120 grain Sierra Pro Hunter Range Report

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  • 120 grain Sierra Pro Hunter Range Report

    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 started on the 100 yard line and shot a 1 1/2 inch group. I was very pleased with the 100 yard results. I would have collected targets, but I wasn't going to wait 20 minutes or more to get down range, so I just left em.

    When I moved down to the 200 yard range, the wind was 5 miles and hour steady and gusted to about 7 mph or so. I fired a ten round group of the Sierra pro hunters and got a very nice group. Much better than I expected. I have a couple flyers, not sure if they were me or the wind (probably the wind .... LOL).

    Here is the target I shot with the Pro Hunters .........




    I was very happy with the performance. But, the 120 Nosler Ballistic Tips that I loaded using AA brass with 30.5 gr of 2520 performed exceptionally well. I would estimate that the group was about 1 1/2 inches. They performed much better in the light wind we had today. They actaully did better at 200 yards than the 120 grain SMK's that I also loaded with 30.5 grains of 2520. Granted, the SMK's didn't group all that much bigger, but the group was slightly larger.

    Once again, I didn't feel like waiting forever to go collect targets, so I just left em and pack up for home.

    All in all, If I can't find any Nosler Ballistic tips to hunt with I won't even hesitate to pick up the Sierra Pro Hunters.
    Last edited by Guest; 08-17-2011, 06:45 PM.

  • #2
    Thanks for the info, I picked up a box of 120 Pro-Hunters. The 120gr bullet should be a great deer bullet. I tried some H322 and wasn't happy with the groups, ranged from 1.8 to 2.9". TAC was highly recommended by others on this forum but I have some Varget I want tot try first, but I'm going to put the 2520 on my list of powders to try.

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    • #3
      Please post your results with Varget and the 120 Pro-Hunters. I haven't reloaded the Grendel yet, but I have 120 Pro-Hunters and about 10 pounds of Varget on hand that I use for my .223 Service Rifle.

      After I shoot up the Hornaday 123 gr. factory loads... I'll start reloading.

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      • #4
        New to the forum, AR's, and to reloading. Read some where that was a crazy thing to do, but I'm having fun. I've got a 24" 264 LBC super varmint. I loaded some 120 balistic tips with 2520 the groups were ok, maybe changing COL would help me. At29.9 gr up to 30.6 gr the action seemed to work a lot harder, cases were landing 6 - 10 ft between 3 and 5, so straight out to slightly back. Primers looked ok, no Case head swipe (brass extrusion), but I couldn't tell if the bolt carrier was bottoming out or hammering the action.

        Are there any tell tale signs if the bolt carrier is bottoming out?

        I'm going to buy some more factory AA ammo and try to figure out how to set up my cronograph to check velocities of factory vs handloads. Going to practice with the crono using an air rifle at home so I don't waste alot of ammo. Annoying thing is most of the lights in my basement are flourescent so I have to set up some incandescents and turn the other off.

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        • #5
          Sligo,

          What buffer are you using? You'll have a lot more dwell time with that 24", and 120's over 28.5gr of 2520 will feel somewhat hefty if you have a standard carbine buffer. I'm not sure what buffer/recoil spring/bolt carrier weights you have. They should be on the heavier side with the Grendel, especially with 120+ gr bullets and stiff loads.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by hunter235 View Post
            Please post your results with Varget and the 120 Pro-Hunters. I haven't reloaded the Grendel yet, but I have 120 Pro-Hunters and about 10 pounds of Varget on hand that I use for my .223 Service Rifle.

            After I shoot up the Hornaday 123 gr. factory loads... I'll start reloading.
            Hunter,
            Will post results it as soon as I can get out to the range. Unfortunately that probably won't be for a month or so.

            Comment


            • #7
              Just joined the forum, but have been loading for years. The Grendel was a new addition this year. I've tried everything from the 130 g Accubond, 129 SST, 120 NBT, and the Sierra 120 g Pro Hunter. Fortunately for my wallet, the Pro Hunters work the best out of my 16" barrel AR carbine set-up (light and simple). The light carbine is for walking and drives (deer season). I tried W748, BL-C(2), Reloader-15, and Varget powders. The best groups were from the Reloader-15 and the Varget. Both sets of 5-shot groups averaged just under a MOA. My choice of glass was a 3x9x40mm Leupold VX-I (didn't want to break the bank on a walking rifle, though I may swap out one of my better ones later). With a long range scope, I may have been able to do better, but as I said, the set-up suits my needs. The best Reloader-15 load was 28.5 g; the best Varget load was 29.2 g. Both are more than adequate for my needs, and I think limited only by the glass and the shooter. I've always been a fan of Varget with Win .308 168-g SMK (sub 1/2 MOA at 300 yd-definitely a good day and yes, I saved the target!). From what I read, Varget is one of the more temperature stable options, and contrary to those that say not to use a stick powder with the 6.5, it seems to work just fine. I am setting up to test at 200 yd and 300 yd to see what kind of drop I get. I don't have a chronograph, but I am planning on back-calculating the 300 yd data after zeroing at 200 yds. I've done this before with very good results when compared to book data. I'll let you know how it turns out. If anyone has data on velocities with Varget and the 120 g loads, please let me know.

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              • #8
                Algae Man,
                That's encouraging. Any pressure signs with 29.2g of Varget? I have both the 120 Pro-Hunter and Varget on hand which will be my
                next reload combo. I want to start out light and work up, how many grains would you recommend to start with?

                Where in WI?

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                • #9
                  Whelenon,
                  I checked cases and there were no signs of excessive pressure (cracking, primer push-out, etc). I have reloaded some of the same brass more than once and there were still no signs. I started out with 28.2 g of Varget, then 28.7 g, and then 29.2 g. 29.2 g Varget gave me the best groupings with the 28.7 g loads just a little larger. Some of the load data from the old 6.5 Grendel site shows the 120 g NBT load going up to 30.5 g of Varget, but I haven't seen it anywhere else. Alexander Arms data has the 123 g Lapau bullet using a max of 28.5 g Varget. I don't know if I want to push it up too much from where I'm at. I know that the Alexander Arms data will have some safety margin built into the max loads, but if I'm at a MOA and the velocity keeps me in the ballpark at 200 to 300 yards, I may just run with the 29.2 g. I roughly calculated the muzzle velocity at somewhere between 2467 and 2517 fps looking at other data. Obviously, a short 16" barrel will have a different effect than the factory 24" test barrel used in the AA charts, I'll have to verify my estimate after zeroing at 200 yards and then shooting at 300 yards.

                  I'm in the Germantown/Menomonee Falls area, so I shoot at McMiller down by Eagle for the longer range work and a little club up by Saukville for the initial short work. I hope this information is helpful. Let me know how it works out and if you find any velocity data with the Varget. It will probably be a few weeks before I can get to McMiller, but I'll let you know what I find for bullet drop and the back-calculated velocity.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Algae Man,
                    Sound good let me know.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Whelenon,
                      I had a chance to fire some test loads at the short range (87 yards). I tried Varget at 29.7 g and 30.2 g with the Sierra 120 g Pro Hunters and the Nosler 120 g Ballistic Tips. I also tried the Pro Hunters with 29.2 g Varget as done previously. There was no evidence of over-pressure on any of the cases (i.e. primers being pushed out, case necks cracking or unusual case stretching), and all functioned well in the rifle. The best 5-shot group was with the Pro Hunters loaded with 30.2 g Varget (0.764" group). The next best group was the Pro Hunters with 29.7 g Varget at 1.170". The Pro Hunters with the 29.2 g Varget marked at 1.364". I had shot this last combination better previously. All were fairly decent for the short 16" carbine barrel, but the 30.2 g load was almost a perfect star--a very nice group! The 30.2 g Varget/Pro Hunter loads shot about a half-inch higher than the 29.2 g Varget/Pro Hunters. The Nosler BT's grouped at 1.516" and 2.316" for the 29.7 g and 30.2 g Varget loads respectively. The Noslers may shoot better out of a longer barrel, but I have ran them through the paces with my set-up, and for their price, they just didn't make the cut. As long as pressure doesn't seem to be an issue, I am going to work with the Sierras and the 30.2 g Varget recipe. Again, these loads were out of an M-4 rifle with a 16" (1 in 9 twist) barrel. These worked for me, but I do not guarantee them for anyone else. Load at your own risk. The pressure may be a bigger issue in a long barreled bolt action, so start out light and watch for pressure signs. I plan on doing the longer 200 and 300 yard testing later this month. I'll let you know how it works out. Let me know how you do, and if you figure out anything differently. Good luck and good shooting!

                      Algae Man

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                      • #12
                        A Man,
                        That's good to know. I'm shooting a 16" 1-8 barrel so your loads are exactly what I'm considering. Unfortunately I'm not sure when I'll be able to get some range time but my next reloads will be a combo of SPH 120s and Varget. I've shot some factory(AA ammo) Nosler BT 120s and to date they gave me my best groups(3 groups were sub-moa). So I haven't ruled the Nosler out for hunting but from what I've read from others on this board the SPH is a better deer bullet.
                        Keep me posted on your progress, it's been very helpfull, thanks.

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                        • #13
                          Well, I guess I should add that in my original post, I was shooting those rounds out of a 20 inch barrel with a 1:8 twist that has a WCI muzzle brake on it that makes the barrel about 2-3 inches longer. So, I would have to say that the 4-6 inches difference in barrel would probably make a differnce (if only slight).

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                          • #14
                            Loaded up 5 test loads w/Sierra 120 Pro-Hunter, Varget, Lapua brass(twice fired), Rem 7-1/2 primer. 28.3, 28.8, 29.3, 29.8 & 30.3 I checked Hornady's reloading manual and there max load is 28.8. A posting from the old forum list a load using 30.5. I want to get out to the range in the next couple days, depending on wind conditions. Will post results ASAP.

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                            • #15
                              120 SPH has been my go to hunting round for the past two years. After loading with a COAL of 2.224 and shooting TAC at 27.5- 28.8gr out of my 16" AA, I was getting consistant groups of .75 or less @100yds. I decided to go with the 28.4 gr load which gave me a velocity of 2452fps. So far this year I'm switching to the 120gr Core-lokt with 28.5gr of 8208 and that is only due to my spending so much time busting brush in hog country where a bonded bullet may give me better penetration. I'm hoping to try some custom 118-120gr Accubonds after I check them out at the range soon.

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