How to choose a bullet?

[Morgan321]

I'm no world class shooter but I can shoot good enough to see the difference between different factory ammo. How do I pick a bullet to start reloading with? One of the rounds that does best for me is a 168 hornady Amax match load. Should I start with that bullet? Different bullet? I dont mind recoil, so maybe a Heavier bullet?

Im shooting 30-06. I just moved to MD and have 1000yd ranges so I'm going to give that a whirl. I'm getting regular 1.5 minutes or better at 100 and 200 yd now and I am the limiting factor, not the gun. I'm hoping to get under 1 minute consistently with some more practice.

 

[Lowlight]

1st pick the highest BC you can find

2nd speed, the heaviest you can go while still maintaining a reasonable speed. (Muzzle Velocity)

What that means by example, you wouldn't want to push a 230VLD out of a 308 so to balance speed, weight & BC you want to go 175gr to 185gr For that caliber. Depending on the rifle anything more might be to slow to take advantage of the BC. ( BCs are generally rated based on a specific muzzle velocity, if you can't get close to that MV you can't achieve that number)

After that accuracy, which one does your rifle like and is your barrel twist optimized for the bullet you've chosen.

 

[Bob 964]

In a May 16, 2011 Berger Bulletin, Bryan Litz wrote about the concept of “form factor” and how it could be used to analyze the efficiency and performance of a given bullet. The form factor is the sectional density of a bullet divided by its G7 ballistic coefficient. The G7 ballistic coefficient is used instead of the G1 because the G7 standard is a better match for the longer boattail type bullets most of us shoot, and should be more constant over a wider range of velocities, as compared to the G1. The form factor measures how efficiently a bullet flies (drag), independent of its weight. Form factors of 1.000 or greater are bad; form factors of 0.999 to 0.950 are better; and form factors of 0.950 and below are the best.

 

[RobertB]

Unless hunting is a mandatory need then run numbers on the different match bullets that seem to fit the bill next.

In the 308 cal selection different choices could be for LR:

Sierra:155,175,185,190,210 Matchkings
Lapua: 155 Scenar
Berger:168,175,185
Hornady: 168,178 BTHP or A-MAX, or the 210 AMAX.


These are common ones that you might can find in bulk, I don't look into things to hard unless I can get em in bulk. I chose the 120 AMAX load over the 140 load in my 6.5 CM as I could get 5K of them vs 700 of the other. I find practice much more valuable than splitting ballistic hairs. There are many other great choices than the ones I listed. JBM Ballsitics is a good site to run different numbers or shooter if you have a smart phone.

Good luck sir.

 

[turbo54]

1st pick the highest BC you can find

2nd speed, the heaviest you can go while still maintaining a reasonable speed. (Muzzle Velocity)

What that means by example, you wouldn't want to push a 230VLD out of a 308 so to balance speed, weight & BC you want to go 175gr to 185gr For that caliber. Depending on the rifle anything more might be to slow to take advantage of the BC. ( BCs are generally rated based on a specific muzzle velocity, if you can't get close to that MV you can't achieve that number)

After that accuracy, which one does your rifle like and is your barrel twist optimized for the bullet you've chosen.

I beg to differ.

While you can play around with different BCs and expected velocity with your favorite ballistics calculator for a few hours and have success, a better, and quicker method would be to:

Choose the bullet with the best FORM FACTOR that you can: A. Afford B. Find

High BC doesn't make a bullet good, necessarily. There are many bullets with high BC, but mediocre form factor.

In terms of exterior ballistics, you'll ALWAYS be better off running a lighter, higher form factor bullet faster than a heavier, lower form factor bullet slower.

If two bullets have equal (or damn near equal) form factor, yet have significantly different weight, you'll have to decide if you prefer a flat short/mid range trajectory (light), or superior performance in wind (heavy).

 

[Lowlight]

I beg to differ.

While you can play around with different BCs and expected velocity with your favorite ballistics calculator for a few hours and have success, a better, and quicker method would be to:

Choose the bullet with the best FORM FACTOR that you can: A. Afford B. Find

High BC doesn't make a bullet good, necessarily. There are many bullets with high BC, but mediocre form factor.

In terms of exterior ballistics, you'll ALWAYS be better off running a lighter, higher form factor bullet faster than a heavier, lower form factor bullet slower.

If two bullets have equal (or damn near equal) form factor, yet have significantly different weight, you'll have to decide if you prefer a flat short/mid range trajectory (light), or superior performance in wind (heavy).

that is all good, but now put it in context of just a .30 cal for the shooter above, and the choices, even with regard to form factor point to the heavies a bit more so. It only points to lighter in one specific place, select 155gr bullets.

185, 190, 210 are all better choices than any of the lighter bullets given your form factor test.

and personally for a KD range I would care less about drop and more about drift. Wind is gonna be his great equalizer, drop just is. If he was shooting all UKD you'd have an argument for drop, but KD I would want to manage drift.

 

[Bob 964]

that is all good, but now put it in context of just a .30 cal for the shooter above, and the choices, even with regard to form factor point to the heavies a bit more so. It only points to lighter in one specific place, select 155gr bullets.

185, 190, 210 are all better choices than any of the lighter bullets given your form factor test.

and personally for a KD range I would care less about drop and more about drift. Wind is gonna be his great equalizer, drop just is. If he was shooting all UKD you'd have an argument for drop, but KD I would want to manage drift.

I base the (.308) bullets I shoot on their form factor. There are few .308 bullets than have form factors less than 1.0:

Berger Hybrids: 155, 168, 185, 200, 215, and 230 grain
Berger VLDs: 185, 190, and 210 grain
Hornady Amax : 208 grain
Lapua Scenars: 155 grain

I generally shoot the 208 Amax and 155 Scenars. Both have low form factors and my Savage 110FP loves them both.

 

[17874]

I would say a 178 AMax or a 175 SMK would be a good place to start.

 

[turbo54]

and personally for a KD range I would care less about drop and more about drift. Wind is gonna be his great equalizer, drop just is. If he was shooting all UKD you'd have an argument for drop, but KD I would want to manage drift.

Agree 100%.

UKD is what "flatness" is good for.

 

[chefcam864]

If you want to shoot 1k then I'd shy away from the 168 A-max. It's a fine mid-range bullet, but is a poor choice for 1k. I have shot the 178 A-Max at 300, 500, 600, 800, 900, and 1k yards, it shoots very well to 800 and is acceptable at 1k, provided the wind isnt too crazy (crazy is a relative term at 1k). If you have the twist (1:11 or faster) I'd bet the 185 Berger Juggernaut or OTM tactical would work quite well for you at '06 velocities. BTW, those two bullets are identical, but with different names. The 178 Hornady BTHP has a nice BC, but I haven't shot them yet because I can't find them. I am currently using the Berger 175 Hunting VLD and am quite pleased with it.

I'll leave you with this, if you want something that's proven, affordable, and available, then the 190 MatcKing would be a fine place to start. Nosler also makes a similar 190. (You will need a 1:11" or faster twist for either of these). There are better bullets out there, but I've seen 190's available at a bunch of places. The 190 has been around forever, and at one time was THE STANDARD .30 LR bullet. It works! Midsouth has 250ct. Noslers for <$80.

Good luck and I hope this helps, Casey

 

[Lowlight]

And just an FYI to where the Form Factor model doesn't work, the 338.

The 300gr vs the 285gr, here the 300gr needs more velocity to actually work, especially out of a 338LM. There is a large difference in factor pointing to the 300gr bullet. But in practice the 300gr bullet doesn't work nearly as well.

I think form factor works best when choosing a 7mm or 6mm, aside from those two calibers I don't think it tells the tale as well. Experience point a bit more to the balance of speed and weight along with the BC. It may vary from person to person but overall it seems to always fall towards the heavier side when balanced with MV.

 

[Deadshot2]

Sometimes things just don't follow the "rules". If you use the form factor argument to eliminate a bullet than one could overlook some proven performers. Example, the Lapua D46 or 170 Gr Lockbase in .308.

Remember, if you put a Bumble Bee through all the aeronautical "formula's" it's not supposed to be able to fly at all.

The correct term I believe is "Paralysis by Analysis". Take a bullet that people have found to be a good performer (read what winners are shooting), work up a load for it, than shoot and enjoy.

 

[grambo]

I am stuck with what I can find. stupid obama made a mess for us.

 

[bward]

1st pick the highest BC you can find

2nd speed, the heaviest you can go while still maintaining a reasonable speed. (Muzzle Velocity)

What that means by example, you wouldn't want to push a 230VLD out of a 308 so to balance speed, weight & BC you want to go 175gr to 185gr For that caliber. Depending on the rifle anything more might be to slow to take advantage of the BC. ( BCs are generally rated based on a specific muzzle velocity, if you can't get close to that MV you can't achieve that number)

After that accuracy, which one does your rifle like and is your barrel twist optimized for the bullet you've chosen.

I agree with this. I also look at one other factor though, Rt/R. Litz Publishes this with all of the bullets he tests and is basically a measure of how secant/tangent the ogive of the bullet is. I feel it can effectively be used to determine how easy the bullet will be to tune and how often you will have to adjust your load due to throat growth.

 

[pawprint2]

I'm no world class shooter but I can shoot good enough to see the difference between different factory ammo. How do I pick a bullet to start reloading with? One of the rounds that does best for me is a 168 hornady Amax match load. Should I start with that bullet? Different bullet? I dont mind recoil, so maybe a Heavier bullet?

Im shooting 30-06. I just moved to MD and have 1000yd ranges so I'm going to give that a whirl. I'm getting regular 1.5 minutes or better at 100 and 200 yd now and I am the limiting factor, not the gun. I'm hoping to get under 1 minute consistently with some more practice.

Sir, may I suggest a bullet of at least 180 grains for your 3006. The extra powder capacity you can get from an 06 over a 308 doesn't really come into its own until you get into a little heavier bullet. There are a hell of a lot of great "heavy" match bullets around, the Sierra 190's and many others. I've had great success with the Lapua D46 (185gr) in an 06 for many years-there is a reason they keep making them, they are just that good. At 1000 yards the heavier bullet will really shine compared to the 168's your looking at, hope this helps.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Sometimes things just don't follow the "rules". If you use the form factor argument to eliminate a bullet than one could overlook some proven performers. Example, the Lapua D46 or 170 Gr Lockbase in .308.

Remember, if you put a Bumble Bee through all the aeronautical "formula's" it's not supposed to be able to fly at all.

The correct term I believe is "Paralysis by Analysis". Take a bullet that people have found to be a good performer (read what winners are shooting), work up a load for it, than shoot and enjoy.

Yep.

I'd pick a couple, or a few, different boxes of quality bullets and spend some time seeing what works best. For the 30'06, I'd start at the 175gr class and move up, which should keep the OP busy for a few sessions.

People seem to think that the bullet with the highest BC, or FF is automatically the best and we all know that barrels can be picky and while Tier 1 bullet X might shoot great for me, it may shoot poorly in your weapon, so one needs to keep the initial investment down to a box, or two and go out and shoot.

OP should spend some time shooting them at 200 yds, if he can and see what he sees. I'd rather have a slightly dirtier bullet shooting cloverleafs at 200, than a slick as snot bullet shooting 1 MOA out of my rifle. You're never going to get that back out at 1k.

Chris

 

[grambo]

Yep I got banned, twice I posted the same bs in this thread so now I have a vacation.