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Failsafes and accuracy.
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What has been your experience with these? I just got some 160 gr for my 7mm rem mag. Any suggested loads? Also are they moly or lubalox?
 
Posts: 3865 | Location: Cheyenne, WYOMING, USA | Registered: 13 June 2000Reply With Quote
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Failsafes are moly coated.They tend to be tempermental as to which rifles they shoot well in.
 
Posts: 3104 | Location: alberta,canada | Registered: 28 January 2002Reply With Quote
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The original FS is coated with Lubalox, a dry substance that I believe is not a lubricant like moly is. The new FS, made by Combined Technologies is moly coated, but if I well remember Cabela's advertises it as "Lubalox" coated, so it is possible that both versions are available.

The FS bullet is not a match grade bullet, so don't expect "supper" accuracy. It is a bullet designed for hunting, and it is almost a solid except that its front portion will peel back over itself on impact providing some expansion. It is much like a Barnes-X, except that it its base is filled with lead. This lead is contained by a steel cup or cylinder to prevent it from flowing out on impact.

My reasons for using FS bullets are as follows: Penetration through bone and flesh, some expansion if possible. Supper accuracy is not a factor for my type of hunting, just enough accuracy. I have killed moose with one shot from 100 yards to 250 yards.

 
Posts: 2448 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 25 May 2002Reply With Quote
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POP,

Here is several tips on shooting & loading Failsafes:

1 Seat Failsafes a minimum of .050" from the lands, these are homogenous copper bullets and a little jump prevents pressure spikes.

2 Start with a clean barrel. This means removing all traces of copper from previous bullets you have been shooting in your rifle. I recommend a good scrubbing with JB borecleaner with Sweets or CR10 as your solvent. Fire several fouling shots with the Failsafes before you begin load development.

A friend of mine shoots the 160FS in his 7Mag. He has taken two bull elk with this bullet, both one-shot kills, one was at a lasered range of 437yds. He also shoots the 140FS in his Mod 7, 7-08. To date no big animals but he reports a complete pass-thru on a buck deer which was facing him head on at around 100yds. I have personally shot several .6-.7" groups with this little rifle and 140grFSs off the bench at 100yds. We use Varget for this 7-08. For the 7mag and 160grFSs, we use RL22 and Fed 215 primers. This rifle is a Browning Boss and will group down to .6-.7 also. Hope this helps, sure-shot

 
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Pop, I managed to get decent accuracy (0.7-0.8", 3 shots)out of a 165 grs FailSafe in a 30-06 with 58 grs of IMR 4350. Note: this load is 1 grs over the max most manuals specify. I have this load from an article in Rifle Mag by John Barsness. John is of the opinion (probably correctly so) that a 30-06 is loaded to lower pressures than a .270 Win, so one can push the envelope a bit if one works up from below.

I personally don't like coated bullets - as they have a funny way of changing POI (as well as pressure) when you shoot both coated and non-coated bullets. So I elected to tumble my FailSafes long enough until the coating was (almost) gone. Did not seem to affect accuracy. I had to remove bits of tumbling media from the hollow point noses, though. Pain in the posterior... I don't strictly *know* I had to do that, but I was worried about expansion otherwise.

 
Posts: 6653 | Location: Switzerland | Registered: 11 March 2002Reply With Quote
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