School me on bullets

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Weber

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My post from another thread...

How do you know what bullets are good to buy?

I'm new to reloading, so I have been sticking with name brand components like hornady bullets.

Besides buying, and shooting them, how do you know what to look for?

I'm sure application is important, like plinking ammo, hunting, self defense, ect.

In my case, I've started with 223, 308, 300 blackout.

223 will be fun range ammo, and SHTF self defense.

308 hunting, precision range, and some long distance ranges 1000 yards

300 blkout, hunting, and range use.

Thanks for any help

I did purchase 1,000 224 bullets from extreme as the price seemed really good, and worth trying.
 
As far as .308 goes. Hunting, I like the Hornady SST, Nosler Partitions and Sierra Game Kings. For precision range and long range, I like the Sierra Match Kings, Berger, and Hornady A-max.

These are the ones I'm like. I'm sure others will like others though.

For the .223 plinking, I like the Hornady .224 FMJ w/cannelure. Hunting I love the Nosler Partitions.
 
There is no perfect answer.

If I wanted a dual purpose 308 load suitable for both hunting and target shooting I'd look at Berger hunting bullets. They give virtually the same accuracy as their target bullets but are designed to expand in game. In a 308 I like the 155's as an all around bullet, at more moderate ranges. But if you get serious about shooting at 1000 you'll want to go heavier. They are quite reasonably priced as well.
 
I've read that FMJ is not as accurate as SP, but when shooting in an AR the sp can be damaged and effect accuracy as well.

Any truth to that?
 
FMJ tends not to be very accurate because of the poorly shaped base (Not square). Some are better than others, but a bullet with the open end of the copper cup at the front with a nice square base will out shoot them all day long. I can take bullets with damaged tips and shoot them into bug holes at 100 yards in my Bench gun. At long range it would cause problems.

.223 fun plinking and a little defensive ammo? Cheapest 55 Gr FMJ you can buy for plinking, although upgrading to Hornady will improve accuracy most times. Blasting at 50 to 100 yards? Buy cheap. Trying to hit bottles at 200 yards? Hornady FMJs, or a better bullet may be a better option. 55 Gr ammo will defend your life just fine, but I have a little bit of 55 Gr V Max ammo loaded for that. Those X-Treme bullets you bought will do fine for now, and you may find them to be good for all your .223 plinking/casual target shooting.

.308 hunting? Lots of good options, as well as a million opinions. 1000 yards. 155 Gr or 175 Gr match bullets.

300 BLK? I am using pulled 147 Gr FMJ bullets for plinking. If you want to increase accuracy, the 110 V Max works well. I also like the 125 Gr Hornady SST and 130 Gr Speer SP. I have yet to try either of those on game, but the Speer holds together better in clay banks. I also bought some 123 Gr (.311) Z Max bullets (Intended for 7.62X39) because they were cheap. Make absolutely sure they are not too fat for your chambers neck area! I did a chamber cast (125 Gr SST in pic) of mine to make sure.
 
You just buy a few and test them to see if they are "good" for what you want to use them for.

Some bullets may be fine for one gun and no good at all for others.

Some examples that come to mind are One of the Speer varmint bullets with really thin jackets work fine in a 1:14 twist bolt action .223 barrel but come apart shot out of a 1:7 twist AR barrel. Go to the other end of the extreme and shoot 70 grain bullets and the 1:14 twist will not stabilize the bullet causing keyholes.

Plated bullets have generally worked ok for me but shot out of gain twist barrels like the AET the plating comes off with less than ideal results down range.
 
Most of it, as already mentioned, is trial and error. You can, however, limit the "error" side by doing some research. Use the search function here on THR, and see what others are using. Benefit from their experiences. Ask questions, as you've done here. Ask your friends and shooting associates what they load/shoot. Then, buy small quantities and try them until you find what works best for you and your rifles (BTW...this is one of the most rewarding and fun aspects of handloading). There's nothing wrong with sticking to name brands that you know. As you collect more information, you'll start to expand the list of components you'll want to try.

Welcome to handloading. It's a sickness, and there is no cure (thank goodness).
 
Walkalong said:
300 BLK? I am using pulled 147 Gr FMJ bullets for plinking. If you want to increase accuracy, the 110 V Max works well. I also like the 125 Gr Hornady SST and 130 Gr Speer SP. I have yet to try either of those on game, but the Speer holds together better in clay banks. I also bought some 123 Gr (.311) Z Max bullets (Intended for 7.62X39) because they were cheap. Make absolutely sure they are not too fat for your chambers neck area! I did a chamber cast (125 Gr SST in pic) of mine to make sure.
Click to expand...

Besides those mentioned for 300 BLK, I have had good luck with Speer 125 TNTs and Hornady 155 AMAXs. Unfortunately, the 125 TNTs have been in short supply recently.
 
As a rule of thumb low cost usually will equal poor accuracy, fine for plinking at close ranges. Higher cost equals better accuracy. It just takes more effort/better materials to build a better bullet and that costs more. That is a fact. Also echo the search function and a big cup of coffee (or three) for your info gathering marathon.;) Then sprinkle in a bunch of luck getting what components you want and load em up and shoot em. Refine and repeat. I find that others results are only SIMILAR, not exact with respect to my reloading results so always keep that in mind. The perfect load is an elusive beast to stalk.:banghead:
 
Remember, the bullet (projectile) is the only part of the cartridge that reaches the target. The target may be paper, a tin can or an animal. For target use, shoot the most accurate. For tin cans, shoot the cheapest that gives acceptable accuracy. For hunting you need accuracy and terminal ballistics, whether it is penetration or shock or expansion/penetration. Take into consideration the size and physical make up of the animal and the maximum range at which you will be shooting. Is that confusing enough? You mentioned the 300 blackout for hunting, I think that cartridge with a 150 grain bullet is close to a 30/30 in energy. look for a bullet that will expand reliably at lower velocities. Maybe a 150 RN designed for a 30/30.....
 
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