Could a commercial hunting bullet win a Match or a Challenge....

[caramel]

Was looking at pictures in my photobucket account and i found one of a group i've done a while ago 308 165 gr Superformance... .65 group @ 200 metres, now just wondering if it did happen that someone with good commercial hunting ammo won a Challenge or a Match... JP.

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[Boomer]

A Keneyathelon match comes to mind as one where a good hunting load could dominate the field. It was designed to replicate the shooting problems associated with real hunting scenarios (choosing to shoot or not shoot at target(s), set out at an unknown range(s), under time constraint, from field positions, while on the move, where each hit is scored as 1 point and each miss as 2) and as such weighed field marksmanship ahead of rifle accuracy. But who can remember when the last one ran? As such a Kenyathelon match wouldn't be terribly interesting for those invested in pure rifle accuracy and their ability to exploit that level of accuracy under the conditions set forth by the rules of the particular match they're participating in. Thus Keneyathelon has pretty much dropped off the radar, although it exists in one form or another at schools that teach practical field shooting marksmanship skills.

 

[SKScanuck]

Easily.

I find it is the person behind the gun that is more of a factor than the bullet or rifle choice. Although having a good selection for all three AND good nerves really helps.

 

[MiG25]

largely it is the musician that makes the music, not the instrument.

 

[mlehtovaara]

Problems with hunting bullets for the application would be soft points deforming or greater variation in weight than match grade stuff, that could cause a flyer here or there.

This is the reason those super-performance bullets were developed though no?

The polymer tips negate the issue with soft points anyways, and the only issue would be bullet weight consistency. You could way your bullets and load your batches according to the weights of the bullets, and negate that issue.

Long story short, I don't see why not.

 

[Eagleye]

When "hunter" class competition was more restrictive in 1000 yards, I won 2 or 3 times shooting a hunting bullet.
Possibility always exists that your rifle may really like a certain hunting bullet.
Eagleye.

 

[AlexF]

When "hunter" class competition was more restrictive in 1000 yards, I won 2 or 3 times shooting a hunting bullet.
Possibility always exists that your rifle may really like a certain hunting bullet.
Eagleye.

I would have said yes it's doable with Nosler Ballistic Tip a couple of years ago but after shooting many Berger bullets in many different rifles I'm not sure that it's still possible today.

I've seen rifles which had never shot better than 1/2 - 3/4 MOA groups drastically improve to better than 1/2 MOA groups after trying some Berger match bullets.

The US Army has had a very similar experience with all of it's 7.62 NATO precision rifles after in adopted M118LR ammo (175 Sierra MatchKing bullet): 1/2 -3/4 MOA rifles instantly became 0.4 MOA rifles!

Alex