What Bullet 180gr or 200gr

The 30 caliber 220gr Hammerhead used in Sako ammo should be a decent bullet for heavy game. Has a bonded core and a ballistic coefficient of 0.401. I chose this ammo for my new 30-06 Sako which has a 1:11 twist barrel. Assuming acceptable accuracy which has yet to be determined. Also available in 300 WM.

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mbogo3 said:
I wonder if a 200gr would stabilize in my FN Browning Safari in .308 NM with it's 1-12 twist ? It shoots 180's fine.
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I have 5 - 308 Norma Magnum rifles. 3 have 1-10" twists, 2 have 1-12" twists. While I cannot speak for any of the match type 200 grain bullets,
both my 12 twist Norma Mags shoot any flat base 200 grain bullet just fine. They also shoot the 200 Accubond well. AAMOF, the 200 Accubond
is the most accurate bullet in one of the 12 twist 308 NM rifles. Dave.
 
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Been shooting 180gr Accubonds out of my 300WM here in Alberta since 2003, and reloads since 2005. Great performance at various distances on all big game. Nothing wrong with going 200gr. Maybe split the difference and go 190gr LRAB's.
 
Well, I have different look at 180gr against 200gr bullet in 30 cal rifle.
What I noticed long, long time ago is that any bullet with impact speed 2700fps and over destroys to much meat.
My main hunting rifles loads; 308W with 180gr Speer MT and 35 Whelen with 225 NP
don't exceed those speeds and I never had problems with wasted meat.
If (big if) I had 300WM I would surely use 200gr bullet just for that reason alone (down loaded a bit?) with bigger penetration as a bonus.
Then it downs on me that if 30 cal 200gr bullet needs to be employed then 30-06 fully loaded would be much preferred
for reason of larger magazine capacity alone.
 
mbogo3 said:
I wonder if a 200gr would stabilize in my FN Browning Safari in .308 NM with it's 1-12 twist ? It shoots 180's fine.
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Longer bullets than 200 gr Noslers stabilize properly in the 308 Winchester. Take a look at the length of some of the 208 gr match bullets.

I load them in my 12 twist Husqvarna 30-06 and 308 Win rifles with excellent accuracy.

You just need to load and go! :)
Ted
 
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Why not? said:
Really? That is very hard to believe, because they shoot fine in every 30-06 and 308 I own, most of which have 12 twist bores.

Ted
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I'm not surprised by the confusion since questions of bullet stability in flight are seldom cut and dried. There are all sorts of environmental elements that come into play, such as temperature, humidity, elevation, and range, but essentially it comes down to air density and time of flight. We need to consider these elements in terms of best, average, and worst case scenarios. In Ted's case, shooting in warm humid air at high altitude is much different than me shooting in cold air, with low humidity, at sea level. According to the math, a 1:12 twist should not stabilize a 180 gr AB in any conditions, but clearly Ted's experience is at odds with the calculation, suggesting that the atmospheric conditions he shoots in are quite different than is normally encountered.
 
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Using a 200 NAB in a 1:11 twist Sako I loose ~2% effective BC at 3000' elevation. I correct to actual BC for conditions, this makes the exterior ballistics jive with competed to actual.
This bullet , although not ideal in a 11 twist will still keep 5 in 1 moa out past hunting distances.
 
Interesting stuff. After shooting a few groups I wasn't getting less than about 3 MOA with the 180gr AB in my 308 Zastava. Concluded there was no sense to continue wasting these so I stopped. It's a rather long bullet, almost as long as the 240gr Woodleigh. That one definitely didn't group well with the 1:12 twist either.

The twist rate stability calculator on the Berger website predicts marginal stability for this bullet in my 1:12 308 at 2500 fps MV, and my groups are in agreement for the air temperature that day and elevation of my location. However, if it had been 150 F that day the calculator predicts comfortable stability. ;)

http://www.bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

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Eagleye said:
I have 5 - 308 Norma Magnum rifles. 3 have 1-10" twists, 2 have 1-12" twists. While I cannot speak for any of the match type 200 grain bullets,
both my 12 twist Norma Mags shoot any flat base 200 grain bullet just fine. They also shoot the 200 Accubond well. AAMOF, the 200 Accubond
is the most accurate bullet in one of the 12 twist 308 NM rifles. Dave.
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Good to know.I had a Win 100 in .308 not sure about the ROT but they were notorious for hating heavier bullets.It would put 150's in the same hole yet through 180's all over the paper.
 
Curious about the Sako 220gr Hammerhead factory load so I pulled one apart (one helluva heavy crimp put on these). Nominal bullet length is 35mm / 1.38" and contains 55.0gr of propellant (probably Vihtavuori whatever). The Berger calculator predicts comfy stability at the claimed 2360 fps MV for a 23.6" barrel, and is still in the comfy range for an expected 2300 fps from my 20" 1:11 barrel.

The 240gr Woodleigh is predicted to be stabilized at 2300 fps MV from my 20" 1:11 barrel. Note that higher air temperatures and higher elevations as well as higher MV's assist stability.

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180 partition for 30-06, 200 for 300wm. Then 225 for 338wm.

When I get a load developed for the 340 Ted sold me, I am hoping for the 250 partition.

Other than tip deformation in magazines, partitions are excellent bullets. My go to starting bullet, something else has to prove its better. That's rare.
 
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