.308 match ammo

Phoenix 44

Phoenix 44

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i am in search of some guidance.
i got into long distance shooting 100 -300M, bought a Savage Model 12VSS Varminter in .308 and some surplus ammo, i found the surplus ammo to be not consistence and i can never get a good group at 100M it seems to be all over the place with in a 4" circle. so i tried some winchester ammo and got better results, i do not reload .308 and an this point dont really want to get into it unless i have to.
my question is what do some of you recommend for ammo, Brand, bullet grain etc.....thst is available off the shelf.
thank you in advance.
 
Surplus ammo is generally not the most accurate fodder for precision work. It is produced by the millions to function reliably in any gun out there but pinpoint accuracy was never part of the design.

If you are going the store-bought route, I might suggest Federal match ammo, 168gr. But seriously, if precision is what you are after, reloading is the way to go. Your ammo dollar will go further, or you will shoot more for the same dollar and you won't have to worry that the next box of ammo is exactly the same as the last. It will be because you made it exactly the same.;)
 
You can set yourself up with a nice reloading kit for the price of 10 boxes of Match ammo. With store bought match ammo, you are not guaranteed it will shoot well in your rifle. It will not be as bad as surplus ammo. Handloading is the way to go to squeeze the most accuracy out of your rifle.
 
Surplus ammo was never intended to give match accuracy. Mind you, you may find that a different make of surplus will shoot better. Still not the best ammo for optimum accuracy.
Since you're not reloading, you'll have to try as many brands and bullet weights as you can to find the ammo your rifle likes. Try a box of Remington, the Federal and whatever else you can get. There's no guarantee that any one brand will shoot well out of your rifle though. Match ammo or not. The .308 loves 165 hunting bullets and 168 grain match bullets. Match grade ammo isn't cheap.
However, like joe-nwt(the reloading companies should be giving us a commission) says, the only way to get the absolute best accuracy is reloading. I'd stick with 165 grain hunting bullets and 168 or 175 grain match bullets with IMR4064. The 165's will kill any game you care to hunt. The 168 match bullets work best at ranges out to 600 yards. The 175 grain match bullets(Sierra Matchkings) past 600.
 
US GI specs for accuracy of 7.62 X51 ammo is that it will shoot in to 2.5 " at 100 yards from a machine rest. Add an inch for shooter error and a light gust of wind and you have your 4".

I just bought some nice looking Czech 7.62 X 51 FMJ and shot it thru my iron sighted Sportco. I wasn't impressed so it shot 10 rounds through my scoped Ruger 77 Mk II Varmint/target to test it. My Ruger VT shoots dime sized groups with my handloads but all it would do with the Czech FMJ was 4.5". Amittedly,I was shooting off a wood block with my fist under the the butt so there was likely some shooter error.

Most lots of older Canadian 7.62 (Da and IVI) only shoot about 2.5" groups.

So, when I read that someone with an open sighted M-305 shoots 2" groups all day long with SA surplus ammo I tend to be sceptical. I have a friend who shoots a five shot group with his FN L1A1 that may measure 4" but 3 shots might measure 2" so that is how he describes it, calling the other two shots "flyers". A group is center to center of the extreme shots, all of them.

Mil surplus ammo is cheap fun but gives only mediocre accuracy. Start handloading, cheaper and much less frustrating.
 
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There's no point in getting into precision shooting without reloading. Unless you're a millionaire and can afford thousands of rounds of 'match' ammo each year (and that's what it takes to get good) - but even then, you'll get better results with handloads.
 
thank you all for the overwhelming response.
after reading your comments i see the pathe i have to take is reloading myself.
i have only reloaded handgun ammo but i guess .308 is next
thank you again
 
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