I’ve had the Ruger Precision in 308 for a number of years but, honestly, it’s aways been a bit of a disappointment to me. Obviously, for really stretching its legs, you need very good ammunition. I had tried PMC 147gr X-TAC and Hornady 168gr Match. For 50 rounds of the PMC XTAC 147gr Ball the average group size was 1.91 MOA. For 50 rounds of Hornady Match 168gr the average group size was 1.73 MOA. Add to that the cost of Match grade ammo . . . well, obviously my range time with the rifle plummeted. I know . . . I know . . . RELOAD your fool. Well, two things – honestly the cost wasn’t that much lower . . . and reloading just isn’t my thing. I enjoy the process of shooting and the concept of marksmanship . . . I just can’t get into the reloading process. I’ve tried . . . just can’t do it.
I picked up a Remington 700 308 5r stainless, Milspec from a
friend of mine. Man . . . what a
rifle. It’s a “civilian version” of the
Marine’s M24 sniper system. (I’ll post a
link to my Range Trip report of this rifle in the comments.) So, my interest in 308 was reborn – but with
the same considerations as before – cost of ammunition and my dislike for
reloading – I went in search of “affordable” yet precise 308 ammunition. My desires were answered by American Marksman
and their Bullets
1st .308 WIN 168 gr Sierra MatchKing HPBT - 400 ct cartridge. A BUCK a round . . . yep, a buck a
round. I ordered a 400 round case and
hit the range with my new Remington 700.
The results were exceptional – at least to me. My first group was .71MOA and my average
group size for 50 rounds was 1.22 MOA.
Which led to my curiosity on just how this ammunition would
work for my RPR in 308. For a scope I
have a Vortex Viper 6x24 in Milrad.
Yesterday I got my answers on the range. I use a custom target sheet with 5ea 3-inch
targets on the sheet along with a full Dope grid at the tip. I expect to have 90% of my rounds impact
within the given 3-inch targets and I expect my average group size to be 2.0MOA
or less. I was not disappointed. First on Target Sheet #1, Target #1 my Cold Bore Shot was at 1 o’clock
and within the black of the target’s center.
Gotta say, I was pleased with this.
The last time I touched this rifle was on 10/23/23 – it’s been cased
since then. You can look at the
targets. My average group size on Target
Sheet #1 was 1.44MOA and I had 11 Xs. On
Target Sheet #2 my average group size was 1.19MOA with 16Xs. Averaged together for 50 rounds my average
group size was 1.37 MOA. This result was
from ammunition priced at $1.00 per round.
It says a lot about the manufacturing process of American Marksman, and
I suspect their use of Sierra MatchKing HPBT 168 gr bullet has a lot to do with
it as well.
I do have a range that I can visit a few miles from my home
that reaches out to 800 yards, I suspect visits with both the Remington and the
Ruger will be in the offing this shooting season. I’ll post the results when I polish off that
trip.
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