.308 Win Remington Soft Point vrs. Pointed Soft Point

[Mr. Hill]

Hello, I am wondering why a Remington 700 would shoot a .308 Remington soft point better (more accurately) than a Remington pointed soft point. I presume that the powder, case, and primer are the same for both rounds (correct me if I'm wrong, though), and both bullets weigh 180 grains. Can anyone explain? Thanks!

 

[<*(((><]

If you want to assume all those variables (powder case and primer are the same) which I wouldn't. Even though they are both Remington branded ammunition, manufacturers do different things with their product line, they might outsource their soft point ammunition to a different manufacturer or vise versa who uses totally different components.

Then the other variables that will change accuracy would be the base type of the bullet (hollow base, flat base, or boat tail) the base of the bullet has more influence over accuracy and efficiency of a bullet then the tip.

Another difference is OAL (over all length) one could be at a set length that works better with your rifles chamber dimensions.

The pointed soft point BULLET itself would be longer then the rounded soft point. And your rifle may not have a fast enough twist for the extra length of the bullet, especially in 180gr. which is on the heavy end for .308 Win. I wouldn't think there would be enough difference in length but that is another variable to consider. What twist rate is your rifles barrel?

 

[Orcon]

Why are you assuming that a pointed bullet should shoot better? Form factor changes the efficiency at which a projectile moves through air but that doesn't necessarily change the degree of precision one can get. Low BC flatbase bullets can be tremendously precise.

I don't know if you're comparing a spitzer with a semi-spitzer or a round nose but ogive profiles may be a factor.

 

[Mr. Hill]

I'm not sure what the barrel twist of a Remington 700 classic is, I did a Google search but couldn't find an answer. I do know that the rifle shoots 165/180 grain bullets much better than the 150's.

 

[Mr. Hill]

Sorry, double tap.

 

[Moparnut]

Only twist rate I could find is on an 700 ADL. It shows to be 1in10. This is out of the digital catalog. Odd they don't show a BDL or CDL model in 308.

 

[cdb1]

Only twist rate I could find is on an 700 ADL. It shows to be 1in10. This is out of the digital catalog. Odd they don't show a BDL or CDL model in 308.

I would be shocked if the twist rate in your rifle wasn't 1:10.

 

[NWcityguy2]

Off the shelf rifles are going to shoot different bullets with different accuracy levels. There is no way to predict which rifle will shoot which bullet the best until you try it and find out. From my experience, common twist rates aren't that big of a deal with common bullet weights. Another 1:10 barrel (assuming that is what you have) might shoot 150s better than 180s.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Factory ammo will vary from lot to lot, sometimes by quite a bit depending on a particular rifle. If you ever find a factory load that your rifle likes make a note of the lot number & go back to the store you bought the ammo from & buy as much as you can afford. Every time the change the brass, powder, primer, bullet (different lot numbers) the ammo is given a different lot number.

 

[Mr. Hill]

I'm wondering if the round ogive (?) shape of the soft point engages the rifling in the bore (more surface area, perhaps) better than it does on the soft point. Then again, there could be other factors such as different propellants, etc. that affect the accuracy.

I admit to presuming that the higher bc of the pointed soft point would result in better inherent accuracy. I was wrong about that!

 

[someguy2800]

Very likely you could try both types in another Remington 700 and get the opposite results. If every rifle liked the same thing there would be a lot less different bullets on the shelf.

 

[jmr40]

Twist rates for 308 are about 50/50. About half are 1:10 about half are 1:12. Over the years Remington has offered both depending on the rifle. On their current website they show both depending on the intended use of the rifle.

But that isn't really an issue here, either 1:10 or 1:12 should shoot 150-180 gr bullets just fine. I know I have some of both and get equal results in all of them.

Why do some rifles shoot180 gr Hornady bullets well and 180 gr Nosler bullets poorly and a different rifle made by the same manufacturer do the opposite? People have been trying to figure that out for years. It just does, and no one really knows.