700 5R in .308 - 168gr or 175 gr. SMK

[russ69]

I used to think the same thing. But I've seen reports of guys using the 185-190 bullets in the .308 with good success. You just need more drop.

It's hard to keep up but the Palma guys were using 155s then they moved to the 175. All with very long barrels. Got any links to current winners equipment lists?

[NorCalFocus]

It's hard to keep up but the Palma guys were using 155s then they moved to the 175. All with very long barrels. Got any links to current winners equipment lists?

Not Palma shooters, just hobby long range shooters.

[killshot44]

Rudd, things move fast.... the F-TR guys moved from the 175s to the 185 Juggernaut then to the 230 Hybrid and now the 200-20X.

Long throats and long barrels are required.

[ar15barrels]

It's hard to keep up but the Palma guys were using 155s then they moved to the 175. All with very long barrels. Got any links to current winners equipment lists?

Palma is limited to 155.5gr bullets.
F class and other longrange shooters run the heavier bullets.

[SixPointEight]

Palma is limited to 155.5gr bullets.
F class and other longrange shooters run the heavier bullets.

Well some do. I really can't find any advantage to running the 175s over the 155s except maybe barrel life and the warm fuzzies of knowing I'm shooting the same bullets as some MC sniper

And the barrel life is even debatable!

[russ69]

Palma is limited to 155.5gr bullets...

It depends on the host country, I think. Some issue ammo, some restrict the bullet and some don't.

Not too get too far of the OP's question. I think the 175 is the right bullet for his gun. With a 24 inch barrel (Rem 5R) you don't have enough velocity for the 155 and the same thing for the super heavies. Lob it out to 900 and hope she flies straight to the 1000 yard mark.

[EndoDef]

depends more on what YOUR rifle likes better...

[Gunsrruss]

168"s at a Thousand

I showed up at Yuma Arizona one day for a 8-9-1,000 yd match shooting a M1A Match rifle. When the gang heard I was shooting 168's they all laughed at me. They were right. 800 was Ok, after that it was a crap shoot. Now it's 175 after 600, and I've never looked back.

[russ69]

I showed up at Yuma Arizona one day for a 8-9-1,000 yd match shooting a M1A Match rifle. When the gang heard I was shooting 168's they all laughed at me. They were right. 800 was Ok, after that it was a crap shoot. Now it's 175 after 600, and I've never looked back.

Back in the day it was the 175 grain bullet was shot in all M14s at the long range lines. The 168 is still in use for the national match course that ends at 600 yards. Still in use as in the few shooters that are not shooting AR15s still do it the way it was done in the past.

[Jboadway]

My 5r was getting sub moa with 175s in ladder tests with imr4064 and varget, love varget but like having a back up powder in the book of tricks. The 168s I decided to only keep for the Ar 10. Looking forward to pushing out further once new bolt comes.

[JMP]

I've never achieved the same level of accuracy with a 175 SMK than what I can achieve with a 168. They aren't as bad as people say. If you buy FGMM, you are leaving about 150fps on the table, and this is one of the major problems. I've also converted from Varget to 4064 as it gives me better velocity with the same degree of accuracy. With that said, for 1000 yard plinking, hand loaded 168s are fine as well as 175s. In reality, if you are shooting exclusively at 1,000 yards, the 308 is not an optimal cartridge.

[sigstroker]

Nobody there was shooting reloads so should be good to go. Good point for future reference or other people doing the same thing though.

Also, nobody around to ask as they'd all packed up and gone so figured they weren't coming back for it.

There were a few people with 168s. Some of em made it to 1k some of them didn't. My guess is it's more to do with the shooter at the level of experience all of us had. Not that it wasn't harder for them but there were a few guys with 168s that hit at 1000.

All you have to do is look at the case mouth. If it's been reloaded it's almost certainly been trimmed and the case mouth chamfered. If the case mouth looks square and unaltered it's likely once fired.

[lowprone]

As some have already mentioned, 168's at 1000 are iffy. I prefer the 168 SMK's out to 600, but anything past that it's 175gr M118LR.

[Gunsrruss]

175gr @ 42gr of IMR 4895

Tuesday I was scheduled for surgery in the afternoon so I went to the range in the morning. I was shooting my Rem 700 PSS in .308. There is a picture of it here on this board under "What it cost for .223" It is the desert tan rifle. I shot 10 rounds with 9 X's and one ten. The barrel is a 26" Lothar-Walther with a 1/10 twist. This was done at 200 yards. Needless to say I was pleased
Nosler Custom Compitition- bullet

[damndave]

If you are actually going to shoot out to 1k, 175s. If only to ~600, the 168s will do you fine. The 168s have start having issues past 600-700 yards.

Exactly.