John from Marstar sent me some of the new Frontier flat nose fully jacketed bullets to try. The powders used were WW-748 and Varget and all shooting was done at one hundred yards.
The first rifle I used was an SMLE No 1 Mk III* that has a Parker-Hale 5A sight on it. This is a very accurate rifle that can give me two inch cast bullet groups regularly. I once shot a 99/100 on the 50 yard pistol target (at one hundred yards) with this rifle and cast bullets. However, it did not like the Frontier bullets and the best groups were about three and one-half inches. The flat nose bullets fed very smoothly through the SMLE's magazine.
The next rifle was a Pattern 14 rifle with a Parker-Hale 5B rear sight. This rifle did better at two and one half inches, but the flat nose would often hang up during feeding. This is often a problem with the P-14 rifles as they like pointed bullets for best feeding. However, all these jams happened when the round was on the follower and the right side. ie. only one round in the magazine. Any other time the feeding was smooth. Rapid cycling of the bolt with one round in the magazine reduced the jams, but I could still feel some hesitation when cycling. Twice it jammed solidly, even with rapid cycling.
The last rifle I used was a 1909 Argentine 7,65 Mauser and it shot into two and one-half inches also. My last five shot group was one inch high but four inches wide. Perhaps the wind was drifting these flat pointed projectiles. The feeding was very snooth.
These bullets look pretty good and the flat point might be a plus for hunting but as with any component, proper loads should be worked up for the rifle in question.
The first rifle I used was an SMLE No 1 Mk III* that has a Parker-Hale 5A sight on it. This is a very accurate rifle that can give me two inch cast bullet groups regularly. I once shot a 99/100 on the 50 yard pistol target (at one hundred yards) with this rifle and cast bullets. However, it did not like the Frontier bullets and the best groups were about three and one-half inches. The flat nose bullets fed very smoothly through the SMLE's magazine.
The next rifle was a Pattern 14 rifle with a Parker-Hale 5B rear sight. This rifle did better at two and one half inches, but the flat nose would often hang up during feeding. This is often a problem with the P-14 rifles as they like pointed bullets for best feeding. However, all these jams happened when the round was on the follower and the right side. ie. only one round in the magazine. Any other time the feeding was smooth. Rapid cycling of the bolt with one round in the magazine reduced the jams, but I could still feel some hesitation when cycling. Twice it jammed solidly, even with rapid cycling.
The last rifle I used was a 1909 Argentine 7,65 Mauser and it shot into two and one-half inches also. My last five shot group was one inch high but four inches wide. Perhaps the wind was drifting these flat pointed projectiles. The feeding was very snooth.
These bullets look pretty good and the flat point might be a plus for hunting but as with any component, proper loads should be worked up for the rifle in question.
