the load to the rifle. Get the factory ammo and try it but I wouldn’t use it as any serious hint at what the actual bulletin would do in a handload.
But jumping in and going way too deep right from the go tends to be my MO lol. I do appreciate the advice though and will keep it in mind. One advantage is it’s a .308 and so far as I understand it, not a barrel burner of a caliber.
I went with the 1.45” rings…starting to wonder if I shouldn’t have gone with the 1.1’s the comb is maxed out pretty much… scope is at 2.5” above bore.
I got the brake on and the scope mounted and leveled today though… not relevant to the thread just excited and sharing lol
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