What’s your go-to 7.62 or .308 cartridge for long range shooting?

[PSOD]

I’m just getting into some longer range shooting and I’m trying to figure out what to shoot that’s not crazy expensive.

I have shot a number of different brands through my scar 20s with significantly varying degrees of success.

I was getting some wonky groups with aguila even at 100yds so I ditched that and tried some generic Winchester 149gr fmj and it wasn’t much better. I was starting to think that I’m just a terrible shot at 100yds but I tried some pmc bronze and had significantly better results. 2moa group with 4 shots.

A buddy recommend I try some hornady black a-max 168gr and I stacked 3 in .3moa at 100yds. Needless to say but I was shook. I was starting to think it was me or the gun.

Moving out to about 290 yds (max range at my property) and I tried the pmc bronze again and was at least hitting the paper but not great. Tried the generic Winchester and it was all over the place missed the paper on about half my shots. I went back to the hornady a-max and it was significantly better, around 5 moa for 4 shots.

Is the hornady just that much better? Is it the gun? If it’s the ammo that’s going to suck cause I have nearly 1000 rounds of range ammo stored up but if I can’t hit anything with it out past 100yds than what’s the point of keeping it when the only 7.62 I have is the scar20s to shoot it with?

Idk I’m new to this. Any input is appreciated.

 

[BR8818]

When you say 5 MOA at 290yrds w/168gr that's roughly 14" did you mean 5" and not 5MOA? If you did mean 5" that's pretty good its under 2MOA.

Your seeing such a big improvement, because your going from run of mill 145-150gr to a 168gr match bullet. If you find yourself shooting greater distances step up to a 175-185gr match bullet it'll preform better than the 168gr at longer distance, and buck the wind better.

 

[Creedmoor]

I would suggest that you learn to reload.

 

[55fairlane]

290 yards long distance? That's not even Mid-Range......for distance out to 600 yards I use my 223 , for distance of 800/900/1000 I break out my 308 Palma rifle (no benchrest no bipod, I'm a sling shooter) for 300 yards I can hold 69-grain SMK at 2 MOA group.
Learn to reload, you can tailor your load , more importantly it's practice, practice, practice & more practice. This includes learning proper sight picture, wind calls and trigger control.
I tell noobs worry less about your equipment & practice more, but decent equipment is a must to move beyond a pinker. Is your trigger a decent match grade or a 12 pound mil spec? That matters, is your optic a $19.99 Walmart or a decent name? Edit.....your bipod looks a little weak......I helped a buddy at my club, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn,his gun show cheapie flimsy bipod was the culprit, I borrowed a nice F-class bipod from a another buddy(entire rifle actually) this made the difference, you get the idea....now get out and practice.....find a high power program at a local club, practice with them.
Here I am at Camp Perry shooting a 600 yard Mid-Range......

 

[Nugget]

My contribution to this thread won't really be viewed as much of a contribution at all, but my only 308 rifles are a pair of G3 clones, so my go to 308 ammo for all ranges is the one and only...

 

[Basher]

For precision shooting at distance, it’s going to cost you…

My only .308 is an FNH SPR A5M XP (a mouthful, innit??), which is a precision bolt action, so I only shoot match-grade ammo through it. Federal Gold Medal Match (or FGMM for short) was the literal gold standard for years, and still does fantastic. Hornady offers their Match line with ELD-M bullets and does exceptionally well. In fact, most brands (Federal, Hornady, Sierra, Berger, Norma, Lapua, Winchester, etc.) offer some form of quality match ammo. But the problem is that you’re lucky to find it for less than ~$1.30/shot, and they’re normally closer to $1.50-$2/shot. Precision isn’t cheap!

I’d say if you’re looking for the best accuracy you can get, a) the SCAR isn’t really the right platform and b) at a minimum you need to invest in the higher grades of ammo. Either keep what ammo you already have for cheap plinking with friends, or sell it to fund the good stuff. And yes, learning to reload MAY save you money, but it WILL help your rifle’s ability to reach its full potential.

 

[Gingerbeardman]

I haven't done enough bench work with my 308 but I shoot Winchester white box 147 grain and it does pretty good. Best thing you can do is buy several boxes of different weight ammo and see how each one performs. Each gun is different and each shooters acceptable accuracy is different. My .223 bolt gun just keeps getting tighter and tighter groups as the ammo weight increases.

 

[55fairlane]

For precision shooting at distance, it’s going to cost you…

My only .308 is an FNH SPR A5M XP (a mouthful, innit??), which is a precision bolt action, so I only shoot match-grade ammo through it. Federal Gold Medal Match (or FGMM for short) was the literal gold standard for years, and still does fantastic. Hornady offers their Match line with ELD-M bullets and does exceptionally well. In fact, most brands (Federal, Hornady, Sierra, Berger, Norma, Lapua, Winchester, etc.) offer some form of quality match ammo. But the problem is that you’re lucky to find it for less than ~$1.30/shot, and they’re normally closer to $1.50-$2/shot. Precision isn’t cheap!

I’d say if you’re looking for the best accuracy you can get, a) the SCAR isn’t really the right platform and b) at a minimum you need to invest in the higher grades of ammo. Either keep what ammo you already have for cheap plinking with friends, or sell it to fund the good stuff. And yes, learning to reload MAY save you money, but it WILL help your rifle’s ability to reach its full potential.

Reloading may cost the same as factory ammo, but you can tailor the load to ring out the most accuracy from your rifle.
Some loads pure and simply aren't available in factory form , such as a 155 grain 308 for Palma use.

For 300 yards a SCAR is just fine, hell a PSA will shoot fine at that distance, but I do agree a SCAR is not my first choice for a Mid-Range or long range rifle.

 

[55fairlane]

I haven't done enough bench work with my 308 but I shoot Winchester white box 147 grain and it does pretty good. Best thing you can do is buy several boxes of different weight ammo and see how each one performs. Each gun is different and each shooters acceptable accuracy is different. My .223 bolt gun just keeps getting tighter and tighter groups as the ammo weight increases.

Hammers are for bench work.....get out from behind that crutch called a bench!

 

[Leo]

i
The only Match ammo I ever used in .308 was Federal Gold Medal Match. Pretty good stuff.

It took 175 grain Sierra Match King bullets for accurate shooting at 800, 900, and 1000 yards with my M1a. My Bolt action, long barrel, Palma rifle with a 1-13 twist barrel was designed to shoot 155 grain Sierra Palma bullets at long range and did very well. The best barrel known to man cannot print good groups without a top grade bullet.

Combat bullets are never going to be very accurate, third world combat bullets are even worse. For target you want to divide minutes of angle, not hope for minute of combatant.

 

[Leo]

Hammers are for bench work.....get out from behind that crutch called a bench

Some people are big on the stationary operation on a firearm. I guess I was never interested enough to learn that skill, and I do poorly from a bench. I shoot better in prone position with a good sling than I do with a bench or bipod.

I also cannot shoot well with a scope over 6 or 8 power either. Watching the target jump around with a high magnification scope with my heat beat makes me feel sea sick. Try shooting a 24 power scope offhand sometime.

 

[55fairlane]

i
The only Match ammo I ever used in .308 was Federal Gold Medal Match. Pretty good stuff.

It took 175 grain Sierra Match King bullets for accurate shooting at 800, 900, and 1000 yards with my M1a. My Bolt action, long barrel, Palma rifle with a 1-13 twist barrel was designed to shoot 155 grain Sierra Palma bullets at long range and did very well. The best barrel known to man cannot print good groups without a top grade bullet.

Combat bullets are never going to be very accurate, third world combat bullets are even worse. For target you want to divide minutes of angle, not hope for minute of combatant.

If you want I can PM you my address so you can gift me your Palma rifle.....

And not to bust on ya, but it's minute of ark , at least that's what I was taught in my apprenticeship

 

[55fairlane]

Some people are big on the stationary operation on a firearm. I guess I was never interested enough to learn that skill, and I do poorly from a bench. I shoot better in prone position with a good sling than I do with a bench or bipod.

I also cannot shoot well with a scope over 6 or 8 power either. Watching the target jump around with a high magnification scope with my heat beat makes me feel sea sick. Try shooting a 24 power scope offhand sometime.

I have a buddy who shoots deap in the 190's offhand with a fixed 24X, scares me!

Offhand 1 to 1.5X ,sitting 4-5X, rapid prone 6-7X slow prone 10X (max my optic goes) I hate target jump or marage, brought on by to much optic magnification.

A prone Match? Yes please.....there is a 300 "mid range " in October at ft wayne rifle and revolver..... @Leo I know you can shoot, so to the rest of ya, come on out and show us your "long distance " skills.....

 

[Basher]

Reloading may cost the same as factory ammo, but you can tailor the load to ring out the most accuracy from your rifle.
Some loads pure and simply aren't available in factory form , such as a 155 grain 308 for Palma use.

For 300 yards a SCAR is just fine, hell a PSA will shoot fine at that distance, but I do agree a SCAR is not my first choice for a Mid-Range or long range rifle.

Depends on how deep down the reloading rabbit hole you go lol. A super basic reloading setup will save you money. Get in to arbor presses, micrometer dies, measuring runout, neck turning, fancy annealers, etc. and you can spend a LOT of money that will take you years to see a true savings on haha. You’re absolutely correct that specific loadings unavailable off the shelf become a reality, which is one of the main perks of roading.

A SCAR may be capable of less than 1MOA at 300 depending on several factors, yes (and which model of SCAR/how it’s set up). The shooter is one of them. Large frame autoloaders are harder to drive than bolt guns, so that could be a factor here as well.

Also, minute of arc and minute of angle are pretty much interchangeable.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

180gr Nosler match ammo worked good in my Ruger American. Holes were touching at 100 and I could consistently hit a man size silhouette at an estimated 680 yards in high wind when we got it dialed in.

 

[DadSmith]

My contribution to this thread won't really be viewed as much of a contribution at all, but my only 308 rifles are a pair of G3 clones, so my go to 308 ammo for all ranges is the one and only...

View attachment 296677

I got a box of Wolf military classic 308 145gr IIRC. I had my Ruger Prescision Rifle at the range and they had a 10" gong at 500yds. That Wolf MC was shooting at least 2moa in that Rifle because I hit it every time. The range master was shocked as was I.
Was it the Rifle or the ammo?

My normal go to is my reloads of 175gr Hornady or Sierra match.
I do want to try out the 155gr Palma some time.

.30 CALIBER/7.62MM 155 GR. HPBT PALMA® MATCHKING - Sierra Bullets

Sierra created the 30 caliber 155 grain HPBT PALMA® to fill the long-range demands of the PALMA® and other long range shooters. The #2156 PALMA® bullet has a longer, more streamlined 9 caliber ogive, slightly longer OAL and a pointed meplat, which is a first for Sierra Bullets. While they are...

www.sierrabullets.com

 

[PSOD]

When you say 5 MOA at 290yrds w/168gr that's roughly 14" did you mean 5" and not 5MOA? If you did mean 5" that's pretty good its under 2MOA.

You’re seeing such a big improvement, because you’re going from run of mill 145-150gr to a 168gr match bullet. If you find yourself shooting greater distances step up to a 175-185gr match bullet it'll preform better than the 168gr at longer distance, and buck the wind better.

5” not 5moa

 

[PSOD]

It’s a Giselle trigger and I’m not sure the bipod but seems pretty solid. Scope is a vortex razor hs amg. I dont think Walmart carrys them. I’m aware 290 isn’t crazy far but it’s what i got to work with. I’m just trying to figure out what’s up with theses weird groups.

290 yards long distance? That's not even Mid-Range......for distance out to 600 yards I use my 223 , for distance of 800/900/1000 I break out my 308 Palma rifle (no benchrest no bipod, I'm a sling shooter) for 300 yards I can hold 69-grain SMK at 2 MOA group.
Learn to reload, you can tailor your load , more importantly it's practice, practice, practice & more practice. This includes learning proper sight picture, wind calls and trigger control.
I tell noobs worry less about your equipment & practice more, but decent equipment is a must to move beyond a pinker. Is your trigger a decent match grade or a 12 pound mil spec? That matters, is your optic a $19.99 Walmart or a decent name? Edit.....your bipod looks a little weak......I helped a buddy at my club, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn,his gun show cheapie flimsy bipod was the culprit, I borrowed a nice F-class bipod from a another buddy(entire rifle actually) this made the difference, you get the idea....now get out and practice.....find a high power program at a local club, practice with them.
Here I am at Camp Perry shooting a 600 yard Mid-Range...... View attachment 296662 View attachment 296663 View attachment 296664

 

[PSOD]

Il

180gr Nosler match ammo worked good in my Ruger American. Holes were touching at 100 and I could consistently hit a man size silhouette at an estimated 680 yards in high wind when we got it dialed in.

lll give the nosler a try, thanks for the input!

 

[PSOD]

Interesting, I was under the impression that the scar 20s was considered a precision rifle.

For precision shooting at distance, it’s going to cost you…

My only .308 is an FNH SPR A5M XP (a mouthful, innit??), which is a precision bolt action, so I only shoot match-grade ammo through it. Federal Gold Medal Match (or FGMM for short) was the literal gold standard for years, and still does fantastic. Hornady offers their Match line with ELD-M bullets and does exceptionally well. In fact, most brands (Federal, Hornady, Sierra, Berger, Norma, Lapua, Winchester, etc.) offer some form of quality match ammo. But the problem is that you’re lucky to find it for less than ~$1.30/shot, and they’re normally closer to $1.50-$2/shot. Precision isn’t cheap!

I’d say if you’re looking for the best accuracy you can get, a) the SCAR isn’t really the right platform and b) at a minimum you need to invest in the higher grades of ammo. Either keep what ammo you already have for cheap plinking with friends, or sell it to fund the good stuff. And yes, learning to reload MAY save you money, but it WILL help your rifle’s ability to reach its full potential.