FYI, check your factory ammo
- Thread starter .300 Dakota
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I know someone is going to go there. That was never my intention; my goal was to provide as much pertinent information as possible. If Remington goes the blame route, that's on them, not the OP, esp. if he can verify the integrity of the equipment.
I had heard,. (hearsay) that Remington ammo was not all that good. I already knew that their .22 ammo left a lot to be desired so I sort of believed this. (I still have several thousand rounds of Remington .22 ammo in the ammo locker that I could not get to shoot in any rifle I tried it in.) My go to for both the 308 and 30-06 is 165 grain ammo. Why? because my rifles like it and it does a job on deer size animals. After Remington went by the wayside and then was brought back to life, I decided to try it again, if only, just for giggles. At $39.99 a box for 165 gr Core-Lokt, the price seemed reasonable. If nothing else, I would have another 20 cases to reload. I took it to the range last spring on a warm afternoon, temp in the mid 60s, bright sunlight on the targets with winds light and variable. At 100 yards shooting my Tikka T3, 30-06, I was pleasantly surprised when my 5 shot groups all shot between 0.7 and 0.9. Accuracy wise, it appears that maybe Remington has finally gotten their act together. Am I ready to give up my Nosler Partitons for Core-Lokt? Not much of a chance of that. but, in a pinch, I know that the bullet would at least go where I was aiming.
highfinblue
Well-Known Member
Sorry about my first post, I didn't see the difference you were talking about until just now. That's ridiculous, you definitely need to call Remington, a refund is in order.
Critter Picker
Well-Known Member
Factory ammo is OK for the guy in a heated tower with a shooting bench overlooking a food plot that is EXACTLY 100 yards across. AND he has a sighted in rifle and knows how to shoot it.
Me, I use my hand loaded ammo. My last factory ammo other than rimfire was 1975.
Me, I use my hand loaded ammo. My last factory ammo other than rimfire was 1975.
That's not at all surprising. What about the SD and ES? How bad were they. That's where the problem arises.
You can correct for a MV discrepancy, but not for poor precision.
Critter Picker
Well-Known Member
According to the picture 9 shots almost 100 fps spread
.300 Dakota
Well-Known Member
Honestly, this ammo is probably going about as fast as it ought to be going to do what it needs to do. A 95 grain thin-jacketed bullet is near the varmint category anyway. Pair it with my 1:8 twist and things will really get interesting on a shoulder shot of a good sized deer or pig within 100 yards IF it's actually running 3140 ft/s. The point of impact and 10-shot group size are acceptable for me to substitute in a pinch down here where a 150-yard shot will be the absolute max. BUT there is NO explanation for a 400 ft/s short-fall in velocity over advertised. Somebody decided to stop the powder trickler about 5 grains short on the production line. These are starting loads, and that's fine IF you advertise them as such. I have checked several factory loads over time, and the old Remington ammo could be counted on for giving advertised velocities. Hornady ELD'X 7mm PRC ammo gives consistent speeds across the chronograph and near enough to advertised that I take it for gospel knowing it was tested at a higher elevation than where I'm at. Nosler Custom is great and sometimes more consistent than I can handload. This is the first ammo I've seen with this sort of discrepancy. Again, it is still potentially useful for me in a pinch now knowing it's limitations, but completely erroneous in what's advertised...and as someone else pointed out, at $45 a box with sales tax, too!!
.300 Dakota
Well-Known Member
22" barrel, 76 degrees at sea level. Yes, conditions may account for a small part of it, but not enough to even question this part of the equation. If Remington is using some powder that's 400 ft/s higher or lower than advertised based on atmospheric conditions in their ammo and charging good moderate prices for it, the intent of this thread still applies... AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE!!
Maybe it's a 1 off. Others may still buy and use. I'm just saying you better check it before taking it in open country and dialing that scope based on the box printed ballistics.
Nothing to "blame". They have their test barrels and he has his rifle. Not unusual for a rifle to be over or under the published data on factory ammo. It is just a fact that he will not got the same results as the factory published.
Do you blame the manufacturer of your vehicle when you do not get the same gas mileage that was on the window sticker when you bought it?
highfinblue
Well-Known Member
When I first read the post I thought the same, but 400 fps is more than a little discrepancy
Lenny Foffa
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Although I have not purchased any ammo in over 40 years, I have friends who will buy factory ammo, that is a sale. I was very surprised when the 30 -06 Norma ammo my friend purchased , shot literally right on top of my hand loads at 50 and at100 yards. My lab radar said my 165 grn SST loads are 2700 fps and the Normas were supposed to be about 2900. They printed about 1/2 inch higher. Fired two shots , and the holes touched , just like my loads 1/2 in under them. Norma 30-06 at 2900 , Probably not . 2800 maybe . Precise , YES!!! Good deer load , we shall see. If you're going to shoot store bought ammo, you need to test them all in YOUR rifle and trust the targets!!! Since the average shot my friends kill deer on their own property is 50 to 100 yards, Velocity is secondary to accuracy for that kind of White Tail Deer Hunting. IMHO
