SMK's vs VLD vs Scenars. Opinions

Kelly Timoffee

Kelly Timoffee

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Ok, as I am on the quest again to find accurate loads I find myself always going to a reliable component that has worked for me.This time I am going to try something different.

I am for the first time going to try Lapua Scenar projectiles.

I have used SMK's - always had good results and minimal agitation when tuning.Overall average accuracy - excellent

I have used VLD's - never had stellar results, good results happened but were very sporadic and inconsistent.Overall accuracy - sporadic

Have tried some A-Max - very limited experience.average results

I know some will say that the VLD's are seating depth sensitive which I am aware of and believe me I have fiddled with these guys.I also know that every rifle is different but some products just seem to have an edge over all.

I just tried the hybrids with again very sporadic results.

Results have been the same with various chamberings.

What is the general consensus with these three choices and what seems to work best for you? SMK, VLD, Scenar?
 
I am going through load development again with a new rifle and I refuse to start with Bergers. I have started with SMKs because I know they will shoot just as well as any other bullet out there without the aggravation. Having said that, I have only used Scenars in a couple of rifles and they shot very well and did so pretty much right off the bat. The only reason I don't use Scenars more is because SMKs are readily available and cheaper.
Bergers are a bullet I will try after I already have a load if I feel like tinkering or am trying to find something a little better.
I don't mean to be a hater but I have no idea how Bergers ever became so popular, maybe the BC numbers?
 
I prefer SMK's personally due to price and availability.
I have had some amazing results with VLD's seating right to the lands but paying 1.5x the price of SMK's wasn't worth it for me since I shoot for fun, not competition. The difference for me (I'm a decent shot but nothing spectacular) was pretty small for quite a hefty increase in price.
 
Depends what caliber we are talking. I'm a big fan of the 155gr scenars and 178gr bthp hornady in 308 win. For 6.5 I really like the 140 amax/bthp as well as the 140 berger. Haven't tried the scenars but since I hunt with the 6.5 class I like a bullet that does well on game and the scenars are to tough according to people that have tried them. For 30 cal the 230gr otm is king of the hill for both paper and game but need a mag case and ~2700fps to make it worth while over a 210 berger for example. If you are talking .338 the berger is champ. .818 BC, paper and critters, 82 cents a bullet. Not sure what 300gr smks cost but I know the scenars are more than the bergers. I've also shot 300gr smks exclusivly about 10 years ago with my first 338lm. That was THE bullet then and worked perfectly for me but that bullet hasn't changed since then and the berger is the cats meow now.
 
Scenars can be quite fussy too. I know some of their 6mm bullets have a smaller diameter then everyone else, and need a tight bore to shoot well. Long profiles also make seating to magazine/lands/whatever tricky, so i've seen a lot of rifles custom chambered and barreled to shoot certain scenars.
I haven't shot any Scenars in my .308, just Berger VLDs and am quite happy. Found an excellent powder weight and now I can tweak the seating depth. Though I find load development more enjoyable then just shooting nice groups, so having lots of variables to sort through to find the perfect load is perfect for me.
 
Well I just did some price checking, kinda.

Couldn't exactly compare apples to apples but this is what I found.

On a popular US site price per bullet is as follows:

SMK(300gr) - $0.75
Berger(300gr) - $0.76
Scenar(300gr) - $0.91
Hornady(285gr) - $0.66

Some Canadian prices.

Scenar(300gr) - $0.86 - Site sponsor
Berger(300gr) - $0.80 - Site Sponsor

It pays to support our sponsors!
 
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