Glockman22
Member
I can't say how many people are out there trying to reproduce the revered 168 grain Federal Match round, including me. Searching the web for details specs on this round was disappointing. The consensus seems to be IMR-4064 powder at 2.800" OAL for the "old" round and now Federal is using a special RL-15 powder not sold to reloaders (yet). Primers of course are Federal 210m. Charge weight of the loads vary from recipe to recipe. I’m playing with the charge weight to get a muzzle velocity near 2,650 fps with the tightest groups.
The data I could never find is what I believe to be equally important, the physical dimensions of the factory load! I bit my lip and bought a box for $50 in the name of getting good ‘factory- made’ data. I measured the OAL, base to ogive length using a bullet comparator and the case length. Most important of the three, in my opinion, is the length from the base of the case to the ogive. When you’re loading, it’s this length where you will get the most consistent measurements versus the standard OAL. The hollow point tip on SMK bullets varies too much to rely on OAL, especially if you are loading to have a specific ‘jump’ to the lands of the barrel. Again, measure the base to ogive length to get a consistent ‘jump’ to the lands, don’t rely on OAL!
After measuring all 20 rounds in the box I got these numbers (minimum and maximum lengths are in parentheses): Base to ogive length at 2.225" (2.214"/2.230"), case length at 2.008" (2.006"/2.011") and the OAL at 2.803" (2.795"/2.811"). For kicks I also weighed each round to get an average of 393.6 grains (392.7gr/394.9gr). I would have expected tighter tolerances given the world-class performance this round produces, but I’m not a ballistics engineer and these number may be acceptable.
I hope my $50 and time will help you reproduce the Federal Match round that we all dream of. Remember to follow good common sense and don’t exceed the maximum powder charge recommended by the manufacturer. And FYI, I heard Alliant is releasing a new line of powders that are supposed to help reloaders replicate certain ‘factory loads.’ I hope this means they are selling us the actual powder in the Federal Match round!
The data I could never find is what I believe to be equally important, the physical dimensions of the factory load! I bit my lip and bought a box for $50 in the name of getting good ‘factory- made’ data. I measured the OAL, base to ogive length using a bullet comparator and the case length. Most important of the three, in my opinion, is the length from the base of the case to the ogive. When you’re loading, it’s this length where you will get the most consistent measurements versus the standard OAL. The hollow point tip on SMK bullets varies too much to rely on OAL, especially if you are loading to have a specific ‘jump’ to the lands of the barrel. Again, measure the base to ogive length to get a consistent ‘jump’ to the lands, don’t rely on OAL!
After measuring all 20 rounds in the box I got these numbers (minimum and maximum lengths are in parentheses): Base to ogive length at 2.225" (2.214"/2.230"), case length at 2.008" (2.006"/2.011") and the OAL at 2.803" (2.795"/2.811"). For kicks I also weighed each round to get an average of 393.6 grains (392.7gr/394.9gr). I would have expected tighter tolerances given the world-class performance this round produces, but I’m not a ballistics engineer and these number may be acceptable.
I hope my $50 and time will help you reproduce the Federal Match round that we all dream of. Remember to follow good common sense and don’t exceed the maximum powder charge recommended by the manufacturer. And FYI, I heard Alliant is releasing a new line of powders that are supposed to help reloaders replicate certain ‘factory loads.’ I hope this means they are selling us the actual powder in the Federal Match round!