solid turned bullets for 308

B

black_ump

Gunny Sergeant
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Jul 16, 2007
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erie,pa 16334
#1
does any one used them ? i see them a lot for 338lm, but they dont seem so popular ( at lease i havent noticed ) in the 30 cal class of shooters.

I shoot smk's and i know lots of you guys use the lapua brand as well maybe the lapua's and barns bullets are solid bullets and iam just not aware of it.

do the solid turned bullets shoot better ( more accurate ) then the jacketed bullets like the smk's ? and where can a person get ( if they are available ) solid turned bullets, i am curious to see how much these things run

thanks in advance
 
#2
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

I did some research on them about a year ago and they do exist (if you really want, PM me and I will find the ones I came across), and they are very expensive. Some not so much as others but for the most part they are very expensive to shoot. And how it was explained to me is that the smaller calibers don't reap the benefits that the larger bore calibers like 338+ will so on top of being expensive it's apparently also counterproductive from what i've read/been told. I'd love to get a handfull of a few different brands to test for myself but I don't have the resources to do so and won't for a while.

Hope this helps,
-Dylan
 
#4
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

Are you talking about solid copper, brass, bronze or steel? They will be light. Make sure you have a rifling/twist that will shoot them or you will be wasting yout time.
 
#5
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

The link provided for .338LM said the guy shot five holes through a 3/4" steel plate at 400 yards
eek.gif
, that is insane.
 
#6
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

thanks for the link i have a 10 twist barrel, and I never hear any one talking about them so i was curious as to why ?

25 bullets for 36 dollars i can understand why, it would be so interesting to try them out though.

hey guys thanks for the heads up
 
#7
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

I've been turning my own for about the last year or so. There are a few advantages to be had with a fast .30 cal, and a 1-10" twist. None of the big manufacturers makes a bullet that fully takes advantage of the 10" twist rate. I've gotten better b.c.'s than anything commercially available, and performance on game has been very good.

Bullettest2_13crop.jpg
 
#8
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Trigger29</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've been turning my own for about the last year or so. There are a few advantages to be had with a fast .30 cal, and a 1-10" twist. None of the big manufacturers makes a bullet that fully takes advantage of the 10" twist rate. I've gotten better b.c.'s than anything commercially available, and performance on game has been very good.

Bullettest2_13crop.jpg
</div></div>

turning your own bullets holy shit.. thats cool as all hell

if you dont mind what kind of copper are you using ? any special heat treat ?

if you dont mind pm'ing me i would love a print of your bullet when i get back on a cnc lathe id love to make my own
 
#9
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

Straight copper. HO4 full hard. Sorry, the design is top secret.
grin.gif
They are 200gr., and drop data shows G1 b.c. to be just a hair over .7. Testing is ongoing. When all testing is complete they may be available for public sale. Unfortunately, with material prices being what they are, they will not fall into the price range of the average match bullets.
 
#10
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

The theory is that solid monometal projectiles have less variation in weight and profile and can be produced in profiles that yield higher BC than typical cup and core bullets. This comes from the bullets being machined rather than swaged.

Check out GSCustom bullets from South Africa as well. They have some posts here on the 'hide as well. Try the 'Hide google search.

The GSCustom bullets also offer a technology (driving bands) that allows them to be pushed to higher velocities than similar weight bullets with no increase in system pressure. They also offer less barrel wear than other designs (Dynamic Research Predator) because of lower engraving forces and softer alloys (copper vs gilding metal/brass/bronze).

I have a box of the 176 Predators from Dynamic Research. I will load some up for my .308 when I get home. I will not have much time so I will probably just pick a known accuracy charge of powder for a basic test. I do not remember the BC value but it is pretty high I believe.

tater
 
#13
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

tell me this, why does siarra make all their match bullets in HP vs fmj ? if the hp isnt going to open up then why make it in an fmj ?

i seen the south african bullets some years ago, seems like they are the only game in town.

maybe i should design my own bullets and when i get lathe time bang bang
 
#15
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jerry M</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sierra makes a 150 grain FMJ .30 caliber projectile. Shoot away!

Good luck

Jerry </div></div>


I had no idea, i think i will make a visit to their web sight now
 
#16
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

The BC of the FMJ bullets is not that good.

I would imagine some reasons HP bullets are used for match ammo vs FMJ are the accuracy to which the core can be swaged into the jacket and then shaping/closing the base accurately enough. In older bullets the exposed lead core at the base can cause issues in modern high pressure loads like lead vapor and bullet deformation I think.


We need input from an expert, I'm just speculating here!

tater
 
#17
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

tater said:
The BC of the FMJ bullets is not that good.

I would imagine some reasons HP bullets are used for match ammo vs FMJ are the accuracy to which the core can be swaged into the jacket and then shaping/closing the base accurately enough. In older bullets the exposed lead core at the base can cause issues in modern high pressure loads like lead vapor and bullet deformation I think.


We need input from an expert, I'm just speculating here!

tater [/quote

sounds good enough to me thanks for your input
Click to expand...
 
#19
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tater</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The BC of the FMJ bullets is not that good.

I would imagine some reasons HP bullets are used for match ammo vs FMJ are the accuracy to which the core can be swaged into the jacket and then shaping/closing the base accurately enough. In older bullets the exposed lead core at the base can cause issues in modern high pressure loads like lead vapor and bullet deformation I think.


We need input from an expert, I'm just speculating here!

tater </div></div>

The controllability/repeatability of the bullet base geometry is far more important than the exact shape of the meplat (bullet tip) and the OTM design is driven by making a bullet which the base can be controlled at all costs.

Open base FMJ's are machine gun grade bullets, yes, they can be improved upon what is currently out there but the tooling necessities to form a bullet in that manner hurts the repeatability of the bullet.

James, before you get too far into making your own bullets on a lathe, I just spent some time on a CNC lathe cutting a few of my own design. The copper bar for making 65 bullets cost me 80 bucks.
 
#22
Re: solid turned bullets for 308

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bohem</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tater</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The BC of the FMJ bullets is not that good.

I would imagine some reasons HP bullets are used for match ammo vs FMJ are the accuracy to which the core can be swaged into the jacket and then shaping/closing the base accurately enough. In older bullets the exposed lead core at the base can cause issues in modern high pressure loads like lead vapor and bullet deformation I think.


We need input from an expert, I'm just speculating here!

tater </div></div>

The controllability/repeatability of the bullet base geometry is far more important than the exact shape of the meplat (bullet tip) and the OTM design is driven by making a bullet which the base can be controlled at all costs.

Open base FMJ's are machine gun grade bullets, yes, they can be improved upon what is currently out there but the tooling necessities to form a bullet in that manner hurts the repeatability of the bullet.

James, before you get too far into making your own bullets on a lathe, I just spent some time on a CNC lathe cutting a few of my own design. The copper bar for making 65 bullets cost me 80 bucks. </div></div>

This is exactly the reason. The base is the most important part of the bullet.
 
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