Hornady 220gr round nose in 308?

[Messor]

lets just freeze.

This ain't about this being better than that.

This is about this being the "want" at the moment instead of the public norm.
The "want" is all we have in life.

[Pirate]

lets just freeze.

This ain't about this being better than that.

This is about this being the "want" at the moment instead of the public norm.
The "want" is all we have in life.

Exactly.

As for the physics: My 220 gr load has more momentum at the start load than my 150gr load has at max pressure. I'm sure it'll penetrate very effectively.

[A-R]

I came across a box or two of these at a really good price. Is it possible to load such a heavy bullet in a 308? Bushveld use only. Worth the effort or should I pass?

The primary factor determining the feasibility of this load is your rifle's barrel twist rate. If you have the typical 1:12" twist barrel, forget it. If you have a 1:10" twist barrel, go for it.

The high sectional density and low impact velocity of a 220 gn 308 bullet will result in spectacular penetration and minimal meat loss. It will also produce a rainbow-trajectory, limiting your max employment range. This combo could be ideal in bushveld conditions up to about 100m. (Some 303 shooters use 215 gn bullets at around 2000 fps and like the results.)

[Messor]

The primary factor determining the feasibility of this load is your rifle's barrel twist rate. If you have the typical 1:12" twist barrel, forget it. If you have a 1:10" twist barrel, go for it.

I disagree brother.

Go run the stability calculators.

Mine shows fine even with a 1 in 12, just because the round nose is so short.

[A-R]

I disagree brother.

Go run the stability calculators.

Mine shows fine even with a 1 in 12, just because the round nose is so short.

I did not calculate, as I always had the idea in my mind that it won't stabilize. What kind of Sg are we getting here? I like to have a Sg of 1,5 at least. While 1,2 might work, it might also have issues, like bullets tumbling inside the target animal.

[Messor]

I did not calculate, as I always had the idea in my mind that it won't stabilize. What kind of Sg are we getting here? I like to have a Sg of 1,5 at least. While 1,2 might work, it might also have issues, like bullets tumbling inside the target animal.

SG is above 2, even for a 1 in 12.

That is not the problem.

The problem is the reloading of such round comes down to someone of your skill, and this is a compliment, take it as such.
The components, meaning the propellant, primer and charge to reach the desired MV is somewhat above the average oke.

One must have a clear understanding OR follow a clear understanding of ballistics to pull this off efficiently.

[pre 64]

Some food for thought.

A handgun bullet,lets take a 44 with a 250gr bullet,makes a caliber size hole through an animal.Penetration is not an issue.Velocity in the region of 1300 fps.This combo kills animals including BWB and kudu,no doubt about it BUT you need to be on top of your game to get close enough to make the shot as well as to find the animal after it has been shot.Unless you hit the brain or spine,you will have a tracking session involved.

On the other end of the scale lets take a 7mm RM fireing a 150gr bullet at 3000fps.The terminal ballistics on an animal are completely different to the handgun bullet trundling along at 1300fps.Lets assume penetration is not an issue,you will have a fair number of bang/flops and with a large percentage of animals going down within a few meters of taking the bullet due to massive organ damage but you will also have meat damage associated with this sort of speed.

Now the trick is to find middle ground where you have good terminal ballistics to assure very rapid death of the animal,minimal recoil,flattish trajectory and minimal meat loss coupled with good penetration.

The above was brought home to me with hunting bush pigs at night over bait.My main requirement was that the pig must drop on the spot as baits are generally within 5m of thick bush and a pig that runs a few meters [100m] after being shot needed a trip back to the farm the next morning with my long suffering jack russel to do a recovery.3 bullets that killed pigs but resulted in a recovery trip were .458 420gr lead bullet subsonic at 1000fps......458 350gr bullet at 2200fps.....6.5 160gr Hornady round nose at 2200fps.....and you can include a mate of mine who used a 308 with 200gr bullets at 2200fps.

A 6.5 140gr nossler partition at 2600fps and a .458 260gr HP at 2420fps drop pigs on the spot 95% of the time.

I have also had similar results on antelope.

The whole point is that i believe the most efficient hunting bullets are fairly heavy for caliber and run between 2500 and 2700 fps.[mono"s excluded]

I think you would be better off sticking to 180 gr bullets.
If you want to play/experiment/go sub sonic...cool.

[A-R]

SG is above 2, even for a 1 in 12.

That is not the problem.

The problem is the reloading of such round comes down to someone of your skill, and this is a compliment, take it as such.
The components, meaning the propellant, primer and charge to reach the desired MV is somewhat above the average oke.

One must have a clear understanding OR follow a clear understanding of ballistics to pull this off efficiently.

Ok, so I eventually checked. Got a Sg of 1,74 using Applied Ballistic's Point Mass Ballistic solver, calculated at 2000fps from a 1:12" twist barrel. (Dit not check altitude, and atmospheric conditions, so results may vary.) The bullet will be stable, my guess was wrong.

Solving the load puzzle is somewhat above my skills as well, but fortunately we have a handy tool in the form of Quick Load. Hope that will give a better solution that my late night guesses?

A quick modelling, using default values, predicts a MV of 2300fps at 54 000PSI with S355. Sounds quite do-able to me.

2300fps would be a decent speed to launch a cup-core bullet like the Hornady at, as the bullet will retain lots of weight and penetrate well. The SD compares favourably with a 300gn 375 cal bullet, giving you an idea of penetration potential.

[Dale SH]

Ok, so I eventually checked. Got a Sg of 1,74 using Applied Ballistic's Point Mass Ballistic solver, calculated at 2000fps from a 1:12" twist barrel. (Dit not check altitude, and atmospheric conditions, so results may vary.) The bullet will be stable, my guess was wrong.

Solving the load puzzle is somewhat above my skills as well, but fortunately we have a handy tool in the form of Quick Load. Hope that will give a better solution that my late night guesses?

A quick modelling, using default values, predicts a MV of 2300fps at 54 000PSI with S355. Sounds quite do-able to me.

2300fps would be a decent speed to launch a cup-core bullet like the Hornady at, as the bullet will retain lots of weight and penetrate well. The SD compares favourably with a 300gn 375 cal bullet, giving you an idea of penetration potential.

This.

An on spec batch of S355 will give you an accurate node at approx 2270 fps ( @ 52500 psi pressure) from your 22 inch barrel and the bullet will have sufficient gyroscopic stability. Will make a really efficient designated bushveld only load.
S355 is your go to propellant. Lets just hope that the next batch of S355 that Somchem produce has a little more oomph than the current batch. ( Lot 11)