Just bought a new old stock Rem 700 SPS tactical 308 with heavy barrel, now for the ammo. I am planning to load Hornady Interlock 150 gr and trying to decide which to use, boat tail or flat base. Has anyone here tried both and if so, what did you find most accurate. I don't want to buy a box of each only to find one is better, any help would be appreciated.
Boat Tail or Flat Base
- Thread starter gerard488
- Start date
Hmmm... Its easier to make a geometrically correct flat base bullet than a boat-tail. Sure you can buy match grade boat-tails at much greater expense, but for distances up to 300 y, I would go with the plain ol' Hornady flat-base spire points. I have proved this out more than once.
Probably a better question for the reloading forum. But since we're here...
Assuming you are using them for hunting, as long as you get "good enough" accuracy I would go with flat base - Even if the BT were "more" accurate.
Assuming you are using them for hunting, as long as you get "good enough" accuracy I would go with flat base - Even if the BT were "more" accurate.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
The most accurate bullet in your rifle will be the bullet that is the most accurate in your rifle.
I know that sounds like I'm being an arse, but the fact of the matter is that no one can say for sure what ammunition will perform in any given rifle, let alone what bullet will handload the best, without trying them in that rifle. For example, shortly after the turn of the century the Federal Gold Medal Match 168gr was considered about as good as ammo got for the 308 Winchester. I was the proud owner of a shiny new Savage 10 FP LE2B in 308. So, prior to developing a handload, I decided to try to GMM that I had on hand, because like the Scouts say...be prepared! Well that ammo flat out refused to shoot. I mean, it would hit the target, but it made a buckshot type pattern rather than a group. I acquired the requisite equipment and loaded up some 168gr A-Max with Varget and Federal 210M primers and, lo and behold, the first load I tried shot consistently 1/2 MOA, and would do better when I did my part. Done and dusted, as the kids on Instagram say. But had I taken the word of the people who had said "If it will shoot anything well, it will shoot GMM well", I would have been a very sad fellow, indeed!
168 and 175/78 gr bullets work best in my Rem heavy barrel 308's. - dan
Licensed to kill
CGN Regular
- Location
- Peace Country Alberta
This ^^^^^^^. Unless you are bench shooting competition, VERY few hunters can shoot well enough off hand to notice any difference in accuracy. Example, why do hunters test their loads for accuracy from a bench rather than off hand???. Because they can't shoot off hand well enough to tell the difference.
Bullets do not become more accurate at extended ranges.
Why would you pick a flat base even if the BT is more accurate? I wouldn't think the game would tell the difference?
You don't do load development off hand because it adds to many variables... it's not just hunters that use the bench to test loads for accuracy...
In a vacuum perhaps, but in the real world something that has a higher BC is going to seem more accurate at longer ranges.
As stated, for typical hunting distances out to 300 yrds, flat base will be very accurate. Being "more" accurate will depend on shooter and rifle. Benefits of boat-tails (higher BC) don't come into play until from 300 on out. BC never killed anything. A well-placed shot will.
Not even in a vacuum. Or maybe, especially not in a vacuum.
I think you misread what I said. I was saying that in a vacuum distance WOULDN'T impact accuracy, but in a real world situation where you have things like wind to deal with that higher BC is going to make a difference at longer ranges.
From what I've seen the guys shooting for tiny tiny groups in competition at 200-300m tend to use lighter weight flat base bullets, things like 60gr 6mm bullets, while guys shooting at 600+ almost exclusively look towards high BC stuff, like 105/107gr 6mm bullets. That seems to support the idea that BT bullets will be more accurate at longer ranges, while flat base tend to be more accurate at shorter ranges?
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Not a big deal, and I wouldn't be overly concerned if I had to use boat tail. But if I get to choose then it's flat base. The simplest reason is that on average, core-jacket separation tends to be worse with BT bullets.
The other issues are maybe a little more wordy: All things being equal (which they never really are), in light wind and at relatively short range (under 300yd?), the flat base bullet really should be more accurate than the BT bullet in the first place. If you're not already in this camp, it's a long story - Probably a good synopsis in this link: www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/boattail-vs-flat-base-projectiles/375628
So let's say you worked up your most accurate loads with both flat base and boat tail versions of the same bullet, and you found that the load with the BT bullet was more accurate. First, it's probably not much of a difference, and not enough to matter at the relatively short ranges we're talking here. Second, there's a good chance that the difference you measured is just because you have been unlucky with stacking errors, and the BT actually isn't more accurate. It can happen.
My two cents: The only good reasons to use BT bullets over an otherwise identical FB bullet is if you are actually going to benefit from the higher ballistic coefficient, and if you just really like how easy they are to seat.
Interesting, I hadn't heard that before.
Also thanks for the link to the Gunsandammo article. Interesting piece, and while I wish they tested more than 1 cartridge its useful information none the less.
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Some are easier to hit with though.
To my understanding flat base bullets have better penetration. More weight behind the mushroom after expansion.
Correct me if I’m wrong?
You won’t see the benefits of a boat tail vs flat base inside 300yrd. That wouldn’t stop me from using it if it was more accurate.
In my almost 15yrs of hunting I have not had to take a shot past 300yds at big game
Heavy for caliber RNFB would have been just fine for everything lol.
Correct me if I’m wrong?
You won’t see the benefits of a boat tail vs flat base inside 300yrd. That wouldn’t stop me from using it if it was more accurate.
In my almost 15yrs of hunting I have not had to take a shot past 300yds at big game
Heavy for caliber RNFB would have been just fine for everything lol.
Weight for weight, the BT will retain more velocity longer, shooting flatter and bucking cross-winds better. That being said, I have found at 100 yards, flat base bullets do shoot a bit tighter groups... but not enough difference to really worry about when blasting ground hogs.
