Expensive ammo selection

[MD]

I took three boxes of 280 ammunition to the range yesterday; Federal Vital Shok 150 grain loads with Nosler Partitions, 140 grain Federal Vital -Shok with 140 grain ballistic tips and a box of federal Fusions with 140 grain bullets.

I was shocked at how poorly the ballistic tips shot out of my rifle (a custom built on a Brno 98 action with a new barrel with a Bushnell Elite 3200 3x9 scope), the Fusions were almost as bad and finally, after some poor shooting with the Nosler Partition loads, near the end of the session, I finally got an unremarkable but acceptable group at 100 metres.

I took my time, let my barrel cool between shots but the whole experience was unrewarding and I feel like I spent nearly $150 in ammo to get frustrated. Now I have to buy another box of the Federal cartridges with 150 Nosler Partitions. Maybe.

Anyway, if I do this again I'm tempted to say to hell with premium loads and try something ordinary like Remington Core-Lokt or Federal Blue box Power-Shok cartridges.

After several years of experimenting with handloads (using a buddy's gear at his place) last year I discovered my rifle shooting 300 Winchester Magnum shot the cheapest Winchester Silver box Super-X better than anything else I tried.

 

[Kaido]

The one factory load the gave me good results, but with a different calibre was the Core-lokt. Following that it was the Winchester Super X. I've honestly never been one to bother with the "fancy" stuff, but I also got into reloading around the same time I started shooting centre fire stuff so didn't do much experimenting.

 

[FLHTCUI]

MD, try the blue box Federal, you maybe pleasantly impressed.
Rob

 

[brybenn]

Winchester Grey box shoots well in my rifles. I buy it when I need brass

 

[Ahsan Ahmed]

Prior to Whitetail season last year, a friend asked me to accompany him in order to zero his new X-Bolt Medallion in .270 Win ..... he brought along a mix of both premium and regular ammo costing him over $350 and the rifle frustratingly grouped between 2.5-3in @ 100m. Pretty dejected after that range trip, he went out and grabbed a box of Federal Vital Shok Nosler Partition, and voila! the groups shrank under 1 inch.

First day of the hunt, 21 hrs drive away from home, on his way to the blind, the rifle (encased in a soft gun case) slides from his shoulder and lands straight on its stock from a mere distance of his thigh to the forest floor. The fall snaps the very nice stock at the wrist rendering the firearm into two seperate pieces! He has been waiting since Nov for Browning to send him a replacement.

 

[Dogleg]

Ordinary factory ammo will usually be loaded with a very simple flat based cup and core bullet. They are less sensitive to distance to lands, and have more bearing surface. A bullet like that is easy to get to shoot, and performs fine(often times better) on the deer sized game that covers perhaps 90 percent of the worlds game.

That's how ordinary got to be ordinary. If a more complex bullet would make more people happy, more of the time it would become the standard and economy of scale would eventually make sure that it was the cheapest thing on the rack. Blue box federal would become a specialty item and sell for 80 bucks a box.