Hirtenberger vs PMC Bronze .308 vs PPU M80 vs XM80CL

gravis

gravis

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
151   0   1
Location
South of 60
Howdy,

New to the .308 / 7.62x51 debacle and reloading is not an option yet, however I intend to save brass in hopes that one day it will be a possibility

Have been doing a lot of reading and still have not found the concise answers I was hoping for..

- I am not local to any lgs who sells all options listed to go pick up a few boxes and test.
Ordering online and shipping a few boxes from different retailers is highly cost prohibitive, and most retailers are out of stock of single boxes of PPU, and you can’t buy less than 240 rounds of Hirt...

- For arguments sake let’s just average out the cost and say each option runs 85/round
now with price out of the way I have 2 questions that hopefully someone who has used all of these can speak from experience ?


Is there one mfg option that will outperform the rest, in terms of accuracy out to 600yds or beyond, out of
two separate platforms ?

1.) a Tuned M1A 18.5” barrel 1in10

2.) precision bolt gun 20” barrel 1in12


- I have match .308 but want to have decrease the cost of trigger time, until I am set up for reloading.
I am not expecting match grade results, just the best results and accuracy and value available at this price



Second question, of these options which has the most desirable / best quality brass to save for reloading ?
and is this brass good/easy to work with or are there known / expected difficulties processing ?


Thanks in advance and I hope some of you knowledgeable chaps who were here once upon a time are able to
shed some wisdom !
 
With my SSG 3000 with 1:11 twist barrel using atlas h5 bipod and back monopod or sand bag on a wooden bench I average at 100 yards.

1.2 MOA : Hirt BERDAN Primed ( white striped box) avg ovet 1000 rnd fired
1.4 MOA : Hirt Boxer Primed ( grey striped box) avg over 700 rnd fired
1.4- 1.6 MOA : Federal lake city. - avg over 200 rounds fired
0.65 MOA : Federal Gold medal 168gr SMK - avg over 400 round fired
0.65 MOA : Hornady Match 168gr BTHP - 60 rounds fired

The 147 or 149gr bullets will probably perform a lot worse at longer distance so it really depends what distance tou are shooting
 
The hirtenberger neck tension isn't consistent due to the black "glue" they have in the case necks. Lightly crimp them with a lee crimp die and the group size will cut in half in my experience.
 
Buckmastr said:
The hirtenberger neck tension isn't consistent due to the black "glue" they have in the case necks. Lightly crimp them with a lee crimp die and the group size will cut in half in my experience.
Click to expand...

That is an excellent piece of advice. Hadn't thought of doing that before.
 
Thanks for the responses gents, and taking the time to post stats.

steel target range at present is 600m, however I just found a nice spot where I can stretch out to 1200 - 1500m as skill allows.

My thought process was to find for the best all around value, in that it will perform reliably, with respectable and repeatable accuracy out of both rifles, so that while I’m plinking I can stockpile good quality brass that can be reloaded more than a handful of times without having to mess around with it and avoid catastrophic failures due to poor quality etc.

If this is a case of wanting to have my cake and eat it to please let me know if this is unreasonable or if there is a sure fire winner out there. I just about pulled the pin on a couple cases of hirtenberger box prime but then started wondering about the current production M80 vs PMC and PPU
 
I would separate brass fired through bolt gun from that fired in your M14 type rifle for starts.i would even consider using different brands for the two rifles to keep things simple and get your best results in a long time.Above all else do not use Federal if you plan to save brass for reloading.
 
Only other thing to remember the hertburg the bullets are bi metal so not as soft as copper something to think about depending what sorta unit your shooting it out of I know I got a burr in the barrel of my one rifle from using bi metal ammo barnals and hertburg however the ppu and pmc are copper projectiles

My two cents
 
I'm not concerned with bimetal bullets out of a 308 win. Excessive heat burns out barrels more than bullet construction. And a 147 gr 30 cal bullet at 2700 fps isn't inherently hard on the throat.
 
So guess it’s down to Federal XM80CS or PPUM80 then with copper projectiles as my fancy barrel isn’t chrome lined and I don’t have a tool to crimp the Hirt ammo

With respect to reloading is the brass from one superior to the other ?

Is there one that is less of a PITA to de-prime and prep prior to reloading ?
 
Instead of purchasing a lot of surplus ammo, purchase a decent reloading set up and start reloading for EACH INDIVIDUAL RIFLE.

All of the options you list will be hit or miss in any of the firearms you list. Even then, that may change with lot numbers.

If you were only shooting out to 100 yards, none of this would be an issue.

You mention you want cheaper and accuracy at the same time??????????? Seldom happens if you get anal about accuracy.

I don't know what kind of accuracy you're looking for, or are used to.

Factory ammo is better now than its ever been IMHO. Most rifles, if in good condition and if the shooter does their part well, will shoot sub 2moa groups out to the ranges you suggest. That means a 25 cm (1 foot) group at 600 yards. This all depends on your particular rifle and the lot of ammo. Each rifle will handle the same ammo differently.

Surplus will generally shoot into an average of 4 moa at 100 yards, depending on bore/bedding conditions. Often, not that good.

For what you're asking, reloading is your only real option.
 
gravis said:
So guess it’s down to Federal XM80CS or PPUM80 then with copper projectiles as my fancy barrel isn’t chrome lined and I don’t have a tool to crimp the Hirt ammo

With respect to reloading is the brass from one superior to the other ?

Is there one that is less of a PITA to de-prime and prep prior to reloading ?
Click to expand...

The Hirtenberger won't shoot as well as you need, even with a crimp. Lyman crimp dies are cheap.
 
Thanks, reloading is the ultimate goal however don’t have time (work 85 hours per week) nor the physical space necessary at present. In the mean time, I’m looking for the best value for accuracy at non-match ammo price to be able to spend more time at the range working out kinks in fundamentals and will collect the brass for reloading later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom