Hunting bullet equivalent of Nosler 168 grain .308 CC bullet

[BudgetBucks1]

I have a rifle with a scope set up for the Nosler Custom Competition 168 grains in 308 caliber. Does anyone have any ideas as to which hunting bullet(weight, ballistic coefficient) would most closely match the ballistics of this target bullet? Any ideas would be appreciated. So far I can't find anything that matches perfectly. I would like something pretty similar so I can keep a close match on the bullet drop compensator out to 400 yards or so. Would a small difference in the BC make much of a difference on drop out to 400 yards in your experiences? Thanks.

 

[TLARbb]

I'm going to step out on a limb here and suggest you try Swift Scirocco 165 gr. Slightly better BC (advertised) than the Nosler CC. They will probably be hard to find. There are lots of 165 gr bullets that would probably be good such as Nosler's Accuubond and Sierra's Gamekings. But the Swift seems to be very close in BC to the Noslers you asked about.

 

[BudgetBucks1]

Yes, the Scirocco does have a closer ballistic coefficient than the Nosler hunting bullets. Thanks for the heads up. I may try that one.

 

[jmr40]

You're overthinking this. Just about any 165/168 gr bullet is going to be close enough out to 400 yards. Small differences in BC's start making a difference well beyond 500 yards. You are looking at 1/4" difference in drop at 400 yards and about 20 fps more speed going from a 165 gr/ .473 BC to a 168 gr/.490 BC.

The 168 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip actually has better BC's than the CC and would be a good choice. Same with Berger Classic Hunter 168's. Both of those bullets have BC's at .490 or higher compared to the CC's .462.

 

[judgedelta]

Everyone else's guess is about the same as yours. Just going to have to load (or buy) some and make you a chart at difference ranges, compared to your BDC. My guess is that at ranges up to 400, the premium bullets will give you better consistency...

 

[BudgetBucks1]

jmr40, I actually have some 165 grain nosler ballistic tips on hand. I am going to try those with the same load as the 168 cc's and see where the POI is at the 300 yard range at the house.

 

[gamestalker]

Out to 400 yds I would think you would be ok with something like the Nosler Silvertip ballistic tip. I've used them, and they shoot very nicely.

Also another great performer, and one I've also used often, that is very accurate in the rifles I've run it in, is the Speer 165 gr. BT, which has a BC of .520, respectfully. It should print very similarly to the Nos. 168 CC.

IMO, the POI difference between those two should be minimal at 400 yards. Bottom line, you just need to try a couple of similar weight projectile with similar BC's, see how they compare to the Nosler 168 CC.

GS