Bullet of choice for HK SL8??

[crout]

So.... what's everyone's bullet of choice and how is your accuracy?
I'm leaning towards the 75gr hornady BTHP. I was going to use the amax but they are way too long to fit in the case properly. I guess i could cut the case neck down a bit to get a good crimp below the bullet ogive but that seems like work.
I have a list as long as my arm for other possible contenders but the hornady is winning so far. It's affordable too.

 

[cr5]

Mine liked 62gr Nosler, I think they were the Varmageddon pills, they also shot well in my buddy's SL8-4.
I'd have to check my books to see what the load was but I'm guessing it may have been CFE223 under it.

 

[crout]

bump this back up to see if anyone else is shooting something different

 

[kb007]

I had some pretty good results with 52 gr Hornady bthp match using imr 4320

 

[AB.boy]

Mine liked the 69gr Sierra Match Kings over Varget. If I did my job right it would produce groups under an inch at 100 yards.

 

[Brian46]

mine shot very well with factory loaded 69 and 77gr SMK's, heavier bullets performed better in my experience

 

[Moe]

Mine liked 69gr SMK and 60gr Nosler Balistic tip.

Moe

 

[redshooter]

1 in 9 or 1 in 7 twist barrel? If memory serves it's 1 in 9 and if so as a rule you don't want any bullet over 69 gr. Hornady, Sierra, and Nosler make 75/77 gr bullets that will be good as well. If you have access to Applied Ballistics you can see the stability figures for most match and many other projectiles. If money isn't an issue 69 or 77 gr Sierra Match Kings. If your poor like me then, Hornady 75 gr HPBT Match for any serious shooting and 55 gr V-Max at reduced velocities for practice at short range. Many of the Berger VLD's, Hornady 75 gr A-Max/68 gr HPBT, and any others over 75 gr won't likely stabilize at the Velocities your likely to see unless your at high altitude, or have high temp/humidity.

Also everyone loves Varget...I use H-4895, it's magic in .223 and .308 and you can produce stupid slow reduced loads with it as well in just about any other cartridge.

 

[Rich LPS]

HK rilfe barrels are 1 in 7.

Rich

 

[caramel]

I really hit the nod wit Fiocchi Extrema 77gr factory ammo...
This ammo was MOA and better right out of the box...
1 in 7 ROT will favor those heavy .224 bullets... JP.

 

[crout]

I picked up some 75gr hornady bthp in the end. The price was right.
I wish they made the mags and magwell opening a hair longer so i could lead some longer bullets.
I thing an 80gr amax would be the bullet of choice in the hk sl8.

 

[cr5]

What distance are you looking to shoot?
If you're just looking for good groups under 200 yards with good terminal performance a lighter bullet will be fine and you'll just have to try different ones to find what your barrel likes.
If you want good groups at 300 yards and beyond you'll want to go 60gr or heavier to take advantage of the 7 twist barrels ability to stabilize those longer projectiles.
I've seen 7 twist barrels shoot 50gr bullets sub moa at closer ranges but those light bullets don't perform well past 200-300 yards.

You can't overstabilize a bullet so your 7 twist may shoot any weight of bullet well.
You can spin a bullet too fast though and it will come apart when it leaves the muzzle. Most light varmint bullets will handle it but it's always best to check with the manufacturer if you try them and are getting erratic performance.
Every barrel is different so no one can tell you what will work best in your barrel, we can only tell you what has worked for us in the past and as you can see you are getting all different answers. With a tighter twist barrel you will most likely have the best performance with longer (heavier) projectiles but don't rule out trying and using shorter (lighter) projectiles if you won't be shooting beyond 200-300 yards.

I've owned two SL8-4's in the past and both would shoot 77gr match loads into less than an inch at 100 yards, my last one also shot my 62gr loads into less than an inch (most of the time) and did well with hornady 55gr v-max factory loads as well.
You're just going to have to try a bunch of different loads and see what happens.
HK use Lothar Walther barrels so it shouldn't be too hard to find something it likes.

Just remember that even though you're shooting one of the most accurate semi auto's available it's still not a precision bolt action so if you can find a load that shoots 1 moa or slightly better most of the time be happy. You will not be making 1/2 moa groups with this rifle no matter what projectile you choose no matter how much time you spend on load development. Have realistic goals and you'll enjoy the rifle a lot.

 

[redshooter]

I think an 80gr amax would be the bullet of choice in the hk sl8.

Assuming the ejection port has enough room, 80gr Match bullets seated long and loaded through the port could be a good choice. Referring to cr5's post, purpose dictates choice, so an 80gr match bullet would be ideal for shooting out to 600 m (capable of a bit more too). If you are shooting that far you have a pretty wide selection of 75gr-80.5gr match bullets. The VLD's (some Bergers, the 75 A-Max, and the 90's) can be sensitive to seating depth, and of course the real heavy bullets need to be seated long to get as much velocity as possible. I doubt the 20" tube will get anything over 80gr going fast enough to benefit from the superior BC never mind having to screw with the seating depth.

Probably best not to bother with VLD's. If your shooting under 300 m there's no benefit to a boattail bullet (I'd argue it's a handicap). A FB bullet like a 55/60gr V-Max will likely give you your best short to mid range groups. If your going to shoot beyond 300 (even a little) the Hornady 75gr HPBT, or 77gr SMK should serve you well. It's been my experience that Sierra makes a better bullet, but I've had great results with the Hornady's in my last 223 bolt gun, and Hornady bullets are quite a bit cheaper than Sierra's.