Bullet differences

[F4E Phantom]

[Beelzy]

You need the Sierra and Hornady reloading manuals, for the Ballistic tables.

[JackEllis]

I suggest you have a look at one of the ballistic calculators on the web. Many of them have libraries for loaded ammunition that you can adapt in conjunction with a reloading manual to get estimates.

I also use a free ballistic calculator on my phone that I believe comes from Winchester called Ballistic. There are likely others.

[highpower790]

Unless you are a master class competitor,not much difference.Wait until at least a high level expert before using a 168mk.

[slamfire1]

If the A3 military barrel was replaced with a Criterion barrel, you will see differences between bullets. Military barrels, in unbedded M1903A3's, who knows what you are going to see, regardless of bullets.

I have shot hundreds, close to a thousand rounds through my various 03's and A3's in local 100 yard matches.

I took this up to Perry and shot in an early Garand match. It did OK. It will hold the black and mostly the ten ring, and I had a new four groove Remington barrel installed.



I have another action which I installed a new Remington two groove barrel, and the thing is more accurate with cast bullets, or just about, as with jacketed. The two groove barrel, though new in the wrap, it is what you would expect for a war time barrel, puked out of the factory as fast as possible. There was no expectation of target accuracy in a war that was causing 60,000 American casualties a month, which works out to be about 20,000 dead per month. The living would be in various states of disassembly. In fact, by the time we get to 1945, we were running out of men. I knew a man, who was late 30's, had several kids, and he was still mad he was drafted. The US was not doing as bad as the Volksstrum of the Germans. But if we had lost a million men invading Japan, as was expected to happen in 1946/47, 14 to 60 year old's might have been drafted for domestic military roles. The massive number of deaths predicted invading Japan was the big, big reason we used the bomb first. Might as well test the waters before losing 300,000 dead Americans. Read the book Hell to Pay and understand what we were up against.

When these rifles were built, they were expected to hit the black of the 5V target



And that was it. An exceptional rifle could hold the ten ring of the later, NRA target, but it took luck to find one of those. My best M1903A3, with a military barrel, will shoot about 2 MOA, with 168's, at 100 yards. And that is fine for a military 03. I have a "bedding the 03 article" from the NRA, and at the end of a process showing a lot of work, the comment drops out that the 03 barrels were OK if they held within four inches at 100 yards.

I do have a Criterion barrel on one A3, and it is a good barrel. Easily shoots under 2 MOA with 168 match bullets at 100 yards.

Military bullets suck. There is no way to say it any other way.

My Ruger M77 Tactical, will shoot this prone with a sling at 100 yards



off the bench, with military bullets,





this was a surprise, it shot well, with 150 gr FMJBT Hornady's. These are the best groups, shot off a rest, the charges that hit a sweet spot with this bullet. And these bullets don't do as well in other 308's





I did take this rifle to CMP Talladega. I epoxy bedded the rear lug, might have the front lug, the barrel was new, absolutely new in the wrap before it was installed. I did all the action, barrel bedding, along with relieving the front band from the barrel, and I tightened the rear sight.







these are the old National Match bullets, they are actually good for the era, but inferior to a 168 SMK. Almost hold the ten at 200 yards



168 Match did hold the ten ring, this rifle is hard to shoot with its tiny rear sight and 4 MOA windage adjustment. I plan to play with the bedding before I take it down to CMP again, as it puked at 300 yards.



If you can, buy Hornday 150 grain FMJBT's for a cheap but decent bullet. They are far better than any FMJ military bullet, expect for the Swiss and Swedish. Their military ammunition has good bullets. American military 150 gr bullets are crap.

Don't spend money on expensive bullets till you bed the action, and determine after that, whether your tube is good. A bad barrel will not shoot good bullets well. And bad bullets won't shoot well in a good barrel. But there are surprises

these are crap bullets in my other 30-06's, and 308's, I have no idea why they shot so well this day



same rifle, seventeen rounds, the old NM bullet.



it has to be the rifle.

[smoothy8500]

I do have a Criterion barrel on one A3, and it is a good barrel. Easily shoots under 2 MOA with 168 match bullets at 100 yards.


If you can, buy Hornday 150 grain FMJBT's for a cheap but decent bullet.

Don't spend money on expensive bullets till you bed the action, and determine after that, whether your tube is good. A bad barrel will not shoot good bullets well. And bad bullets won't shoot well in a good barrel.

I agree that Hornady makes a pretty good FMJ for 100-200yd shooting. At 300yds they start to show their inaccuracy. Although a mediocre barrel will give less than stellar results with "match" projectiles, beyond 300yds the mil-spec/fmj's are going to be worse. Hornady hollow base boat tail or AMAX are going to be your most economical match bullet.