Currently I am not reloading but plan to once finished my current session of trade school. So before that there is nothing stopping me from dropping a little $$ here and there on factory ammo to go experiment with. I have grown bored with the standard 100 yard groups and am trying to get some good groups at 200 yards. I am using a heavy barrel savage .308 10fcp with the HS precision stock. It has a RH 1:10" twist and I am wondering if any of us have found a decent factory ammo that preforms well at 200 yards? If so what brand and weight bullet are you flinging out there that are putting a smile on your face?
best factory ammo for tight 200 yard groups with a savage 10fcp .308
- Thread starter spenom
- Start date
I used the 155gr Lapua in my 10 FCP McMillan (same gun different stock) and I could score hits on gongs at 700 yards with extreme regularity. I never did any groups with it at all but it may be worth trying..
Get a hold of Peter at Hirsch Precision (a board sponsor) he can set you up.
Get a hold of Peter at Hirsch Precision (a board sponsor) he can set you up.
shotgunjoe
CGN Regular
- Location
- winnipeg mb
Federal blue box, I tried it through a fcp and was extremelu surprised at the accuracy.
However that being said every gun is a law unto its own when it comes to what it likes.
However that being said every gun is a law unto its own when it comes to what it likes.
Sounds like a case of weak scope magnification or parallax setting maybe...
I have a 15 power bushnell 3500 with the mil dot reticule. I dislike the fat crosshair used in this scope. I also think I would like more magnification would help. I have an adjustable paralax and it was set for 200. How exactly can the paralax setting mess with the grouping? say it was off would the the shots not all still group albeit not on their intended target?
To set the paralax for any distance, rest the rifle front and back and move your eye earound without touching the rifle. If reticle does not move on target, paralax is set. This setting is often (usually) not the distance marked on the ring.
If paralax is not set, it will add inches to the group size.
Each rifle will have its own preference for ammo. Buy every brand of match ammo you see, and shoot them carefully on a calm day.
Make sure action screws are tight, but not too tight, unless rifle is pillar bedded.
If paralax is not set, it will add inches to the group size.
Each rifle will have its own preference for ammo. Buy every brand of match ammo you see, and shoot them carefully on a calm day.
Make sure action screws are tight, but not too tight, unless rifle is pillar bedded.
OK. Good point I was just setting the paralax for the distance indicated on the scope. One question I have about magnification is "how much is needed?" I can see how 15 power will be fine for 200 yards but once I start to reach out to 300 and then 400 I will be wanting more for tight groups right? Is there any kind of rule of thumb or standard for set distances VS amount of magnification?
The width of your crosshair corresponds to an angle hopefully smaller than the accuracy of your rifle, so you're probably not covering up your target with your crosshair. You only need more power to make out the object you want to shoot at a given distance. The rule of thumb I beleive is that 3x or 4x for every 100yds of distance for target shooting... something like that.
shotgunjoe
CGN Regular
- Location
- winnipeg mb
Spenom, I used a 16x weaver scope all the way out o 1000 yds and shot good groups, while benchrest shooters will use a higher powe scope most local F class shooters stay under 20x as mirage gets to be too hard to look at. So depending on the width of your cross hairs 15x should work just fine.
Fed
Federal Gold Match 168 Gr, I shot these babies up to 900 yards, 1MOA or better. There is also a 175 gr. version, same accuracy but different ballistics obviously.
For scope, I have a Leupold, max. magnification is 10X. With a good spotter, you can shoot up to 1000 yards easy.
Your rifle scope is not to see your bullet holes on target, it's to aim. Get a spotting scope to see your targets.
Without a spotter, then it becomes much more difficult as higher magnification equals more problem with mirage as shotgunjoe just pointed out.
Nic
Federal Gold Match 168 Gr, I shot these babies up to 900 yards, 1MOA or better. There is also a 175 gr. version, same accuracy but different ballistics obviously.
For scope, I have a Leupold, max. magnification is 10X. With a good spotter, you can shoot up to 1000 yards easy.
Your rifle scope is not to see your bullet holes on target, it's to aim. Get a spotting scope to see your targets.
Without a spotter, then it becomes much more difficult as higher magnification equals more problem with mirage as shotgunjoe just pointed out.
Nic
