The Annoyed Man wrote:With a 1:10 twist, Savage .308s really like anything topped with a 175 grain Sierra Matchking, and it will shoot those better than the 165-168s. My son has a 10FP HS Precision, and it will eat those all day long. The best commercial loads were Federal Gold Match 175 grain SMKs, and Black Hills Match 175 grain SMKs. Doesn’t seem to matter if the bullets are moly-coated or not.
If you handload, try a 175 grain SMK over 44 grains of Varget, with whatever primer you prefer (it’s a very forgiving combination), using either new or once-fired (in that rifle) brass.
BUT..... if you insist on 165-168 grains, I’d recommend either the Federal Fusion 165 grain load, or the Federal Gold Match 168 grain SMK. The Fusion load is a hunting load for thin skinned game, that is supposed to deliver match or close to match accuracy. I have shot groups as small as .5 MOA of that load out of my Remington 700, but average group size for that load is more like 1-1.5 MOA out of that rifle. That same rifle will shoot 4 rounds of the above mentioned handload into 3/8” groups at 100 yards with fair regularity. So the Fusion ammo isn’t exactly match grade, but in that particular rifle, it comes close enough.
Hornady 168 grain match is supposed to be pretty good, although I myself have not had great results with it. It does tend to run a bit cheaper than other premium factory match loads. But for commercial loads fired in a 1:10 barrel, I’ve had the best luck with Black Hills 175 grain match.
The Annoyed Man,
I'm not a handloader, but I appreciate the info.
I know that match ammo is the most accurate factory loaded stuff you can buy, but is match ammo really appropriate for hunting our small whitetails in the Hill Country? I would really like something that expands and deposits energy, rather than something that just pokes a 30 caliber hole all the way through. Or, does the HP match ammo expand because of the hollow point? As you can tell, I have almost zero experience with match ammo.
Finally, I wonder how 150 gr ammo would do in this rifle? I know that with a 1 in 10 twist the heavier stuff is supposed to be better. In my old Howa 1500 (don't know the twist), the 150 gr Winchester Whitetail loads I bought at Walmart would put three shots in 3/4" at 100 yards--when I was having a good day...
Thanks for your recommendations,
Crash