Sniper/Match Ammo:
my view
 

We could spend years discussing reloading and how much
it can improve your rifleīs groups BUT this is NO sniper talk !!
Most snipers have to use their unit or agency supplied ammo and
some maybe lucky enough to be able to select it themselves but...
No matter if it is Military lake City M118 or Federal Match
you will be tied to it !! and that is how it should be...
you can play with your personal rifle BUT for the real stuff
the word is consistency, and the way to achieve is :

SELECTING A BRAND OF MATCH AMMO AND BUYING A LARGE
LOT OF AMMO THAT ALLOWS YOU AND YOUR FELLOW SNIPERS
TO ELIMINATE THE AMMO FROM THE SCREW-UP EQUATION.

You donīt need the best groups, you need GOOD groups ALWAYS.
The best way , concerning ammo, to get this results
is by using the same ammo and lot # in all your shooting.


Match ammo I have extensively tested
The Ammo used for years, by the Army, Gets the job done but can be improved, shoots around 1MOA a little less in some rifles
M118 Lake City
173gr FMJBT
Army Arsenal
Very high quality components, the least speed and powder/brass weight variation limited only by the rifleīs accuracy, used for years by European snipers
LAPUA
FMJBT Match
(185gr)
 I use this ammo for practice at close range, 1/2 price than Sierra bulleted ammo, but fine when a zero variation is no problem
NORMA M80
Jacktmatch
FMJBT
 This is it, Moly coated Sierra bullets as pecise as the Lapua or more and it is a 168grHPBT
NORMA and
Diamond LIne
Moly Sierra
If you also hunt with your sniper rifle, try this ammo, youīll get similar trayectory to the 168HPBT and impressive expansion !!
REM / Nosler
Ballistic tip
165gr BTBT
Back of the Rem Balistic Tip ammo, see the Nosler bullet
REM /Noslery
back of BT
box view
The current standard, Sierra 168gr HPBT bulle and high quality components used by most US Police agencies
FEDERAL
GM308M/P308M
Sierra 168 HPBT
 side of this nice ammo, THE ORIGINAL, copied by all other companies
FEDERAL
match
side view
 A Fedral clone with a litlle more speed
WIN and
Supreme Match
Sierra 168HPBT
I donīt have a clear view on why buy Win instead of widespread Federal match, I wonīt !!
WIN
Supreme match
side view

Group Comparison
shot with BLASER TACTICAL .308 state-of-art rifle
Comparison of the precision of various ammunitions with the Blaser Tactical rifle

Technical Data:


All the goups show the capability of current sniper rifle/ammo combinations.
The Blaser tactical shot ALL the ammos very well, getting groups around 1/2 MOA all the times,
some groups were spoilt by shooter error denoting a higher accuracy capability

It is clear to me that ANY of these ammos is selectable for sniper work,
from the accuracy point of view, but I would select the Lapua or the Norma
asmy experience tells that they shoot many groups in the low 1/4 MOAs
and even ocassional ones around 1/6 MOA.

Speed Deviation Comparison
from the above groups

Speed deviation measured with a Chrony chronograph at 6ft from muzzle

Ammo Make SPEED from 1st to 6th shot, 6shot groups
FEDERAL GM308M 1 st shot speed 2663 fps
2nd shot speed 2599 fps
3rd shot speed 2640 fps
4th shot speed 2632 fps
5th shot speed 2621 fps
6th shot speed 2652 fps

Max speed spread = 64 fps WORSE
Average speed = 2635 fps LOWEST
WINCHESTER
Supreme Match
168 gr Sierra HPBT		 1 st shot speed 2744 fps
2nd shot speed 2704 fps
3rd shot speed 2708 fps
4th shot speed 2694 fps
5th shot speed 2720 fps
6th shot speed 2702 fps

Max speed spread = 50 fps
Average speed = 2712 fps HIGHEST
NORMA
Diamond Line
Moly Sierra 168gr HPBT		 1 st shot speed 2681 fps
2nd shot speed 2655 fps
3rd shot speed 2648 fps
4th shot speed 2646 fps
5th shot speed 2650 fps
6th shot speed 2652 fps

Max speed spread = 35 fps
Average speed = 2655 fps
LAPUA
Match 7,62x51
185 gr FMJBT		 1 st shot speed 2549 fps
2nd shot speed 2542 fps
3rd shot speed 2547 fps
4th shot speed 2538 fps
5th shot speed 2547 fps
6th shot speed 2540 fps

Max speed spread = 11 fps BEST
Average speed = 2544 fps
CONCLUSIONS The LAPUA pushes a 185gr bullet as quick as the Federal does a Sierra 168gr
The LAPUA is the winner in average spread followed closelly by the NORMA Diamond Line
All did extremely well proving the extreme quality of current out- of- the- box Match ammo
WHY RELOAD ? I am going to sell all my presses !! just a joke, what will I do those long chilly winter days without them...
The LAPUA and NORMA are on a different category considering speed variations which means precise tolerances during manufacturing.


And the winner is:

there is NO winner, as ALL performed as precise sniper rounds , but MY selection is :

NORMAīs DIAMOND LINE MATCH
shoots as good groups as the LAPUA
(I have tested both, with TANNER and BLASER rifles, and they are 1/6 MOA capable)
but the NORMA sports a Sierra 168grs Hollow point and MolyCoated, with that bullet,
you get extreme performance WITH long barrel duration. Considering todayīs barrel prices
cutting down wear and fouling IS a must.

The spanish Army  switched in 1998 from the LAPUA to the NORMA so prices on the Diamond Line have gone down to regular Match ammo levels. Price IS also an important factor.

The WINCHESTER would be my third option, as it is a FEDERAL clone with 75 fps more.
The only thing I donīt like about it is that it gets dirty very soon, I keep all the Match ammo
in the same 20mm cannon, weatherproof can, and all the other makes are like new.
I donīt know why but the ammo in WIN boxes looks like it was from WWII.

The FEDERAL both the GOLD MEDAL and the PREMIUM are perfectly capable sniper ammo.
If I had to spend a long time in the US, I will use it. Availability is very important too.

To finish with the M118 LAKE CITY gets the job done,but nothig more, it is a minute of angle ammo,
maybe a little less with a good rifle. the NORMA JACKMATCH M80 is a cheap practice option
(stress shooting up to 400mts) and the REMINGTON BALISTIC TIP is my choice for hunting
with my sniper rifle, a shooting practice, I would recommend to all snipers.

Game, even though less intelligent and prepaired than the infantry soldier, ARE a great challenge
as they are much stealthier, swift and silent that him.


NORMA representatives

NORMA representatives list, countries from A to F
Countries
from
A to F
NORMA representatives list, countries from F to S
Countries
from
F to S
NORMA representatives list, countries from S to Z
Countries
from
S to Z


If you want me to test any ammo, or want to tell me about the one you use or your reloads, just send me a box or pics ( of your ammo and groups) I will gladly inform, of your results,

copyright by Cybersniper Aug 1998