Hey, just got my 8lbs of IMR 4895, and getting my last few things together to start reloading. I'm wondering what bullets you guys are using, I am looking for some 223 and 308. For the 223 I am looking for a fairly cheap accurate plinking round, and in 308 pretty much the same thing. I am thinking 60-69gr for 223 and 155-168gr for the 308. What have you guys had success with, and where are you buying it? It seems like if you can get it in 500 round cases it is a lot cheaper then the 100rd boxes. Thanks
What Bullets?
- Thread starter mattf87
- Start date
I can only find one Hornady bullet on there in 308, it seems to be regular retail pricing unless I am looking in the wrong place. I would like to buy in larger boxes though, like 250-500 as you seem to get a better deal. I cant seem to find anywhere though that has anything around the bullet weight in bulk.
If you are looking for bulk pricing from Budget Shooter Supply you are best served by contacting them directly and asking. They offer great customer service but don't list all options on their website.
For me personally:
223 plinking I use 55gr Hornady Varmint soft points ($17.99/100 locally)
223 accuracy I use 53gr SMK's ($23.99/100 locally)
308 plinking I use Hornady 150gr FMJ/BT ($29.99/100 locally)
308 accuracy I use Hornady 178gr Match HPBT ($36ish/100 locally)
308 cheap plinking I use cast 185gr gas checked bullets sized to .311" (comes out to about $0.05/round after lead and gas checks)
For me personally:
223 plinking I use 55gr Hornady Varmint soft points ($17.99/100 locally)
223 accuracy I use 53gr SMK's ($23.99/100 locally)
308 plinking I use Hornady 150gr FMJ/BT ($29.99/100 locally)
308 accuracy I use Hornady 178gr Match HPBT ($36ish/100 locally)
308 cheap plinking I use cast 185gr gas checked bullets sized to .311" (comes out to about $0.05/round after lead and gas checks)
Get a hold of Del Selin. He used to carry the Privi Partizan 168 grn BTHP's in bags of 500. They were a decent price and performed excellently in my .30-'06. Comparable to Sierra at about 2/3 the price.
It's been a while since I've been in his shop, so I can't say what his stock is like.
It's been a while since I've been in his shop, so I can't say what his stock is like.
Well for 223:
- Cheap plinking, whatever 55g FMJ you can get. Budget Shooter seems to be about the only guy who has bulk bullets in stock right now.
For $5 more I'd try the Hornady SP bullets. I could never get FMJ to group worth a damn in any rifle I have no matter how hard I tried. The SP bullets might stand a better chance.
- For Accuracy, only your gun know. You'll have to hang out and get to know it better. Try feeding it different things and see how it spits it out. Without know more about you gun and barrel, I could not even begin to recommend a bullet. I recommend anything Hornady V-Max as a good starting point. Once you know what weight it likes, you can experiment with more exotic bullets and price points. Meanwhile, you might stray away from 4895 by time you get the most out of it. I recommend Benchmark as a starting point for accuracy loads in the 223, but you should be able to get good results from 4895 to get you started.
I've lucked out so far, local shop had a few 500 boxes of Hornady 55g Z-max bullets. Price worked out to the same or cheaper then what I'd pay for FMJ, and they are a right decent bullet. Sadly, I've bought the only boxes of that he has, and who know when he'll get more.
For 308, I really only load personally for my M305B. It loves 3031. As it's a battle rifle, I only ever run FMJ out of it. Local shop sells Remington Bags.
I can elaborate more if that's the gun you're loading for, otherwise, I'll spare you.
One bullet in 308 I've gotten surprising accuracy out of is the Hornady 180g SP. It's a plain old cheap hunting bullet, but like I said, it's surprised me. It's no #2200 but for the price, it's worth a try.
- Cheap plinking, whatever 55g FMJ you can get. Budget Shooter seems to be about the only guy who has bulk bullets in stock right now.
For $5 more I'd try the Hornady SP bullets. I could never get FMJ to group worth a damn in any rifle I have no matter how hard I tried. The SP bullets might stand a better chance.
- For Accuracy, only your gun know. You'll have to hang out and get to know it better. Try feeding it different things and see how it spits it out. Without know more about you gun and barrel, I could not even begin to recommend a bullet. I recommend anything Hornady V-Max as a good starting point. Once you know what weight it likes, you can experiment with more exotic bullets and price points. Meanwhile, you might stray away from 4895 by time you get the most out of it. I recommend Benchmark as a starting point for accuracy loads in the 223, but you should be able to get good results from 4895 to get you started.
I've lucked out so far, local shop had a few 500 boxes of Hornady 55g Z-max bullets. Price worked out to the same or cheaper then what I'd pay for FMJ, and they are a right decent bullet. Sadly, I've bought the only boxes of that he has, and who know when he'll get more.
For 308, I really only load personally for my M305B. It loves 3031. As it's a battle rifle, I only ever run FMJ out of it. Local shop sells Remington Bags.
I can elaborate more if that's the gun you're loading for, otherwise, I'll spare you.
One bullet in 308 I've gotten surprising accuracy out of is the Hornady 180g SP. It's a plain old cheap hunting bullet, but like I said, it's surprised me. It's no #2200 but for the price, it's worth a try.
hometownhero
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I use varget for both calibers with great success. I have used h4895 for 223 and i worked equally well. For my 223 I load from 40gr bullets up to 68 mostly. Have loaded some 77gr ones as well. I have used 36gr varmint grenades, 40gr sierra hp, 40gr vmax, 53 gr hornady match, 53gr vmax, 53gr barnes tsx, 60gr berger fb varmint, 69gr smk(had no luck at all with them), 68gr hornady match, 77gr berger tactical. All except the 69gr smk have given me very good results and all loaded with varget or h4895.
For 308 i am using 165gr hornady's and varget. It isnt my 308 so not getting into alot of choices. I do load 30-06 for myself though and do use varget on occasion.
For 308 i am using 165gr hornady's and varget. It isnt my 308 so not getting into alot of choices. I do load 30-06 for myself though and do use varget on occasion.
I will be shooting these from my Xcr and M305 for those interested. Those Z max from Hornady seem to be pretty cheap for the 223. I think I might try a box of 500 for 99$. I checked Del a month ago or so and they didn't have much in the way of reloading components. Thanks everyone for your input.
I specifically said, a fairly accurate plinking round. From what I've seen online buying them in 500+ packs you save quite a bit over the 30-40$/100 box, except everywhere is sold out and no local stores have them.
Yeah, the Z-max is excellent for the price. I've got them grouping decently. Not quite as tight as the V-Max equiv, but there are other things going on with my rifle.
For the M305, unless you tune it up, or it turns out to be inherently accurate, you won't see much diff between a cheap bullet and a good one, so might as well stock up on cheap FMJ.
