Which bullets are going to give me better performance out of my 16" AR10: 155 gr., 168, or 175? I plan on shooting it out to 600 yards mostly, and 1,000 occasionally.
Usually 168s and 175s work the best at long range precision, however; twist rate, bullet construction, and individual round to round consistency will make a specific (or a specific few) load(s) “the best” in your individual gun.
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It really depends on the ammo and the accuracy of each in your barrel.
I’ve had good results out to 900 yards with 175gr SMK (16" barrel LMT MWS). For factory ammo, I recommend Federal GMM, M118, and offerings from Southwest Ammo.
I like the heavier bullet with better BC. 168 SMK are unreliable after 800 yards. I have no experience with 155 gr bullets, but I know a guy who prefers the lighter, faster bullets out of his KAC SR-25.
For now I will have to stick with factory ammo.
Pick a brand you can get a couple boxes of each weight so you have an apples to apples comparison.
Shoot groups with each weight at a closer range, and then at the longest convenient range where you’ll be sure you’re on paper. As glorious as everything I’ve heard about 175gr SMK’s has been, some rifles shoot better with 168’s and rarely have I heard about poor performance out of those within 600m.
Then again, this is coming from the sort of idiot who tries to make 168’s and on the 5.56 side 69gr/75gr work just because I can get lots of cheap PPU to practice with - frankly, I suck at shooting my own precision rifles, and half the time don’t even bother opening up the boxes of BH ammo I bring because I’m that uselessly flinchy, or making garbage wind calls.
IMO 175 SMK are better suited beyond 700+. A 168 or 155 should have a slightly flatter trajectory and perform under 600 better. If you go 155 I would look at a hybrid if you’re loading your own. If you’re buying shelf ammo check out Southwest and Copper Creek ammo.
I’ve read reports of people who say that 168’s aren’t good if your goal is 1k+, and that if that is your goal they tend to recommend the 175.
When people make that comment, they are mostly talking about the matchking bullet, as its original design intent was for 300 yard bench rest shooting. Its BC and short base to olgive lead it to loose stability past a certain range, the 168SMK can not be compared to something like a 168 VLD or HYBRID/
Paper dies very fast, so your going to want to pick a bullet you can shoot cheep and a lot of. I would choose an AMAX but that’s me.
I’m biased toward the 175s, but the reports of the new 168s is what brought me to include them.
At the end of the day, it isn’t what the box says on the side, but rather the holes/splash on target that matter.
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I think most guys are and its the obvious choice when comparing SMK bullets for 1k shooting. Unfortunately the platform limits us in this case, as VLD type bullets are not ideal to fixed mag length.