While I haven't hunted with the round as yet, I've been shooting Federal Premium Match Grade 168s. Hollow point boat tails. Yesterday I was consistently shooting near cloverleafs at 100yds from my 17S.

I've also been shooting a lot of Federal XM80C 149s and they've been pretty darned accurate as well at ~1 MOA.

Any chance it's the shooter and not the rifle? I know there are days when I can go out and not be able to hit a fat lady in the ass with a mop.

Gustofer,

The lack of capability of the shooter definitely has something to do with it. I also don't have high powered glass on my 17 - 6x is max.

The best groups I'm usually able to shoot, with anything, is around 2", maybe a little better with something that lets me aim a bit finer. But, I do that consistently, at least. So, when something starts performing worse, then I get suspicious.

I should add that I had a buddy join me on this last range trip. When the Trophy Bonded Tip started looking a bit squirrelly, I asked him to shoot some groups. His results mirrored mine, although he's probably a better shot than I am from a bench and with a bipod. Then again, it was his first time shooting a SCAR (although he's a plenty experienced shooter), so who knows how much that mattered.

I was thinking about something else today ShneaSIG.

I wonder if it has something to do with your scope or mounts. I read somewhere that the 17 is notoriously brutal on both due to some type of harmonic thing...I don't know exactly, just that it is.

I've got a buddy who had a similar issue with his RRA 308. He put kind of a cheapo scope and mount on and was all over the paper with a rifle that was guaranteed at 1 MOA. This guy can shoot too (former SEAL/UDT). Once he put some quality glass and mounts on it zeroed right in.

I've got a Leupold Mark IV 4.5X14 with a Larue mount on mine and haven't had any problems aside from those that are self-induced.

Just a thought.

Gustofer,

If my groups were wandering all over the paper, I'd be suspicious of my equipment. Everything is repeatable - I change ammo, adjust my scope's settings to any little POI vs POA shift, and I can then bang away. And, when using ammo that my rifle "likes", I get my usual groups with regularity. For me, using just a bipod and without high magnification, I just don't shoot much better than about 2" groups at 100 yards with any gun. My lousy eyes and lousy trigger finger make sure of that. Hand me the finest bolt-action with the finest scope money can buy, and 100 rounds... and I'll shoot 20 2" 5-shot groups. Maybe more like 13 or 14 because I'm bound to slap the trigger some or otherwise throw some fliers.

I actually did a bit of testing on my scope on Sunday as well. Once I had a good zero for each load, I recorded my scope's settings. Once I had settings for each load, I would set the applicable drift and windage, and shoot a 5 shot group, then change ammo and repeat. I bounced between all of the hunting loads and some Federal L.C. XM80 surplus for good measure.

The scope dialed and tracked properly - groups were centered on the targets. The Power Shok, Fusion MSR, and Nosler Partitions shot very nicely. The Trophy Bonded Tip were pretty consistently wider in grouping. But, then I swapped back to any of the other three loads, and groups tightened right back up.

Scope is a Sig Tango6 1-6x, mount is a Bobro.

Good question, I will be going on a hog hunt in the near future. You scan the web and Remmie 165 gr Coreloks come up alot on successful hunts.

I leave on a hunt March 3,if the friggin rain stops. 45-70 and 12 gauge with 1 oz slugs for me this trip.

I use Federal Vital Shock with the 165 gr Sierra Game King bullet. I've killed many a deer and a few hogs with this round. Very accurate out of my bolt gun.

I did have some bad experiences with the Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips not expanding in deer.

My 16” rifle likes the 168 grain bullets and I suspect your SCAR will too. I’d try an off the shelf 165 grain hunting load like Hornady 165 grain Interlock or Federal 165 grain Fusion.

The shortys need the right bullet and powder combo to work right.

Tony.

I've been very pleased with the Barnes TTSX bullets and especially when loaded by Double Tap Ammunition. The bullets have great terminal performance on wild pigs, but the degree of accuracy in the loads supplied by DT is certainly what draws me back to their products. I shot this pig from about 150 yards in Southern California a few years ago using a Barnes TTX 200 grain .35 Whelen load. Being lead free, I was restricted to what I could hunt with in CA, but I've got to say that I've been using these DT/Barnes loads for several years and they live up to their reputation. Excellent expansion and penetration, plus less meat damage because these solid copper rounds stay in one piece. Couldn't be more pleased with the result!

http://www.doubletapammo.net/i...3_323&product_id=360

quote:

Originally posted by ShneaSIG:
I finally got my SCAR-17 out on the range and shot some loads we discussed in this thread.

I had some Federal Power Shok 150 grain soft tips, some Federal Fusion MSR 150 grain soft tips, Federal Vital Shok loaded with 150 grain Nosler Partitions, and, lastly, some Federal Vital Shok Trophy Bonded 165 grain.

The Power Shok 150 grain SPs and the Fusion MSR 150 SPs shot great - I didn't measure, but groups were tight and consistent. About 2" (some a little better, some a little worse) at 100 yards - which is as good as I can ever do with any gun. The Fusion MSR and the blue box Power Shok might be the same projectile.

The Vital Shok Partitions gave me the best groups - again, I didn't measure, but I don't think any group was over 2". My best 3 shot group was about 1.5".

The Trophy Bonded was a bit of a disappointment. Groups opened up to 3" or so. One group was over 4".

It's odd, but I'm beginning to get the sense that any elongated bullets aren't going to fare so well from my SCAR-17 - the Trophy Bonded have a solid copper shank, and I think they're a little longer in overall projectile length than the other rounds I tried.

But, I'll be very happy slinging Fusion, Power Shok SPs, or Nosler Partitions. Of the three, I think I'd go Partitions - they've got a pretty good track record, and they shot excellent.

I think you have cracked the code. My SCAR 17 has a definite preference for lighter bullets 155grain and below.

This is counter to my experience with other .308s, both bolt and semi auto, but it seems the SCAR 17 is its own animal in this regard. Other SCAR 17 owners have reported similar preference for lighter bullets in their SCARs.

I haven’t much experience with the .308 federal fusion but the .223 fusion loads have been great performers on TX hogs.