Comparison: Sierra and Hornady in 168 gr BTHP

jcuffe6240

jcuffe6240

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Just looking to reload some new loads for my upgraded Remington 700 and wanted some opinions between Sierra and Hornady 168 gr bullets. I intend to do some load work ups but can't quite decide on which bullets to buy. Can anyone give me advice on either.
 
While I did not shoot Sierra & Hornady both at 168gr, I do shoot the Sierra 168gr MK and Hornady 178gr HPBT Match and both perform amazingly well and capable of sub 1/2MOA or possibly better but that's the accuracy limits of my rifle unfortunately.
 
What hornady bullet ?? The amax or match ?? I found the 168match to be a horrible bullet in my 700, jump or jam covered over 4.5 grain of powder weights it just wouldn't work ...

Now the 175smk .... (Yes I know it's not what you said you'd like to use ). Is a very easy bullet to load for from a .020 Jump to .010 jam it shoots the exact same with my chosen powder charge . When I was working up a load my accuracy node seemed to cover a .4grain charge weight span . Start to finish my load development was less then 35rounds . The 168match.. Well it was over 200 befor I said fuk this and gave up
 
The Hornady match bullets are often more easily available in Canada, and usually a bit cheaper too.

The Sierras are generally a less "fussy" bullet (less sensitive w.r.t. bullet seating depth and charge weight).

The Hornadys are usually a little bit better performance (wind drift) than the Sierras.

If you are shooting beyond 600 yards/metres, the Sierra 168 is a poor choice due to a specific quirk with that bullet. The Hornady 168 is OK beyond beyond 600m but there are better choices (Sierra 175, Hornady 178, Berger or Hornady or Sierra 155s, Berger 185s, etc...)

Factory .308W chambers in Rem 700s tend to have very long throats - for this reason it is a good idea to use a bullet that is unfussy w.r.t. jump length. So the Sierra 168 and 175 might give you better (or more easily achievable) accuracy than the Hornady 168 or 178.
 
Trinimon said:
While I did not shoot Sierra & Hornady both at 168gr, I do shoot the Sierra 168gr MK and Hornady 178gr HPBT Match and both perform amazingly well and capable of sub 1/2MOA or possibly better but that's the accuracy limits of my rifle unfortunately.
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With which rifle, Remington 700 or something else. What is your barrel length and rate of twist? The reason I ask is I use 168gr hornady match HPBT in my Swiss K31 with excellent results and I was hoping to use these for my R 700 SPS varmint with 26" barrel (.308).
 
I'm shooting a Remy 700 SPS Tac AAC-SD with factory 20" barrel with 1:10" twist.

Here's my load testing target. I'm definitely not the greatest shot by any means. A couple pulled shots on the bottom groups.

9901989994_aec8355cc5_b.jpg
 
Being that the 168 to 178/175 is very little to no cost difference, I'd run with the 175/178 variant.


Rather than testing and building a whole bunch of loads (and spending big bucks to develop them), try these two/three rounds first. Hornady 178 AMAX, 178 Match, 175 SMK.
 
Really doesn't matter which manufacturer. You load for the bullet weight, not the maker. Your intended use is more important. Do not use match bullets for hunting.
"...The amax or match??... The A-Max is a match grade bullet.
 
The 175 SMK is the 168 bullet with a longer boat tail. This mod was made for the USArmy, who wanted a 1000 yd bullet for the M14 match rifles.

I got a sample when they made the first batch and reported that they were easy to load for (not fussy). I did not test them for long range, but I did know that the 168 had been designed for 300 yard shooting and was not a good long range bullet. For long range the 190SMK works well, as doe the 155 gr Palma bullets from the various makers.

Given the Remington long throat, the 175 SMK or 175 Amax or 178 Horn match would be a good place to start.
 
I used to use the 168 SMK and 168 AMAX interchangeably in my TRG 21 with identical load and results. I did not shoot much past 700m though.
 
Locally for me there is a decent difference. The 178 hpbt are about $46/100 the 168 are $38/100 but a 250 ct box of 168 hpbt is $85. I bought a box of 100 168 hpbt and amax to compare but have not had a chance to shoot them yet. I'm hoping the 168 hpbt perform well enough to be a less expensive bullet for me to practice at 300 and 500. Time will tell if they're going to work for me.

Shibby! said:
Being that the 168 to 178/175 is very little to no cost difference, I'd run with the 175/178 variant.


Rather than testing and building a whole bunch of loads (and spending big bucks to develop them), try these two/three rounds first. Hornady 178 AMAX, 178 Match, 175 SMK.
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supernova said:
Locally for me there is a decent difference. The 178 hpbt are about $46/100 the 168 are $38/100 but a 250 ct box of 168 hpbt is $85. I bought a box of 100 168 hpbt and amax to compare but have not had a chance to shoot them yet. I'm hoping the 168 hpbt perform well enough to be a less expensive bullet for me to practice at 300 and 500. Time will tell if they're going to work for me.
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Understandable.

Good luck I'm sure out of those three you'll find one that works and it'll do 500y no problem.
 
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