Clarification re. 180gr. .30-06 Federal Power-Shok SPs

[MoA]

I just have to find ammo in .260 rem or 6mm Norma BR to test...
Sold the .300 WM since it did not offer me any advantage over the 6.5mm Lapua's...
But should I find any I will post the results...

I do have a box of Federal Gameking's in .260 I think... will re-check when I get home next week... hopefuly.

[Grumpy]

Federal themselves don`t seem too impressed regarding the accuracy of their soft point bullets :

" Soft Point provides consistent expansion, favorable accuracy and outstanding effectiveness on game".

"Favorable" ? Not exactly enthusiastic is it ?

( An before anyone picks me up on the spelling I`d like to point out that Federal are an American company and use the American spelling of `favourable`.)

[Mark]

Mack The Knife,

As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words.

Winchester WB308SP180 180 grain Power Point



Federal 180 grain Power Shock (sorry this one does not have the cannelure) :


You are just seeing more bullet exposed.

[Mack The Knife]

( An before anyone picks me up on the spelling I`d like to point out that Federal are an American company and use the American spelling of `favourable`.)

Disgraceful! Especially when the English stop using 'd' when spelling 'and'.

-- Thu May 28, 2009 9:03 am --

You are just seeing more bullet exposed.

Mark, whilst that is most probably true how did you arrive at that conclusion without the aid of a cross-sectional view of the cartridge?

Thanks for the pic of the Power Point pill.

Mack The Knife

[Mark]

Mark, whilst that is most probably true how did you arrive at that conclusion without the aid of a cross-sectional view of the cartridge?

Well to be honest I just used common sense, thinking that if more bullet was exposed it would leave less bullet "unexposed".

I bet this would work- put one of each in the freezer and take them out on a humid day so they get a light coating of frost on them. now carefully watch them as they warm up and I bet you will be able to see when they start thawing out where the base of the bullets are, as that area of the neck will not thaw out as fast having solid metal underneath it.

[Mack The Knife]

Ah! But you are assuming that both bullets have the same length. If they are both 180gr bullets, then the lengths wouldn't be the same. I am betting on the Speer being longer.

You have a freezer and access to more rounds than I would have in a life time....you try that experiment.

[Mark]

Not me, I use Sierra 180 gr GameKings and they work for everything I need an '06 for, but I'll fish through my stash of stuff and see if I have any of either of these. If I do I'll just pull the bullets and post pics.

[jsghuman76]

Hi Dear Friend
My self Jaspreet, i am from San Jose ,california, usa. but originally from chanigarh.
i have a .30-06 rifle here in the usa. i have fired both ur cartridges. the federel is a 150 grain and it is very pointed, the reason behind it is that in the usa it is used as a range ammunition only, that is only for zeroing purpose on it is the cheapest range ammo available here. the other western is a softnose hunting cartridge and is about 165 gr(the minimum here to hunt) and its used for hunting deer, wild boar and the north american Black bear. i hope it helps. Send me a PM and i will send u some pics of my rifle, do send some pics of urs too.
thanks

[Vikram]

Hi JSG,

Welcome to IFG.And thanks for the interesting post.

You might like to introduce yourself to the board members,tell us about your guns etc. Also, please do not leave your email addresses or telephone numbers etc, on open boards.This is to preserve your privacy.Look forward to your regular participation.


Best-
Vikram

[MoA]

Jaspreet:

With no disrespect:
If the Federal Box says 180 grains... it will be 180 grain. I am sure the ammunition manufacturers do not want to be sued. Bullet lenghts can vary immensely for a given wieght. A 140 grain VLD in say 6.5 mm will be much longer than the 139 grain Scenar which will be much longer than the 140 grain Noseler Partition etc etc..
Moreover I was under the impression that hunting limitiations are generally set by caliber... then again I am not sure about hunting regulations in CA.

[Mack The Knife]

Just for the record, the Federal round being discussed clocked 2,668 ft./sec. on the chrono leaving no doubt about it being loaded with a 180gr. bullet.

[TwoRivers]

Mack The Knife: Federal loads the 150 gr. and 180 gr. .30-06 bullets to the same (short) o.a.l. The bullet ogive is the same for both, so it makes sense that both are kept the same distance off the lands . The 150 grain bullet carries a smooth cannelure slightly ahead of the case neck to differentiate it, not that they bother to tell you that. As to accuracy, I have no experience with the 180 grainer, but used the 150 gr. load when I ran out of my 165 gr. handloads and the only choices were 180 gr. roundnose Remington, and the 150 gr. Federal. Shot to the same point as my loads and was accurate as well. Made my longest shot ever with it. But, it's a hunting, not a target, load. Federal loads good ammo.

For pulling a bullet without a puller, all you need is a hammer and a hard surface, anvil, vise, or another hammer. Place the cartridge neck on the anvil, and gently hammer it while rotating the cartridge. Pretty soon the bullet will slide out without damage. You can then squeeze the neck slightly oval and seat the bullet again, and load directly into the chamber, and not have wasted a cartridgel. Cheers.

[Mack The Knife]

TwoRivers: You are right about the overall length and ogive being similar. The OAL of the 150gr cartridge is just a smidge more though. Herewith a pic of the 150 and 180gr Federal PowerShoks side by side.



Thanks for the tip. I may just try that some day.

Mack The Knife

[TwoRivers]

Mack The Knife: Just to clarify, my remarks were based. on ammo now 35 years old, produced by Federal when it was still Federal, a family-owned company. Except for their premium lines, target, or low demand rounds, the ammunition makers normally use their own bullets. O.a.l. typically has a tolerance of .015" or so, even without deformed lead bullet points, so that would not be a positive identifier. Cheers.

[BJL]

Generally, factory loads according to SAAMI specs are often seated into the case at least .100" more than required. And TwoRivers' statement that the OAL has a give of .015" is pretty true. That's why hand-loading allows the shooter to find the optimal OAL, cheaply increasing accuracy.