For those in the know and who either know ballistics inside and out or have extensive experience with this set up - what is generally considered the most accurate grain round when shooting a 16inch carbine with a 1:8 twist. As background, its an S&W M&P .223 so the barrel has been melonited.
Ive heard anywhere from 62-77 grains will work fine…the heavier rounds obviously being used for the further ranges (500 yards +).
Anyone have any suggestions? I would say most of my shots will be between 100-350 yards 95% of the time.
If I need to I will load most of my mags with 100-350 yard ammo and label 2 others with the long range loads so I can just pick it up and change mags when needed.
Any and all suggestions here are welcome. Im not trying to shoot sub moa but I need to hit a 8 x8 steel target consitently…
Don’t make your life more complicated than it has to be. Having different brands and weights of ammo means different zeros. None of the commercially available 75-77 grain loads are cheap, and you’re going to go broke shooting match grade ammo on a regular basis. If I were you, I’d try some of everything in the 55-62 grain range and see if your rifle likes any of the loads.
If all you need to do is shoot an 8" square at 300 yards and in, just buy some 55gr ball in either .223 or 5.56mm and see where you are.
I’m not a huge fan of shifting zeros around for a bunch of different ammunition. Its a pain…i’ve done it, and you have to figure out your holds for each round.
You’ll have bigger problems knowing your holds at varying distances & reading wind, as opposed to loosing out by not using match ammo.
My advice would be to pick a plentiful, affordable, quality round you can buy in volume enough to practice with and become an expert at applying the techniques from holds to fundamentals to deliver hits.
I had a barrel that loved 55gr VMAX. 1/2 MOA at 100y from a Noveske barrel. $35 for 50 rounds…and that’s cheap. It was fun making little mouse holes, just very expensive.