Ordering supplies.. give me a few bullets to try

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  • Ordering supplies.. give me a few bullets to try

    Ordering up some IMR 8208 XBR and need a few options for bullets for my .264LBC. I'm going to grab some HDY 123 Amax, but wasn't sure who else to try and what weights? Sierra/Lapua/Nosler? 100gr, 107gr, 120gr, 129gr?

    Thanks,
    John

  • #2
    The Nosler Ballistic Tip 100 gr loves 8208. Check the distance to lands for your chamber first to set the COL, as they come up to caliber quicker than the 123 Amax.

    Hoot

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    • #3
      What barrel are you running and what is the twist rate?

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      • #4
        Originally posted by in.dmand View Post
        What barrel are you running and what is the twist rate?
        20" Lilja 1:9 twist

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        • RangerRick

          #5
          Hi John,

          Do you want target bullets, hunting bullets or both?

          As for powder, I haven't tried 8208 yet, but have good luck with AA2520 for the 120 grain class bullets and AA2460 for 100 grain class bullets. They are temperature sensitive, though. H335 also seems to be a good powder for the lighter bullets.

          I've found the Nosler's (both 100 and 120's) to be very accurate, but expensive. They are hunting bullets but some people have had the 120's blow up on impact with a shoulder or other hard structure.

          An extra 25 cents for a hunting bullet that you might shoot 10 a year is no big deal, but if you shoot a lot it adds up.

          I've heard guys on here say that the Nosler's seem to copper foul the bore a lot more than others, so if you shoot multiple bullets, shoot them last. It will mess up the accuracy of the next 10 bullets you shoot otherwise.

          The Swift Sirocco 130 grain is also accurate, but expensive. It has an excellent rep as a hunting bullet particularly for those who like a heavier bullet. It has a BC of .571 which is excellent, and retains energy well down range, but may not expand as well as some others at low velocity.

          The Sierra Match King's are good target bullets. The 123's have a good BC, but I've had a hard time getting consistent results. They seem to be very sensitive to the jump to the lands like a lot of low drag bullets. They claim to have the same .510 BC as the 123 AMax but they shoot lower for me.

          The 120 Sierra Match King seems to be a lot more forgiving of the jump, but has a BC of .421.

          The Lapua 123's are excellent target bullets with a BC of .547. They are also a little sensitive to load and jump for me. But if you can work up a good load for your gun they are great.

          I've shot the Lapua 107's and Sierra 108's and they are both good bullets, but I'm happier with either the 100's or the 123's. You get better velocity with the 100's and better energy with the 123's.

          The 123 AMax has been the most consistent for me. Some guys on here have even had good results hunting with them, although Hornady doesn't recommend that for anything larger than small game.


          RR
          Last edited by Guest; 10-26-2011, 04:46 PM. Reason: typo

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          • #6
            This will be for target shooting.. very off chance of some varmint hunting (but I doubt).

            I live in Ohio and temps go from 0 degrees in winter to over 100 degrees in summer, so I try to stick to less temp sensitive powders if possible.

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            • #7
              H322 has proven to be a fantastic powder for me, and it's a perfect fit for this class of cartridge. However, you could have pressure problems at the gas port (too little).

              This has come to be my go to powder, and it's conveniently less popular than the likes of Varget, which means it's easier to find. It's a fairly fast, small grain extruded ADI powder. It's part of the "Extreme" powder line, so it's not too sensitive to temperature.

              It works great behind a 120gr or 123gr bullet in the Grendel, a 52gr bullet in .233, or a 155 in .308. I'm getting around 2950 from it in my 155 (2156) .308 load, which shoots in the area of 1/2 moa in my 26" Shilen.

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              • #8
                Has anyone tried Varget or know if it works? I've got tons of it b/c I use in my .308s and .223s (both bolt and AR platforms).

                EDIT: After some research I've read that Varget is not very good in this chambering.
                Last edited by Guest; 10-26-2011, 05:41 PM.

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                • #9
                  Well, I finally got a chance to get to the range today and give some of my reloads a try. Unfortunately, the range was very busy because it was a nice sunny day and the wind was up a bit. But, I took out some of the 120gr Sierra Pro Hunter Soft Point bullets today. I loaded them into AA cases using 30.2 grains of 2520. I

                  Varget works.

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                  • #10
                    Good deal. I pulled the trigger on 8lbs of IMR 8208 XBR as I hear it works well and I can even try in my .223/.308s also. Maybe have a new go-to powder for all 3.

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                    • #11
                      Ill be using the 8208 with lapua 123 scenars and 100 ttsx. Im also going to try the nosler ballistic tips. Let us know it performs for ya

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by hawk45 View Post
                        Good deal. I pulled the trigger on 8lbs of IMR 8208 XBR as I hear it works well and I can even try in my .223/.308s also. Maybe have a new go-to powder for all 3.
                        Shoot, too late. I was going to recommend Alliant AR-Comp if you want temp stability and performance across those three calibers. Up here in Minnesota, it swings over a 120 degrees up and down. Alliant specs AR-Comp from -20 to +140F with only about 20fps change! It shoots beautifully in my .223, .308 and 6.5 Grendel, but you run out of case capacity when pushing the 123 Amax around 2550 fps, so it's a little slower than powders with a higher density.
                        Here's a link to my range report using it and the 123 Amax. Sub-Moa in all three calibers at 100 yards. Throws 5-shot groups in my LAR-8 using 168gr Amax, that are sub .5 MOA at 100 yards. Seriously, one over-sized hole! Also worked well in my .300 WSSM AR15 before I sold it to finance the LAR-8.

                        Hoot

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                        • #13
                          Will do.. upper is in the build process, so once it arrives and I do all my measurements I'll whip up some rounds and hit the range.. may be a month or more before I have the build complete though.

                          Thanks for all the help.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Rambozo View Post
                            H322 has proven to be a fantastic powder for me, and it's a perfect fit for this class of cartridge. However, you could have pressure problems at the gas port (too little).

                            This has come to be my go to powder, and it's conveniently less popular than the likes of Varget, which means it's easier to find. It's a fairly fast, small grain extruded ADI powder. It's part of the "Extreme" powder line, so it's not too sensitive to temperature.

                            It works great behind a 120gr or 123gr bullet in the Grendel, a 52gr bullet in .233, or a 155 in .308. I'm getting around 2950 from it in my 155 (2156) .308 load, which shoots in the area of 1/2 moa in my 26" Shilen.
                            Hey Rambozo! Welcome back! I was wondering when you would return since the forum was destroyed.

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                            • #15
                              Hey, while I'm asking. Have you guys found any primers better/worse than others? I just got my 300pcs of AA Lapua Brass.

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