Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What a difference in ammo

So I had myself a little range time today and checked a pair of deer rifles. One, my sons .270 was right were we left it last year as I was expecting. It’s sited in with some 130 gr Remington coreloks. Now I only shoot factory ammo at this time, on a whim I also brought along a box of hornady super performance 130 gr SST that someone gave me. I chambered one round and shot. It did not print on the target. I shot a second round with the same aim point and nothing. The Remington’s were hitting about 1” high at 100 yards which is fine for my son and the distance he will be shooting. I wasn’t expecting the SST’s to shoot where the Remington was but I have to admit, I figured it would have at least been on paper. We all know you need to check your rifle with the ammo you plan on using, this is just a reminder to anyone that doubts that need as to why you need to. My .280 was right where I left it last year too. Didn’t bring any other ammo for that one.

That's a bit odd for a .270, Jim

. Mine has shot every load I've monkeyed with, within an inch or two of the 'standard load'. Even switching bullet weights from 130s to 110s or 150s doesn't vary more than an inch either way. You've seen enough pictures of Old Death to know what it looks like, and you know I've killed a BUNCH of deer with it, too, even with some 140s I messed with for awhile. Mine is bedded, and in a B&C stock, but it's just point 'n' shoot, like a camera.

Bang, thump. Get the knife.

Did you ever figure out where they actually were hitting?

Maybe they were going through the same hole....

I still have to shoot my son's 77 MKII in 270 for him in case he gets to hunt with me this year. Over the last few years, I have shot 3 different factory loads with it and they have all shot in the same place. I expect it to be the same, but still have to shoot to know for sure. Funny thing is, 2 of the loads have been 130 grs. and I was 150 grs. I have bought some Hornady HWA's in 140 gr. for him to try and really need to shoot them to see if I need to adjust the scope. Heck, I get about as much enjoyment out of the shooting the rifles to sight them in as I do hunting.

Did you switch back to your origional ammo and make sure they were still landing where they were before? Your scope could have taken a dump or a screw got loose somewhere or something... It's worth looking at.

Yes I did shoot the original ammo after that and POI was right where it should be. I was pressed on time so I never did find out where the othe rounds where actually hitting. I just found the visual impact of the difference rather profound. We all read and hear about stuff but sometimes we just don’t really comprehend. It’s easy to forget just how much difference there can be between various loads.

It's all gun and ammo dependent. It's not uncommon at all to have a gun that shoots most ammo to the same general POI, and it's not uncommon at all to have a gun that doesn't shoot any to the same POI. You have to shoot every gun, and every type of ammo, and every lot # to check.

IMO it's the Superformance ammo. My past experience shows this product to be sketchy because it seems to be loaded pretty hot. I believe this explains the significant change in POI as this product is, to me, unicorn factory ammo.

I've shot the 53 grain V-Max Superformance in my AR-15 and it increased bolt travel speed to the point I stopped shooting it due to the extra wear & tear. The internals of the gun were slamming around so aggressively it was obvious this ammo was producing extra gas pressure. I know an AR may not by the best barometer but it shows the difference. Also, this past summer I witnessed a shooting partner who was trying some .308 Win 168 grain (ELD-M?) Superformance ammo in a bolt action that blew primers on 3 consecutive shots, at which point we put it away. Unfortunately I think he has yet to contact Hornady and tell them about that experience. It was warm out (85 degrees) while we were shooting but there's no way primers should've been falling out of the brass. I reload and have never pushed a load that far.

For what it's worth.

R

I'Ve never seen such drastic difference in ammo from brand or brand nor from weight to weight.

OP, please let us know your findings. Compare the differences at 50 yards, twentyfive if needed.

Thnks,
Geo

i plan to but it will probably not happen until after thanksgiving once deer season is over. btw for what it is worth the rifle is a Savage 114 American with killer wood. it is topped with a Leupold VX II 3-9x40 and shoots well but i admit i have not shot a ton of ammo through this one yet.

I was helping a guy sight in a Browning semi-auto BAR and he was shooting pretty well at a hundred yards and on the target around the bull. Then he broke out another box of ammo from a different manufacturer, but the same 180 grain pointed soft point. 18" different and on the next target over. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been watching through the spotting scope.