168gr Sierra Bullets
- Thread starter oneadam12
- Start date
Used them a great deal in the past. As my target distances increased I moved up to 175/178 And 190 gr in my 308's. They were quite accurate. - dan
168 SMK's were designed in the 1960's for shooting 300m ISU. Not a really great bullet for long range. We did shoot 168 FGM down in Trinidad a couple years ago, they worked great but we only shot out to 600 yards.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Assuming you are going to be competing at Nokomis, do consider moving to the 200's. If recoil is the only issue, there are ways to mitigate.
The improvement in ballistics is massive vs anything lighter
Jerry
The improvement in ballistics is massive vs anything lighter
Jerry
I have used a boat load of 168gr bullets,. Speer, Sierra and Hornady. The Sierras are always my favorite. But the Speers are a close second. They shoot very well out to the 500 mark. But past that I have found the 175 to be far superior.
Thanks for all the feedback guys. Recoil is not an issue and performance to 1000m is a must. I will think heavier. I am worried about chambering 200’s in one of the guns, maybe two, which is why I am not going there.
Unfortunately I see I got a few PM’s about this topic but can’t open them until I am near a desktop computer in a couple days.
Unfortunately I see I got a few PM’s about this topic but can’t open them until I am near a desktop computer in a couple days.
The Sierra's were designed to be a superior bullet to 300M for the Mexican Olympics years ago and have a 13 degree boattail at the back. If you buy a 168 with a 7 degree boattail such as a Berger you will not have the destabilization issues of the Sierra's out to 1000 yards. It is a specific bullet design issue and that is why the 175's were developed. Some US ranges will not let you shoot Sierra 168's out of a 308 out to 1000 yards because they are too dangerous to the target pullers.
Having said the above, the 185 and 200 grain bullets are superior at the longer ranges as mentioned.
Having said the above, the 185 and 200 grain bullets are superior at the longer ranges as mentioned.
1:10 twist seems to shoot the 168smk quite well. If you up your velocity a little bit they will work great out to 900. But like everyone said already, go up in weight or simply change to the Hornady 168 and you won't have that problem. 175 will work even better!
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
I run the Sierra 200gr MK (new gen) and the Berger 200-20X from the M852 chamber... some factory chambers have longer throats. Yes, that is the sniper chamber built around the 168gr MK... so if your rifles currently feed and shoot the 168gr MK well at short range, they can be made to work with the 200's at LR.
And yes, the 175gr MK is a much better choice for LR work (as the US Army figured out many years ago)... but still much handicapped vs the new gen 200s
I would not suggest going into anything heavier as they will need a longer throat
If I can help, let me know thanks
Jerry
I have been shooting 147 and 155 grains at 1000 at Nokomis so anything heavier is a big step up in the windage department. The chamber in my PGW (M852) and 700 will take some of the 200’s but the third rifle is tighter so I am settling on a 175/185.
My TR has a Bisley 155 chamber so it gets nothing but that and even then the neck size is very particular.
Thanks again everyone for the input.
My TR has a Bisley 155 chamber so it gets nothing but that and even then the neck size is very particular.
Thanks again everyone for the input.
