understanding ammo help

[christmasstorm]

There are a bunch of different grain amounts for each ammo. How do you determine which to buy? I am looking for 308 advise. Shooting only about 100 yards indoors to start.

[chillincody]

the grain is the the weight of the bullet all the commercial 308 ammo is gonna be the same at 100 yard im no expert tho

[Jeff L]

Here's a chart. Maybe this will help.

http://www.ballistics101.com/308_winchester.php

Another one.

http://www.snipercentral.com/matchammo.htm

[christmasstorm]

Ok this is going to sound dumb but for distance, I want the highest number possible on fps and muzzle velocity...? That chart is perfect. Thank you.

[Metal God]

Ok this is going to sound dumb but for distance, I want the highest number possible on fps and muzzle velocity

YES well really NO !

There is a few things that go in to shooting longer ranges . You always want a combined highest velocity / heaviest weight and highest BC ( ballistic Coefficient ) BC means the longer and pointier the better . A longer pointed bullet will fly through the air better then a short blunt round nosed one will . There is much more to this . I just broke it down in a easy way to understand .

Example

The Hornady 150gr InterLock BTSP Has a BC of .346 and a muzzle velocity of 2850 feet per sec . Its effective range is 800 yards .

The Federal gold medal match 175gr MK has a BC of .495 and a muzzle velocity of 2600 feet per sec . It's effective range is 1100 yards .

As you can tell the bullet with the highest velocity does not have the longest effective range . Effective range to me means the bullet stays supersonic to that range .

[christmasstorm]

But at 100 yards while I learn to shoot a little better, is most of the ammo basically the same at that distance? It looks like I am really going to have to read up to get diald in.

[-hanko]

There are a bunch of different grain amounts bullet weights for each ammo. How do you determine which to buy? I am looking for 308 advise. Shooting only about 100 yards indoors to start.

Fixed.

At 100, it won't make much difference which weight you pick. Higher velocity ammo typically has lighter bullet weight.

Try searching some ammo manufacturers' websites?

[voiceofreason]

Generally 168 is where you want to start as it's probably the most common and provides a great balance.

At 200 yards or under, 150 or 155 would be fine. It really doesn't matter at such short distances.

you don't need the heavier weights to stabilize at such short distances

your rifle/cartridge should be capable of roughly 800 yards, but my .308 rounds start malfunctioning just past the 425-450 yard mark for whatever reason. they just stop wanting to be accurate after that range- can't be user error

Like shooting a pistol at the 10 yard line, there's just not much of a difference in ballistics.

More important than bullet weight, KEEP A NOTE BOOK of EVERY grouping/shot you take

make notes about the ammo, distance, any adjustments you make to your shooting style, position, wind speed, etc

that notebook is how you learn

know your drops at distances in increments of 50 yards (50, 100, 150, 200)

NOT by the published charts, but by the specific ammunition out of YOUR rifle

small variations by day due to a # of issues, but those will be small for the most part.

at 100 yards, just try to make ONE ragged hole;

#1 thing to learn for beginning shooters is shooting form
#2 how to adjust your scope

if you go to Angeles or other places where rifle shooters congregate, you'll almost always find an old "know it all" who likely has forgotten more about rifle shooting than you know

[christmasstorm]

Yeah, sadly I live in San Diego and have 2 kids...so there is a lot of baseball and football coaching. Thus a trip to shoot a few hours away is not likely to happen soon. I am taking your advise and getting a log book. Had one for skydiving and it does make a difference in learning. Thanks for all the help. I would just like to learn and do it right from the start.

[Metal God]

I live in San Diego as well. I shoot at South bay rod and gun club in dulzura . http://www.sbrgc.org/ . They have a 26 lane 300 yard range there . With targets set at 50 , 100 , 200 , & 300 yards . $20 to shoot all day or 100 dollars for 1 year membership shoot as much as you want no charge as member .

I'm not sure how new you are to shooting rifles and or shooting for accuracy but here are a few videos that can help you out .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA2PZBD5Tjg&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5AGsHSIsVo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p026Y0WUy6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTSBcNgGMNo

Because you don't have a lot of time to go shooting . Check out this long range shooting video series . These videos go way in depth and are incredibly informative http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...BZi0vDCIcEPxUn

[christmasstorm]

Funny you bring that club up... I was looking into joining.

[classwarfare]

What is the twist rate for your barrel? It should be engraved on your barrel. The general rule is the faster the twist rate, the heavier the bullet your rifle can shoot well.

[russ69]

There is a lot to learn for a new shooter but in the 308, just about any load will work good enough to get you started. The 308 is a very versatile loading from 135 grain with 1 in 14 twist bench rifles all the way to 200 plus grain bullets and very fast twist rifle barrels. It will take you a long time to learn all there is to know, even some very experienced shooters may not know everything there is to know about the 308.