Gents,

Quick report. Range day, today testing my 169 gr. SMK load.

Load data is on the test target. Rifle was my GA Precision "Rock". Folks this load shoots...give it a try.

Wes

The rifle:



The load:



The Group:

Nice.

Did you test various other loads to come up with this recipe?

I like SMK 175/Varget in my Rem 5R.

100yrds?



at first I thought you had a typo, I did not know Sierra redid the 168 to the long range 169,

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
100yrds?

at first I thought you had a typo, I did not know Sierra redid the 168 to the long range 169,

I regularly shot under 3/4 in. groups at 100 yards with Federal Gold Metal Match with my Remington PSS in .308. That was a 168 gr. Sierra Match King BTHP.

I even a couple of times shot ±1/2 in. groups.

Nice group, Weshowe

Gents,

The load was initially developed using the 175 gr. Sierra Match King. I got the 169 gr. SMK's and decided to use them. Obviously, they work!

If you like the 175 gr. SMK's give the 169 grainers a try. BC is .527...way better than the 175 gr. SMK and almost matching the 190 gr. SMK (.533), but no velocity penalty like with the 190's.

Wes

42.8 grains of the same powder and similar oal produces very similar results in my Sako 85 varmint.

42.5 grains of 4064 with similar projectiles is a fairly accepted federal GMM duplicate.

Nice shooting. 5/8" at 100 is good for any 308. GAP rifles work.

The real test for the 169 SMK is accuracy at distance. Minimum of 500 yards, but 800+ yards is better. The G1 BC of .527 over 2180 fps is respectable. It's still good at .505 down to 1540 fps. The 169 SMK bullet has been on the market for 2 years, yet I find very little feedback on the web. I don't see any "factory" loads on the market -- Sierra, Federal, Black Hills. Yes, it was introduced in COVID time, but not the greatest of signs. Shooters tend to be all over a new high BC bullet that is accurate at distance.

Sierra's TMK 168 has a G1 BC of .535 above 2050 fps. Great ballistics, but hit-and-miss with accuracy in some rifles. Sierra's TMK 175 has a G1 BC of .545 to .530 depending on velocity. Again great ballistics, but hit-and-miss with accuracy in some rifles. TMK ammo didn't do anything special in my 308 GAP Crusader. TMK 223 loads were also hit-and-miss in my AR15s.

By comparison to Hornady, the 168 Amax has an averaged .475 G1 BC. Not the most stellar BC, but the bullet flies well, even through transonic and subsonic. The 168 ELDM has a respectable averaged .523 G1 BC. It flies well all the way to Mach 1, although I have limited experience with it at subsonic velocity.

One challenge with slippery bullets is their ability to remain accurate at distance, as velocity drops. The SMK 168 doesn't have a great BC, it's way accurate at speeds above transonic, but flies like crap at transonic & below. The SMK 175 is way accurate at just about any velocity. Both the SMK 168 and SMK 175 are very jump tolerant, so they work with many chambers and work until throat erosion turns a barrel into a tomato stake. Amax 168 acts a lot like SMK 168 & 175. ELDM 168 is a little more picky about jumping to the lands.

Time will tell how the SMK 169 stacks up. Especially in older barrels. During COVID times, I shot a lot of different factory loads to determine options -- if my preferred FGMM and Hornady ammo sources dried up. Many loads that printed nicely at 100-200 yards fell apart beyond 400-500 yards.
Get out there and punch some holes at long range.

Fritz and all,

Thank you for your kind replies. My intent this week was to check initial accuracy and get some chronograph data. Failed on the last, as my LabRadar didn't function for me. Will try that again...

As for initial accuracy, I'm impressed. Like you mentioned, Fritz, the truthteller is distance! I have access to a 600 yard range and plan on testing there in the next several weeks. Will report back results.

If all is well, this MAY become my "go to" bullet. If so, I'm still going to have to shoot up several thousand Sierra and Lapua 175's...

Life is good...;-)

Wes

I shoot suppressed, and the time I've borrowed other people's Labradar have not gone well. If it works for you, that's great. Magnetospeed works for me.

SMK bullets just plain shoot for most target applications, given the limits of the long-in-the-tooth 308 Win chambering. Many have tried to design better bullets, few have succeeded. My tightest groups to date at 100 are
.23" FGMM 175
.32" FGMM 168
.39" Corbon 190 SMK
.35" Hornady 168 Amax
.33 Lapua 167 Scenar
.48" Hornady 168 ELDM

Maybe Sierra will do better with SMK 169 than it did with TMK 168 & 175. And TMK 69 & 77 in 223 Remy.

At 600 yards the tune in my rifle changes a bit. Verticals only, as wind drift is a challenge on my range. The best:
2.25" FGMM 175
2.75" each for FGMM 168, Hornady 168 Amax, and Hornady 168 ELDM

Nothing else is in this league at distance for my Bartlein barrel. Outside of the 168 ELDM, the other high-BC bullets didn't maintain accuracy. I suspect the 168 ELDM might be the winner with a fresh barrel -- the jump to lands on the current barrel is getting pretty long. My 'smith says its throat resembles alligator skin.

Are you guys getting the good groups around 2740 - 2760 fps? I had success with 168 AMAX and 175 Match King around that velocity.
I have also had good luck with 155 Palma with 0.030 and 155 Scenar L with 0.010 jump at ~2750 fps as well.
The rifles in question are a Steyr Elite and Savage 308 (28" Criterion barrel).
I have to go down to around 2680 for the next node to work in my AR10, and it's also decent in the rifles above.
I use Federal F215M primers and Starline or Lapua Brass. RL15, Varget and Precision powder. SDs are usually under 10 but some up to 12 fps (5-10 shot strings)

Fritz and all,

I like the SMK 175 and until now it's been my "go to" bullet. Still have 2K of them... ;-)

My best 600 yard group with 175's is about 2.5" in perfect condition. Rifle was my old Obermeyer barreled M40A1 clone and my MK IV 10X...

I upgraded to the GAP "Rock" and it shoots equally well. Phil McGrath has it now and loves it. It's about 20 years old, but still shoots magnificently.

Hold hard,

Wes

Nice shooting. I’m going to order some today and give that load a try. It may be the ticket for my 16” LMT MWS.