match bullets vs hunting bullets

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milo

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How much difference, all other things being equal does a match quality bullet make to accuracy versus a hunting bullet for example?

If you had a load developed with a rifle that would do 3/4 of an inch with hunting bullets, would the same weight of match bullet tighten that group up much?
 
Maybe. Maybe not. Probably the most critical component of bullet construction insofar as accuracy is concerned is concentricity of the jacket. If the jacket is eccentric, the center of mass of the bullet will not co-incide with the physical center or axis and the bullet will be unbalanced.
Jackets for hunting bullets are designed to provide controlled expansion so are usually tapered in wall thickness. This doesn't mean they can't be concentric though.
Many feel the core should be mostly behind the ogive of the bullet to maintain balance. The theory is the jacket may fold unevenly and, if there is lead in that part of the bullet, it is more likely to be unbalanced. Could be.
I have seen really impressive accuracy (under 3/8moa) from some round nose bullets. They must have been fairly well balanced. Regards, Bill
 
Besides the bullet, so much depends on the rifle and what you are willing to do to get that rifle to shoot.

Some factory rifles will not shoot better then 3/4MOA no matter what you do. Others, will drop to 3/8MOA consistently with basic tuning.

If you haven't done so yet, get that action properly bedded and barrel free floated. Improve the trigger pull, and mount a nice high mag scope so you can see less then you miss.

These simple steps can take many rifles and turn them into tack drivers.

If this will be used for hunting, the most accurate bullets I have used are the Hornady SST's with the Nosler BT an awesome alternative (of course, related bonded bullets like the Interbond, and Accubond also shoot well). If the rifle will, these bullets are capable of 1/4MOA accuracy.

If your goal is to compete or shoot LR, the benefits of a match bullet may be worth a look.

Jerry
 
The best hunting bullets I've tried are SST's, Nosler BT's, and Sierra Gameking SPBT's, all shot very well. I find if you put the time in to develop an accurate load they can come pretty close to math grade accuracy out to about 300-400 yards. Once you start to get past there I find that the jacket concentricity (see Leepers post) starts to make a difference. I've heard that the Barnes bullets can demonstrate match grade accuracy however it seems that a gun will either love 'em or hate 'em with not alot of middle ground. I also hear that the Accubonds have demonstrated excellent accuracy.

I think that if you are looking for an all purpose bullet and are not shooting in serious competition than you could easil get away with some of the better boat tail hunting bullets.

just my .02

John
 
good info, thanks to all, I'm really just playing with a 243 and a 22-250 and I'll likely take the steps that Mystic player suggested as well. I am satisfied with both but it's kind of a cool process to see the variation in grouping with different bullet weights, powder charges and bullet type just introduces another variable I guess. I already have good glass on both and sandbags so I have been able to take out most of the movement.
 
Sure give 'er a shot. You're probably aware of this already but just in case, different bullets will usually shoot differently with the same powder charge etc.. You will likely need to develop a load for each bullet individually to really guage their potential accuracy. And the two cailbers you just listed are generally referred to as "barrel burners" meaning you don't have a whole lot of accurate barrel life to play with. Depending on how much "playing around" you were planning on doing you could theoretically burn them out just trying to develop loads. Just a thought.

John
 
"...referred to as "barrel burners"..." Nonsense. Neither are known as barrel burners.
"...barrel free floated..." There is no absolute guarantee that a particular rifle will shoot better with a floated barrel. Some rifles shoot worse with one. However, the only way to find out if a particular rifle will shoot better with a floated barrel is to try it. Fortunately, if it does shoot worse, it's an easy fix.
Bedding, a trigger job, good sights(not necessarily a high 'X' scope though)and good ammo will help. Start with the trigger and ammo.
 
I've been told by a gunsmiths and competition shooters alike that the .243 and 22-250 will tend to start losing their edge before they see 1000 rounds. Just goin by what I've read and been told by people more knowledgable then myself. If the info is inaccurate my apologies.

John
 
"Barrel Burners" in a precision rifle is realy irrelevant in my opinion, If you are spending the money on a precision rig and shooting for getting that extra performance out of say something like a 6.5-284 or others, replacing a barrel after 1000-1500rnds is kinda like changing a tire on a car. People don't go out and buy high performance cars and ask how long will the tire's last.

Just an opinion.
 
Agreed, I was only sharing info in case it may have been a concern. After all not everybody is in a financial situation to change barrels at will.

John
 
The worst thing about this typing message things is I can sound like a real #### if I don't read and type carefully as above. You are very right John wasn't trying to be upity..... barrel replacement is a cost of around 300-500 bucks depending....If that is a concern so are "Barrel Burners". My humble apologies.
 
You can get match quality bullets in a hunting bullet, Barnes claim this. You will find it hard to beat sierra hunting bullets for accuracy.
And if your a tgt shooter, go with Match.
If your real picky , weight and diameter can be measured.:D
Bottom line , most bullets today are of good quality, no worries.Some guns like spitzer , some like boattail, and others bullet weight comes into play.

Frank
 
LRC no apologies necessary. Just clarifying statements. The worst thing about these online forums is that it is often difficult to "say what you're trying to say" if you know what I mean ;) .

Looks like I'm a bit off topic, oops.

John
 
When I'm shooting against others for bragging rights you can bet it's a match or a hollow point. I'm not saying that I can't get a lead tipped hornady to shoot but when everything is tried in working up a load, the most uniform one (of the right weight for twist) is the one that prints the best.

Weight a bunch of bullets the most uniform are the match and then the hollows. With any I've put on the scale.


Mike
 
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for my .243 I use Sierra 100gr spitzers, with 41.4 gr of RE-19. fired from a Stainless Tikka....
3 shots in a very, very tight clover leaf at 100yrds.
I have also tried .30 cal match grade sierra's in my .300WSM.. flew like crap. My rifle twist wasnt fast enough. So I began to use 168gr sierra GameKing.. WOW.. now that is tight.
I also bought the Sierra Infinty Suite ballistics software... it helped me greatly with understanding sierra's bullet options for different applications, along with almost everything else you need to know about the performance and limitations of their products.
Sierra is now my bullet of choice... for all my rifles.
 
pac11 said:
When I'm shooting against others for bragging rights you can bet it's a match or a hollow point. I'm not saying that I can't get a lead tipped hornady to shoot but when everything is tried in working up a load, the most uniform one (of the right weight for twist) is the one that prints the best.

Weight a bunch of bullets the most uniform are the match and then the hollows.


Mike
Click to expand...
Whatever bullert works is the one that should be the goto for your rifle.
I have seen very good groups from spitzer styled bullets, better thann some of the hollowpointed hunting bullets, in some rifles, but it is hard to compare sometimes, becuase you can get a Speer TNT, for instance, and a Hornady SX togejter, and depending on thre rifle, the SX will be better.
Both are hunting bullets.
I think that ALL short range BR bullets I have seen of late are hollowpoints, and most of them are flat based.When you get out past 500 a flat based bullet , be it hollow point or not, may not shoot as well as a boat tailed spitzer.
Cat
 
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