155's in a 300wm?

S

sendero300

Guest
Ok, I have been shooting 190's since I got my rifle. At 600 I feel they are worth the recoil and the cost, but now I shoot almost exclusively at 300, and I am thinking on switching to 155 palma's. Now, before we get to far, my rifle shoots 165 ok, 180 horrible, 190's the best so far. It has a 26" tube with a 1-10 twist. Give me ideas, and not buy a 308/243/6br/whatever. I cant afford a new rifle for a while, this is my rig period. F-class, Hunter(a local thing for hunting rifles under 12lbs), what ever its legal for.
 
Sendero,

There is no reason not to try 155s. Whidden shoots them out of a ten twist 308 with great results. The 168 SMK was designed specifically for 300 meter competition and would quite likely please you at that distance. The hot ticket for your rifle at three hundred in mild conditions might be 150 gn Fowler flat bases.

Greg
 
I gave the 168's a try in my early reloading and they didnt really work that well. Most groups where over 1.5". I know what im doing a little better now and may be able to get em a little to a lot better. I just found my first reloading book, and I was shooting 155 A-max and they where doing pretty good at 199, but opened up at 500. I'll give boht a try again.
 
155 gr.

sendero300: I've tried the 155 Sierra Palma's #2156 in my 308, and am getting consistantly better results with the 155 Sierra #2155. Because of the ogive shape, to get them to touch, had to seat them very far out front in the case neck: just barely "holding on". The #2155 can be seated to touch with much more bullet/case neck contact, and the groups are consistantly smaller, averaging 5 shots at 200 yd. I'll keep working with the Palma's that are left in the box, but doubt I'll buy anymore, since the results with the #2155 are so much better, without the hassle.
 
I had the best luck in my 300 WM with 208 A-Max's. But, I shoot the 167 Lapua Scenars SJ in my 308. You might want to give them a try. They like the jump and were the most accurate I tried out to 600 in my 308.
 
155's

I don't shoot a magnum but in my 308 the 155 scenars went where I pointed them. Never tried the 155 palmas. From what every one has told me the 155 like to be driven hard. So maybe your 300 mag and 155's might be just the ticket.
 
155 Palma

The 155's were designed specifically for a 1/13 twist barrel, and that's where they shoot best. Try Sierra 175 match... they should really preform at your higher velocities. Good shooting, Gary
 
Gary

That's good info: I did not know that, and have been trying to get them to shoot in my Tikka 1-10. The 155 gr. Sierra #2155 continue to be excellent. Held consistant 1/2 moa with 5 shot groups at 200 yds. today (43.5 grs. Varget .020" off the lands). Thanks again.
 
Gary M. said:
The 155's were designed specifically for a 1/13 twist barrel, and that's where they shoot best. Try Sierra 175 match... they should really preform at your higher velocities. Good shooting, Gary[/QUOTE



Will a .308 Win with a 1 in 14" twist bbl, stabilize the 155 gr Palmas or Scenars?
Click to expand...
 
GStick,

My Palma gun has a 15" twist on it now and shoots the 2155 bullet great (full case of Varget at a little over 3000 fps out of a 30") even in very cold weather. Very surprisingly, it will shoot (more correctly has shot) 2175s just fine as well, at least on the one warm day that I tried it. These are the only two bullets I've used in this barrel and the the 175s only long enough to see if they would work. I think over 90% of Palma shooters use a 13" twist with the various 155s but that doesn't make it a rule.

If you're picking a twist for a new barrel it makes sense to pick a proven twist for the task at hand but there is no reason not to try a particular bullet that you are curious about in a barrel that you already have.

The 155s were not designed specifically for a 13" twist. They are designed to meet the rules of a particular game (Palma). 13 " twist followed the bullet, not the other way around.

Greg
 
Thank You for the info. I just bought a .308 Win with a 1 in 14" twist bbl, and want to try some a high B.C. 155 gr pills, such as the Lapua Scenar and the Sierra "Palma" # 2156. I will buy 1 box of each, and see how they work.
 
As Greg noted, the .308 is generally not all that finicky about twist rate. I've ran 155s from 1-10 to 1-13" with good results.

That said... the new generation 155s, starting with the Lapua 154gr Scenar and including the S155MK 'Palma' (2156) and Berger 155.5gr BT 'Fullbore' tend to be quite noticeably longer than the older 155s like the Sierra 2155 (the old 'Palma' bullet) and the Nosler 155gr CC (clone of the SMK). Some are in fact a bit *longer* than a S175MK. If I had to pick a twist rate for 'em, I'd probably lean towards a 1-12". Even so, I think you have very little to lose trying the newer design in your 1-14" twist. If you keep the velocity up it shouldn't be a problem.
 
Thank You for the info! I guess I should just buy 1 box of the "newer" style 155's before purchasing 1000.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top