Does Match ammo make that much of a diffrence in accuracy?

[tango5]

Ok so i took my Remington 700SPS Tactical to the range today. I have a Vortex Crossfire 6-24x50 scope. I was shooting 3 shot groups, and 2 of the 3 impact holes would be damn near touching on the paper, and the 3rd would be 1-3 inches out from the group, all at 100yrds. All were shot from a bench, with a rifle rest. I was shooting Prvi Partizan 145gr, and also Remington Core Loc 150gr (10rds). The Remington ammo was worse than the Prvi. I thought it was just me making crappy shots, but ive been shooting for 26 years. Will match ammo make that much of a difference of the 3rd flyer shot thats 1"-3" out?? What do you guys recommend for good solid match ammo?

[BroncoBob]

twist of your barrel?

[X-NewYawker]

Never heard of that scope, so that COULD be the source of flyers, but YES, match ammo is ammo made to finer tolerances -- but remember, your barrel must have the proper twist for the ammo.

[tango5]

Prvi was 145gr, the Remington was 150gr, and the twist is 1:12.

[tango5]

Never heard of that scope, so that COULD be the source of flyers, but YES, match ammo is ammo made to finer tolerances -- but remember, your barrel must have the proper twist for the ammo.

Ok school me on what grain ammo i should use for 1:12 twist.

[technique]

match ammo makes all the dif...I have 2 SPS tacticals...They prefered 150gr.

[scootergmc]

Those could've just been good ol' factory ammo cold bore shots. Shoot five shot groups. Get some binos or a spotting scope and find out which shots are which.

[tango5]

Usually it was the first shot that would fly, the other 2 would hit the mark.

[nick]

Usually it was the first shot that would fly, the other 2 would hit the mark.

How much time passed between the groups?

[technique]

Usually it was the first shot that would fly, the other 2 would hit the mark.

I had fliers with 180gr. and 175gr.

[emilio]

generally, yes. it's all a part of the "shooting system" of course - gun, ammo, sight, stability, shooter.

match ammo can be better because...

• the manufacturer (that could be you!) spends more time making each round, possibly with better equipment, assuring better tolerances and greater consistency.
• higher quality "match-grade" bullets are used, which can have more consistent weight, better concentricity, an even jacket (assuring even deformation in the rifling), and a bullet design emphasizing accuracy vs. expansion.
• the powder will be of better quality, formulated to burn evenly, and more consistently weighed.
• the brass will be more precisely produced, better finished (trimmed, reamed primer hole, concentric mouth, etc), and of consistent weight within a lot to reduce variations in the case capacity.
• the bullet will be more evenly and consistently seated and crimped, assuring that the brass "lets go" of the bullet in an even manner.
• the primers will be more reliable and consistent.

yes, i used "consistent" a lot, because that's a hallmark of good match-grade ammo. even with a perfectly level and windless shooting range, with a rigid-barrel test rifle, there are still a zillion variables in the ammo that will affect accuracy. anything you can do to reduce variation in your "shooting system" directly translates to tighter groups.

serious match-grade ammo consumption is based by lot: you find what shoots well in your gun and go buy as much of that lot number as you can. when you run out, you buy another lot number and re-sight in the gun because ammo can be different lot-to-lot. i believe this is how our military marksmen operate.

really serious match-grade ammo consumption is loaded by you, or for you, for a specific rifle. rifles vary in their barrel seating - even two rifles with consecutive serial numbers can be different - and this affects headspace and free bore. "free bore" is the length that the bullet has to jump before it contacts the rifling, and this is a basic element of custom match ammo. there should be very little free bore (but not zero) to reduce the chance of the bullet getting a smidge off-kilter and not hitting the rifling perfectly straight, increasing the chance of an off-balance bullet exiting the bore. your rifle can be measured for the correct ammo OAL (overall length) and bullets seated to that depth.

in short, if you're really going to geek out over accuracy, get a small reloading setup!
- emilio

[Once A Marine]

Is there a formula that one determines grain from caliber and twist?

[scootergmc]

Usually it was the first shot that would fly, the other 2 would hit the mark.

Well then, sounds like good ol' factory ammo cold bore shots.

What caliber are we talking here anyway?

[technique]

Well then, sounds like good ol' factory ammo cold bore shots.

What caliber are we talking here anyway?

should be talkin .308

[chickenfried]

Here's a target shot prone at 100 yards with match ammo.


Here's a target shot prone at 100 yards with crap ammo