Palma Projectiles: 155s vs. the Heavier 30-Caliber Bullets
In December, we published the rules controlling choice of caliber and bullet weight for Palma competition. (CLICK HERE to Read.) In the USA, some events are still limited to 156gr or lighter bullets for .308-caliber shooters. But where such restrictions don’t exist, many shooters are using heavy 175-190gr bullets in their .308s. Is the heavier bullet always better? What considerations favor the lighter 155gr-class bullets in Palma competition? Top Palma shooter Kelly Bachand addresses these questions in today’s commentary.
Factors That Favor the 155s
by Kelly Bachand
It is clear that 155gr bullets are adequate. In the Palma game, more matches have been won and more 450 scores have been shot with 155gr bullets than with any other weight projectile. With the NRA allowing heavier bullets in Palma matches, many shooters prefer to shoot the longer, heavier bullets when possible. With their higher BCs, the longer bullets would seem to offer a ballistic advantage. There may be an edge, but in my opinion, it comes at a high cost.
Shooting a heavier bullet adds complications. You’ll probably need a different powder and new load development will have to be done. New zeroes must be calculated and confirmed on the range. An expensive new barrel with a faster twist rate may be needed to stabilize the heavier bullets. And unless you’re lucky, there’s a chance that the new barrel is less accurate than your existing barrel. (If you’ve got a “hummer” barrel for the 155s, what are the odds of getting another one as good for the 190s?) For a shooter who only competes domestically and who has plenty of time and money, this does not pose much of a problem, as he can work up multiple loads and acquire multiple barrels, or even build up a second complete rifle. But shooting BOTH the 155s and the heavy bullets (which may require a new barrel) certainly adds to the cost of competing, and the time required to work up loads. One who also competes internationally has much more to worry about, since you’ll likely be switching between the heavy bullets for most domestic matches and the 155s for most international matches.
Consider the challenges you’ll encounter switching between a heavy-bullet domestic load and a 155gr international load. Will changing between two different loads (with very different recoil levels) alter your gun-handling and follow-through? Will having two loads (with different ballistics) create confusion when making wind calls? And if you DO shoot both 155s and 190s, should you have two different barrels, or should you stick to one barrel which is adequate for both bullet weights, but perhaps not optimal for either? The heavier bullets typically have a better BC which means they should be less bothered by the wind. At the same time the heavier bullets travel at a much slower velocity. Does this negate the ballistic advantage? You need to check the ballistic tables carefully, looking at BOTH BC and velocity.
As a person who prefers to keep things simple and stick with what works, it’s no surprise I continue to shoot 155gr bullets exclusively in Palma competitions. But I understand this is just one viewpoint. A Palma shooter reading this should survey competitors who are consistently putting themselves in the winner’s circle. Talk to top shooters and then make your own rational, informed decision about which bullets to use. Good luck and keep them in the center.
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Tags: bullets, Fullbore, high power, Palma, Twist Rate
DO NOT use 168SMK’s for Palma!! They really should not have been shown. 168 Bergers – fine.
Mike
155 Scenar is a good bullet too.
Having recently done some limited analysis of heavier vs. lighter bullets (limited being the key word here), it seems to me that heavier bullets with higher BCs have only one major advantage to target shooters – less wind drift (as mentioned in the article). I could see that for big game hunters there was also more impact energy. It didn’t seem worth switching given the trade-offs involved and Bachand offers numerous others related to competition shooting.
Mike – Correct, the Sierra 168SMK’s are a short range bullet and should not be used in Palma. They are included in the picture for representation of heavier bullets only (I didn’t have any Bergers to photograph).
Yes, Lapua makes great bullets as well. As a member of a team sponsored by Sierra (the WA State Bad Apples) it happens that I didn’t have any Lapuas either for the picture.
Jon – Less wind drift is exactly what target shooters are interested in. This is achieved with the heavier bullets. It is up to each shooter to decide if the benefits make the heavier bullets or lighter bullets best for them.
Hi Kelly. Would you care to share alternate Palma loads with the 155 as Varget is difficult to obtain these days.
Scott – Reloader 15 can be used in lieu of Varget with great results. Personally I shot all of my practice and many of the local matches using Reloader 15 and Winchester magnum primers (as those were readily available). I reserved the little Varget and match primers I could get for the “bigger” matches. I know from using Reloader 15 in a service rifle at Camp Perry that it is not as stable in high temperatures as Varget. There are a some additional powders being used with great results (and many were in use before Varget became so scarce). There are Vihtavuori powders and others, but unfortunately I am not anywhere near an expert on alternative loads. If there isn’t already one started, a thread in the forums ought to be started on this topic and I’m sure it would generate quite a flood of opinions.
Personally, I’d be thrilled if all my competition chooses to shoot the more drifty 155’s in matches that allow heavier bullets.
I’m sure you would Bryan
I think Kelly presents a good view of a reliable, “keep it simple” approach to Palma shooting. My preference is to shoot heavier bullets (175 Berger, 185 Lapua, 190 Sierra, 190 VLD Berger) but I’ve shot thousands of 155’s and they are very good, especially the 155 Berger Fullbore bullet. Using 155’s I load H4895 or IMR 4320 I haven’t used Varget for a several years as it has become too slow in my opinion.
For the heavier bullets I use a 29″ long, 1:11″ twist barrel with a slightly longer throat. I’ve been shooting the 175 Berger for the past 6 months at big matches and it appears to be a good compromise of drift accuracy and reliability. This week, I shot a 448-27 and a 448-26 with it during the Berger Bullets Southwest Nationals in Phoenix for a second place to Michelle Gallagher in the two day Palma aggregate.
One of the interesting challenges of long-range shooting is working with loads and as good a the 155 class of bullets can be, I still like to try other things. I even have a 1:10″ twist barrel throated for the Berger 210 but that project has languished for a couple of years.
Sierra, Berger, and Lapua all make an excellent 155s. I have a couple of reasons for favoring the 155, the first is the same as Kelly’s; our goal is to win in team competition in international competition, so we train and compete with the 155 2156 Sierra that we will shoot in team competition. The other consideration is recoil, 185s and 210s have a noticably heavier kick (especially when loaded to run as fast as some of these competitors are driving them).
Also windage is not everthing, I’ve played with the Sierra 175s, and 210s, and even the 208 Amax (both in a 10 twist), but I think the Sierra 2156 holds the most consistent elevation of any bullet we have worked with in a 308.
n140 is another option to Varget with the 155s, I’m currently using imr4064 with the 175 SMK in my F-TR rifle, bt frankly the 2156 shoots a lot better.
The 155g makes it a level playing field
Given that this article is steered towards Palma shooters please allow a post from an f-class shooter. Since I’m newer at the longer range games I read all I can seeking info.
For a 168gr bullet consider Hornady #30501 168 bthp match? I used this in 2009 for mid-range f-class and intend to test it for 1000 yd. f-class. I load RE-15 to 2680fps 15′ from muzzle, 29″ 1-12 three groove Palma 95 chamber.
The reason I post this is a premise of this article is simplicity. For me having the 168 be my go to bullet for all yardages 600-1000 is my goal. My logic is a bit better bc than 155, a bit less recoil than 175+ bullets, and a bit less wind drift than 155.
Pat
Pat, if you don’t mind a comment from a sling shooter, you would probably be better off to standardize on one of the various 175 gr. bullets. The recoil difference will be minimal (nonexistent, really) and the 175’s are proven performers at 1000 yards. The Berger 175 boat tail is my top choice, followed by the Berger 175 VLD, then the Sierra.
Mr. Salazar, I welcome comments from sling shooters. You folks have my great respect! I will explore the Sierra 175 for the 1k load. I just hope that bullet works as well as the 168 Hornady and 168 SMK do for me at 600. Both of those 168’s have shot to .270″ three shot group @200 yards, on a pod too.
What caught my eye about this article was Mr. Bachand’s logic to use one bullet for all Palma shooting.
My f-class shooting in WI is 600 mid-range & 1k long range for both state and regional tournament championships. I’ve not shot at 1k to date. That is this coming years project. I’d like to establish a one bullet cartridge that I use for everything. Especially since I understand that the 2011 f-class national champs are coming here to Lodi.
The 155.5s actually shoot tighter groups for me than the heavier bullets do. I’m sure the results would be different in other rifles, but I’m going to stick with the 155.5s.
Bryan’s right in that you’ll need to be a little more on top of wind changes. Shoot F-class. The smaller target will MAKE you watch the changes closer.
Well there you have it, some more shooters posted what they do and each posted something different. The key in all of this is that there really isn’t a right or wrong bullet weight. There is, however, going to be a bullet weight that best suits your needs as a competitor and it would behoove you to find your ideal bullet weight(s). For competitors like myself whose main focus is international competition, it makes sense for me to stick with the 155s, but this obviously is not the case for every shooter. Find out what makes sense for you and share the knowledge with others! Thanks for all your comments.
Kelly
The Sierra MK HPBT Palma Moly 155g projectile has less bullet drop and less wind drift than the 168g or 175g at all distances including 1k.