Are 150gr FMJBT good for long range shooting?

[DragunovSniper]

I have .308 Savage 10fp, and I want to make some hand loads for it. Now everyone I talk too say's to shoot 168 or 175gr ammo. But the 150gr FMJBT have more velocity and less drop. If I reloaded Hornady FMJBT would they preform well at 400 too 600 yards. Saying that, my range is only 600 yards long. So its not to hard to shoot, I've done it before. gun)

 

[benchracer]

I am assuming that your question refers to match/target use, rather than as a hunting bullet. The Hornady FMJ's have an excellent reputation in service rifle circles for accuracy. Of course, bolt action rifles are generally held to a higher accuracy standard.

I ran some numbers through the ballistic calculator on the following website:

JBM - Calculations - Trajectory (Simplified)

At 600 yards, the 150 FMJ @ 2900 shoots slightly flatter and has slightly more wind drift than the 175g SMK @ 2700. The 155g Palma SMK @ 2900 beats them both handily out to 1000 yards.

One thing to consider is which bullet your rifle shoots the most accurately. I would recommend that you try all three bullets to see what your rifle likes. Pick the most accurate of the three and go from there.

A number of years ago, I bought a Remington 700 VS in .308. I tried Black Hills Match ammo in 168g and 175g loads and Federal GMM in 168g and 175g. My rifle showed a distinct preference for 175g bullets, with the Black Hills load shooting the best.

The only way to really know what will perform best in your rifle is to shoot it and compare results.

 

[Erik Kiser]

I'd pick the one with the least wind drift that shoots well. Drop is a known variable and is easily accounted for

 

[Remington5r]

I would look at different target bullets available on the market and pay attention to their ballistic coefficient. Sometimes a heavier bullet that is going slower will still shoot flatter than the lighter bullet going faster due to high ballistic coefficients. I would go on Hornady ballistics calculator Advanced Search and enter in your different bullet weights,ballistic coefficients, and velocities to see which bullet shoots flattest and bucks the wind the best.

 

[justgoto]

That is my favorite bullet for targets; mostly because it is inexpensive.