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Factory Ammo recommendations for A2 .308 Mannlicher

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

foothills

Member
I have been using the Hornady GMX rounds in 150gr and the results were not flattering. I would prefer to use a bonded round, any suggestions or experience would be appreciated.
 
Hello Foothills,
Save your money shopping around for the "right" factory loads and load your own. For a small investment, you can have fun, know what you are shooting is reliable, and take pride in what you produced. All of this, and in the long run, you will save money. Same reason I built my own fly-rods, tie my own flies, and hand make all my Herring rigs and "Hoochies" for Salmon. Not much help regarding your post, but I have not used factory ammo in over 30 years. Carl
 
For the .308, I prefer 165 or 168 grain bullets. They always seemed to shoot better for me than 150's.

That said, for factory ammo give Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip in 168 grain a try. The bullets they use in that particular ammo are supplied by Nosler and are of the boat tail variety. They shoot good on paper and do the job nicely on whitetails and mule deer.

As Vigo said, you'll never achieve maximum accuracy unless you roll your own. That's what I do, but the factory ammo I listed above is good stuff.
 
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...as a side note, that ammo won't be cheap. Not sure, but you are probably looking at $30 to $35 per box which is absurd for .308 ammo. Good luck to you.
 
Foothills,
Another suggestion along with Jimmymac's is from a friend of mine who shoots only .308 and the only factory ammo he uses is Federal Premium. He has shot Hornady and was not pleased with the performance/accuracy. All my brass I use for reloading is Federal, and If I had to shoot factory ammo I would choose Federal Premium as they use the best bullets such as Nosler, Barnes and Speer, which I use for my hand-loads. My second choice would be Winchester, since ammo is all they make anymore and it is highly recommended. I would steer clear of Remington and any ammo with Sierra's. Although I do not shoot factory ammo, it is one of those things I believe that, "You get what you pay for". A hunting partner of mine shoots a 1970's Win. Model 70 in .300 Win.mag. that is a tack driver. Several years ago he bought a box of Federal Premium "Vital Shock" 165 grain Barnes "Triple Shock" and after one trip to the range, bought a case to last him a lifetime. retail at the time was around $60 for a box of 20. Carl
 
When looking for factory ammo which shoots well in a particular rifle it is always a crapshoot. It's also a bit of a crapshoot to find a good handload, but at least you don't have to do twenty of them at a time. My experience with factory loads is that there will be no predicting which load will shoot the best in your rifle. What works well in my gun may not hit the side of a barn in yours. And the least expensive ammo from Walmart may outshine the priciest "premium" stuff from Cabela's.

However, I'm not at all surprised that Hornady ammunition didn't do well. I've personally seen two instances recently of really bad quality control with Hornady stuff. I'm also not surprised that a monometal bullet didn't do well as it is rare to find a rifle which will shoot a solid hunk of copper (from any manufacturer) as accurately as most lead core bullets.

I know that you are looking for something with a "premium" bullet, but my advice would be to start with some of the least expensive conventional ammunition to get a base line on what your rifle can do. Then try some of the expensive stuff to see if you can find something that meets your goals.
 
Really appreciate all the feedback, I have reloaded in the past, read before kids, and will reload in the future, however three kids in hockey etc., results in less available time these days. I have had very good results in a 300 Win using the hornady interbond 180gr. Unfortunately the interbond is now out of production. I had a sense that it may be the 150gr in a shorter barrel with the monolithic bullet that may cause the erratic results. I will likely try the Nosler trophy grade in 165gr with the accubond, and the winchester. They are about the same price as the hornadys up here in Alberta (50-60$ a box CDN). I have a few boxes of .308 reloads that the gentleman I acquired the rifle from gave me, unfortuantely there is no information as to the loads and weights, but they group better than the Hornadys. Fortunately the answer to the question doesn't have to be sorted out till next September when my son and daughter will be carrying the sako for the opening of the Muley season.
 
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