I am pretty new to reloading so I have a question............ I have loaded Hornaday both molly and hollow point. I have also loaded Nosler ballistic tips and Speer ....... Question is..... how do I know which of the dozens of bullets out there to try? Some of them arent cheap!! When at Gander, I saw some competition bullets from Nosler, I think. I would like to be as accurate as possible, even at short ranges. What should I stay away from and what is a good bullet to buy? Thanks for the help

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What caliber are you loading? Are you hunting or target shooting?

For target shooting it is hard to beat the Sierra MatchKing series of bullets. Pretty much if a rifle won't shoot them, it won't shoot. But they are not for hunting, except possibly varmints.

For everyday USA deer hunting it is hard to beat Hornady for a combination of performance and price.

Give us more information, there's a lot of experience here. Don't expect the same advice from everybody, though, that's why all those bullet makers are still in business!

Don

I have had really good luck with Nosler Ballistic-Tips in several calibers. I use the Noslers with BR-2-CCI-Bench Rest primers and IMR-4350 powder. In my .243 this combination will shoot 1/4" groups.

I also use Nosler BT in many calibers. My .22 centerfires eat up the 55gr and my .300 Win loves the 180gr pills (I like to shoot the heavier bullets due to less wind deflection at looong ranges).

HOWEVER,
1) If I am shooting for fur, I use the Hornady 35gr BT in my .223 (the .220 Swift keyholes them at 4200fps if they don't blow up before they reach the target, they were meant for the .22 Hornet).

2) The Sierra 55gr BT (green) shoot the same point-to-aim as the Nosler BT in the same weight (at least up to 200m, I have not compared them at 600yds).

WHAT IS YOUR:
1) Application (target, fur, varmint, deer, lion, ect)
2) Caliber (.223, .30-30, .30-06, .458 Win, .50 BMG)
2) Range (looong, brush, 100yds, 600yds)

[This message has been edited by BMG (edited 07-10-2001).]

BMG,
Please don't take this as criticism, but Hunter333 is a novice by his own admission and, where we all know that heavier bullets usually have better BC values than lighter bullets of the same construction, and buck wind better for that reason, he may assume it is the weight. So to put it correctly, within a given caliber, higher BC values and higher speed will give less wind drift.

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Gerard Schultz
GS Custom Bullets

I am shooting a 30-06 at paper targets. The longest that I can shoot is 200 yards, still looking for a longer range...... I am interested in shooting a longer distance and am working toward that.
Gerard....... what does BC values mean? I think I have a lot more studying to do I have a deer load that works well but this target shooting/long range shooting is a whole different ballgame.
I have a good rest but have yet to shoot laying down (prone?) What is the best posistion to be in? Thanks for all the help!

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Gerard- No offense taken. I didn't even realize that I offended anyone, if I did, I'm sorry.

Hunter333- BC is the Ballistic Coefficent, or how easily something 'slips/cuts' through the air. A .22cal centerfire bullet had a BC of around .23 to .30 depending on the bullet profile, style, length, composition, ect. A .30cal bullet will have a BC around .40 to .60 (and in extreme cases, a BC of .90 for long streamlined solid copper bullets). A .50BMG bullet will have a BC of around .68 for military profiles designed to carry a specific payload and .90 to 1.09 for long range target bullets. What this means in a nutshell is that the BMG bullet, with a high BC, will be less affected by wind than a .22cal bullet, however, a BMG bullet with a BC of .68 will be 'pushed' more by the wind than a .30cal with a .90 BC. If you don't get this, dont worry, it will come in time.

What make & brand of rifle do you have, others might have the same one and this might help you narrow things down. All rifles are different, even two of the same make & model, but sometimes they correlate closely.
As a starting point: Try a 160-180gr Nosler BT for an accurate hunting bullet, and a 160-190gr Sierra Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) Match bullet for varmints & long range accuracy.
One last thing, when you work up a load, the highest velocity load isn't always the most accurate. Go with the most accurate, not the fastest load. Good shooting.

BMG,

Gerard was just correcting your statement about "heaviest" bullet being best. His monometal bullets have good BCs, but are lighter than the Sierras of equal BC. He wasn't offended by your statement, he wanted to make sure you weren't put out by his correction.

Hunter333,

Depending on the throat in your rifle, the heavier Sierra or Hornady match bullets might do better than the 168s. For long range (out to 1000 yards) I would consider the 175 gr SMK as the minimum. It has a different boat-tail than the 168 and carries a lot better - I believe it carries better than the 180 and you have to go up to the 195 to beat it.

Don

Hunter333,

When I shot service rifle match's (some years ago LOL), we used to use 168 gr Sierra Matchkings for all stages 100-1000 yds. Unless the wind was up, then we would switch to the 180 Sierra Matchkings. At the time (80's) it was the most accurate bullet made. I doubt thier quality has gone down since. If you are only shooting to 200 yds, you might consider the 155 gr Sierra "Palma" Matchking bullets. It might also depend on the twist rate of your barrel. What rifle are you shooting, and is the barrel factory or not? Bullet seating depth can also effect accuracy more than some poeple might realize.

I would recommend getting an over all length cartridge guage to measure the distance from the base of the brass to the ogive point in the throat of your barrel. No two rifles will like the exact same bullet seating depth, even two that came off the production line one behind the other. The fun thing is in the experimentation. If I could suggest, get a notebook and keep notes on load developement, and rifle performance, including any mods you make to the rifle. Good notes can sure help.

Hunter333,
i like to use 165g hornady spbt in the ruger .30-06 it will also do well with the 165g hornady flat base bullet both with 47.9g
of 4064. just tried a 168g match by nosler (the new j4) and it did very well with 45.9g
of 4064. it probably isn's the fastest load you could use but for my hunting rifle the groups when i do my job stay at about 3/4 to
1 inch at 100yds, and a bit bigger at 200.
this is for a straight factory rifle with just having the action bedded and barrel floated. with a trigger job it should be a bit more accurate. half of the fun is experimenting with different loads and bullets to see what you and your rifle is capable of. just remember to keep it safe and most of all fun. Dave

Hello Hunter,

The Nosler Balistic tip 180gr will do fine at 200 yards for both paper and deer. This will be all the bullet you need for both. I have gotten fine results from my 30.06 and 300WM from this bullet. Keep it simple. Bullet performance on game is well known and it IS an accurate bullet. Sierra Matchkings are only good for paper and large rodents. Sierra Gamekings are also an option and are less expensive but I've only loaded about 20 rounds and cannot comment further. But the bullet does show promise. I cut both in half to compare. The nosler has a solid base and a shorter boatail while the Gameking has a thin base(almost the same as the jacket) and a long streamlined boatail. My 30.06 likes 56.7gr of IMR4350 which pushes it kind of fast at 2830fps. It has shot 1.49" at 300 yards with the Noslers. S W E E T !

Sierra's are "best-buy" for target.
Many, many matches won with them.
Agree with above post - with other
standards a given - "if it won't shoot
Sierra's it's not gonna shoot anything."
But, their bullets are built for
accuracy as a priority.

Nosler Partitions for hunting. Impact
perfomance is everything when hunting
game. Not so when shooting for score on
paper. Nosler partition's cost twice
as much as Sierra's but what is an
extra 25 cents considering all the other
prep expenses in hunting as well as
confidence in a bullet that will "fer sure"
do it's thing when it's called upon?
Now you might not get 1/2 minute accuracy
out of them, but I almost always get a
minute. This is more than enough for game.
I have been hunting for 30 years. Never had
any kind of bullet failure with partitions.

c.

When I started reloading, I wish someone would have told me to KEEP GOOD NOTES. The time I could have saved.........

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Gerard Schultz
GS Custom Bullets

I had to print this out to try to keep it all straight Thanks for the help everyone!!

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I have really good luck with 165 grain Nosler Ballistic-Tips (or 165 Nosler Partitions) and 58.5 grains of IMR4350. In my Model 70 Winchester Boss, this combination shoots groups under an inch at 200 yards. I have used this same load in probably 7-8 .30-06's over the years and it has shot well in all of them.

Robbnsc,

I just acquired the same rifle and am looking for the "perfect" load for it. I also just happen to have some H4350 and some 165gr Nosler ballistic tips. If I may, a few more questions about your load:
What kind of primers are you using?
OAL of the cartrige?
Brand of brass?
Full length resize?
BOSS sweat spot?

Thanks for any info

I have only used Winchester Magnum primers. As for the brass, they are all different but most of them have been RP. I started sorting my brass just the other day so I dont have any current data to give in regards to a specific brass (shame on me) As I said, I have not been reloading very long and am still learning the ropes
yes, full length resize.
Not sure what you mean by BOSS spot.......
I am trying to be a lot more specific with everything I do but to this point, it has just been a hoot reloading and shooting within an inch at 100 yards I aspire to improve that at greater distances, thats for sure!! With the expertise of the people here, I will get there before too long I hope!!

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Hunter333
Do I read you right when you are using magnum primers,for your .30-06 ???
DONT DO THAT...Just use regular primers. They work fine and are ment for the ordinary calibers.
The magnum primers are much hotter, and are doing no good in a standared caliber as a .30-06. For paper target shooting, do as many of the guys have recommended, stay with Sierra Match King. For hunting big game with the .30-06 the only bullet you ever need looking for is the time proven Nosler Partition. Choose the 180 gr. bullet, and forget about 165 or 150 gr. The slight increase in speed with the lighter bullets, dont make up for the better ballistic and termal performance of the 180 gr.
Well...that�s my opinion. Good luck !!
Best regards Arild

Ooops....Slipped again, it should read terminal performence, and not termal. Thats somthing quite different
Arild

Yes, I WAS using primers for magnum loads. I didnt know what to use and the guy at the gun shop has been reloading for a long time and suggested that I use them. I will try something different. Thanks for the tip

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Hud,
What I do, is start at the "factory sweet spot" and leave it there, doing careful load development. Get your best load. Then move the boss around in small increments, noting "trends" in group size. What is actually happening here is "best of best" tuning.

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Safety & Ethics,Accuracy, Velocity, Energy
Joe M

Hunter333:

An observation on BC's that help me visulise them.

It seems that BC is based on a 'standard' bullet that loses 1/2 its energy at 1,000 yards.

Therefore, the BC of a bullet is that portion of 1,000 yards a bullet will travel to lose 1/2 its energy.

A 30-06 bullet with 2900 ft-lbs of energy and a BC of .440 will have 1450 ft-lbs of energy at 440 yards.

NOTE: This is only for bullets well above the speed of sound so don't expect this to be valid below 2,000 ft/sec.

Also, be aware that the BC varies because it is deformed by shooting and especially by the variation in air density caused by temperature and altitude.

JerryO