How can I identify a bullet?

[scythefwd]

I have some miscellaneous bullets at the house. They are hollow point, but that doesn't mean a whole lot really when it comes to identification. Anyone got any suggestions on how to tell what they are?

For example, how many companies make a boat tail hollow point .308 in 168gr bullets (might be 150's, I haven't weighed them yet).

 

[LightningMan]

Weigh them & caliper the diameter, then look through a loading manual to see where you can apply the infomation for what calibers they would work for. If you need to be more spicific like what brand then it may be difficult but you can go to some of the bullet makers web sites like Hornady, Serria, Speer & others to like through their bullet selections. LM

 

[Remo-99]

If you have digital pic to put up someone here maybe able to ID the maker, as some have a unique profile for specific brands etc.

Most of the makers have a 168gr BT for 30 calibre, as it's a popular target weight bullet for 308's, 30-06's etc.
Weighing will give you some clue as to the type, as 165gr and 170gr are normally hunting weight bullets and 168gr for target use. For 150gr it could be either, if your just wanting shoot at some paper it won't matter about bullet construction.

And confirm their diameter before loading, so they're not .311" or 8mm your trying stuff through a .308" barrel.

 

[ranger335v]

When you know the diameter and weight you pretty much know all you are going to know.

 

[scythefwd]

Ranger, that is kinda what I feared. These are some hand me down reloads of my grandfathers in .308 win. The are HP's, and I will pull a bullet to see what I can do a bout pics. Yes, I know people only recommend shooting your own reloads, but this is one of 2 exceptions. He would have shot these if he hadn't passed on.... and he was anal retentive about his rounds. There comes a point when you have to decide how much you trust that person and both him and my father pass that test for ammo. I'm betting they are HP matchkings, which means I need to shoot 'em up so they don't get mixed in with my hunting ammo. I'm not much of a target shooter.