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Hi, wondering if anyone here has used the newer 155 Grn Sierras 2156? I have been shooting the Sierra 175 MK out of my 1 in 12 twist 308, but just am not getting the tight groups I know the rifle is capable of. Someone I know who does a ton of PRS shooting suggested the 155 Palma for my rifle, saying its BC is fairly close to the 175 and if pushed around 2800 ish will do better at distance than the 168 SMK. Thoughts? I ordered a box and will be trying it with Varget.
What is your 175g load recipe? I am having good luck pushing the 175g Sierra MK at 2550 fps. That requires 42.5g of IMR 4064 or 42.0g of Varget. My rifle has a 1:10 twist barrel and the load will shoot decent scores at 1,000 yards. Oddly enough, it won't shoot as well out of my rifle at 100 yards as a 168g load, but the 175g seems to shoot better past 500 yards.
Hornady 155g A-Max Match shoots well out of my rifle out to 600 yards, but I have not fired it at long distance. Published velocity is 2850 fps. I haven't reloaded 155g, because others have told me it requires more attention to detail when preparing brass and bullet jump is more critical. I would be interested in what you learn once you start load development.
Interesting. I have been loading 42.0 grns of 4064, loaded to mag length. I suspect its the twist in my barrel, I have been told by a dude who is really high ranked in PRS that 175's in a 1/12 twist is marginal...Some guns will like and some not. I have the 155's inbound and some Lapua cases, and probably going to try some varget. Will report back if I get some good results
I owned a Remington 700 VLS with 1:12 barrel before I purchased my current rifle, a Savage 10FCP with 1:10 twist. I went with the faster twist barrel to accommodate shooting 175g and heavier projectiles. I have been told by a few knowledgeable shooters that a 1:12 twist barrel will stabilize a 175g projectile, but it depends on barrel and projectile selection.
I have been contemplating moving to the SMK 155g Palma bullets after I use up my 175g inventory, which will take at least one more year. I believe I will have to sacrifice some barrel life though.
Stabilization has less to do with bullet weight, and more to do with bullet length and a few other factors. All of the bullets mentioned should stabilize just fine in a 1/12. If you are looking for the best performance for a weight class none of them are what I would choose.
Ya, back when I had 308 bolt gun I ran the 155's for rifle comps. Like'd the 178 AMAX's the best for a few reasons. Then got tired of the 308 and re barreled to 6.5 Creedmore. Like that a lot better for most things myself.
Well as an update, I tried them with not so great results in my rifle..But surprisingly, what showed good promise was Hornady 168 AMAX with 43 grns of Varget..