.308 Hornady SPBT Bullet - AMP

[Load Master]

Anyone using this bullet? .308 Win 168 grain hollow point boat tail with Hornady's new AMP(advanced manufacturing process) bullet jackets. They say this jacket has zero tolerance for concentricity and near zero wall thickness variation for extreme consistency. The weight bullet to bullet is very close.

 

[Bart B.]

Why is their no claim for lead core shape and position tolerances?

Zero tolerance for concentricity? Impossible without zero tolerance in jacket thickness and lead core 100% homogenous density.

Hornady told me their accuracy spec for match bullets is all 10 shot test groups in their 200 yard indoor range is inside .950". If this AMP bullet is any more accurate than their other ones, I think they should claim that with numbers.

 

[Grumulkin]

The newest bullet is always the most accurate and kills the best.

 

[Walkalong]

Has someone come up with a way to make better jackets? If so, it won't be long before everyone copies it.

Zero tolerance, gotta giggle at that.

 

[Bart B.]

Sierra Bullets' specs:

Weight Control of +/- 0.3 grain
Jacket concentricity of .0000" to .0003" on target bullets and .0000" to .0006" on hunting bullets.

 

[Gtscotty]

To be fair, their website says:

The jacket has virtually zero tolerance for concentricity and near zero wall thickness variation.

Which doesn't exactly claim zero tolerance, but also doesn't give you any real information. Unless I'm missing something, these are just the standard Hornady hpbt match bullets that have been on the market a while? Berger and Amax/ELDs seem to dominate longer range shooting around here, but I've talked to some folks shooting Hornady hpbt and they seemed pretty satisfied. They appear to be a good, cheaper option for longer range shooting.

 

[Load Master]

The tip of the Hornady bullet doesn't look very precision. These are fresh out of the bag they were shipped in. I also checked my bullet seating die to confirm the bullet tip wasn't bottoming out, which it was not. I wonder how much this affects the bullet flight.

 

[Walkalong]

Tips are irrelevant at 100 and 200 yards. At very long distance the difference can be noticed, which is the reason for the new tipped bullets and why some people have been uniforming the HP tips for years. I can bugger up the tips on five match bullets and my gun can put them into a sub .1 group @ 100 yards if I don't screw it up.

It's all about concentric cores which is all about uniform thickness on jackets, then it is care in making them. It is about great bases, with the tips being relatively meaningless.

If you could get bullets made all on the same die they will shoot better than ones from multiple dies, which is why the Benchrest crowd pretty much shoots custom bullets that are made all in the same die. Like those from Bart, Gentner, etc, etc. Plenty to choose from. They seek out the best jackets available, and if Hornady has found a better way to make jackets, eventually everyone will go to it.

 

[Load Master]

Tips are irrelevant at 100 and 200 yards. At very long distance the difference can be noticed, which is the reason for the new tipped bullets and why some people have been uniforming the HP tips for years. I can bugger up the tips on five match bullets and my gun can put them into a sub .1 group @ 100 yards if I don't screw it up.

It's all about concentric cores which is all about uniform thickness on jackets, then it is care in making them. It is about great bases, with the tips being relatively meaningless.

If you could get bullets made all on the same die they will shoot better than ones from multiple dies, which is why the Benchrest crowd pretty much shoots custom bullets that are made all in the same die. Like those from Bart, Gentner, etc, etc. Plenty to choose from. They seek out the best jackets available, and if Hornady has found a better way to make jackets, eventually everyone will go to it.

Thanks for taking the time to post this. It is good to know that the tips for 100 200 yards doesn't have a huge influence.

Have you tried any of the solid core type bullets like from Cutting Edge Bullets? I tried solid copper for .223 Rem. They were terrible.

I'm just getting started into .308 and have a LONG way to go on learning what works and what doesn't. Input from others that have already deep-dived helps make my trip shorter. Thanks for your input. It is much appreciated!

 

[Bart B.]

If you could get bullets made all on the same die they will shoot better

Amen to that.

Berger and Sierra bullet lot numbers are all made with the same dies and their settings in one coin, cup, draw, trim, core and finally point machine. If any change is made, that starts a new lot number.

Lapua has been known to put bullets from 3 or 4 different machines into one lot. Proved by using high magnification optical comparators showing different ogive shapes as well as different "die prints" on their rebated bases seen with a magnifying glass. No tool maker produces microscopically identical shaping dies.

One of these days, some company might make primer lots as uniform in performance as bullets, cases and powder charges are.

 

[Nature Boy]

These are new bullets from Hornady?

The "AMP" jacket has been around for a while, no?

 

[Load Master]

These are new bullets from Hornady?

The "AMP" jacket has been around for a while, no?

They may have been around for a while. The above was copied from their website. They are however new to me. This is my first time loading them in .308.

The earliest reference of it I could find was early of 2011.

 

[Walkalong]

Have you tried any of the solid core type bullets like from Cutting Edge Bullets?

I have not, and I would suggest any 168 Gr match bullet until you are very good consistently before worrying about a better bullet, because those are pretty danged good themselves.

 

[Load Master]

I have not, and I would suggest any 168 Gr match bullet until you are very good consistently before worrying about a better bullet, because those are pretty danged good themselves.

Thanks, I will stick with these until I feel they are holding me back.....not likely as I'm a novice with this caliber and being older my eyesight isn't what it once was.