Need assistance from former miliary snipers

[cook4army]

I recently picked up a Remington 700 Tactical in .308, and have some questions for those former military snipers about ammo usage. Which is the best size of round for long distance targets (+600 meters). I havent shot it yet, as Im looking for a good scope for it, so any suggestions to that would be nice too.

I also have specific questions about proceedures, but would rather do that through PM, so I can ask questions as they arise.

Thanks

 

[Double T]

Well, I am not a sniper or former military; but the best weight for your gun is dependent on the twist rate.

 

[Booya]

Also, you won't need speciality loads to get past 600yds. With the right fundamentals and the right scope and just a little practice you'll be hitting 1000yds with factory loads. I'd just practice getting on paper at your desired distance with the cheap stuff before I put to much research into anything else, although it's never to early to start!

 

[cook4army]

My ultimate goal is to hit 1000 meters, but was looking for information as to what grain bullet the snipers use. I know that in the Stan, we shipped match grade ammo to them, but cant remember the weight of the round.

 

[Echelon]

My ultimate goal is to hit 1000 meters, but was looking for information as to what grain bullet the snipers use. I know that in the Stan, we shipped match grade ammo to them, but cant remember the weight of the round.

M24 Sniper Weapon System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[pierce195]

What is the twist rate on your barrel and what stock is on your Remington? Also what is your budget for optics?

 

[originalhonkey]

i am going to go off of my set up. i have a rem 700 in 308 with a 1/12 twist at 20" it has a hs precision m24 stock 20moa base with a bushnel mil dot 5x15x40 lrs elite tactical scope. i shoot hornady 150gr interbond factory and it does well out to 700/750yard. with about 1/2group at 100. i hand load a 150gr interbond at 44.5 varget case at 2.005 oal at 2.750 primer is wlr. that gets me down to 3/8 groups at100. all groups are 3 shots.

the 168 gr is the most used civ and 175smk military i think is what was used some years back. as far as the ? of what the snipers use as of today i dont know 100% but as far as what works for your gun it will all depend on the set up and you.$2000 glass for 600yard shots not needed.

at 600 you should get there with any 168gr or lower round with a 1/12 twist. but i will suggest using a good quality ammo. if the ammo is cheap and has crapppppppppppppy quality control you will never see improvment in your personal skills. for example i said i hand load 150gr. i check every round and get it within a thousandth from 1 to another. i group 3/8 at 100. but when i use american eagle 150gr factory ammo i shoot 1" groups or more at 100. thats a big deal at 600,800,1000........ when i looked into the factory ammo i found over 3 hunredth diff in the oal so i can assume the powder and case length would follow that trend. if i stuck with the cheap factory ammo i would have never fixed me, got any good dope on my rifle, or felt good about my zero.

so i know there are a billion better shooters and opinions out there but this is mine and i hope it helps.

 

[Dave Doehrman]

Most of the 700 tacticals have the 1:12 twist and you can shoot out to 1,000 yards with the 168gr HPBT Match ammo or the 175gr Match ammo.

I shoot 6" groups at 1,000 yards using 168gr A-max bullets in my reloads, but they remain supersonic out past 1,100 yards.

I would suggest Prvi Partzan 168gr HPBT match ammo for economy, accuracy and as a good source for brass if you plan to reload.

My #1 scope recommendation would be a NightForce 8-32 X 56 NSX with the Mildor reticle and MOA knobs. You will also need a good 20 MOA base if you plan to shoot out to 1,000 yards. Also contact 42769vette here on INGO for othe scope and mounting suggestions.

 

[Cerberus]

My ultimate goal is to hit 1000 meters, but was looking for information as to what grain bullet the snipers use. I know that in the Stan, we shipped match grade ammo to them, but cant remember the weight of the round.

CARTRIDGE, 7.62MM, BALL, SPECIAL, M118

Use:
Rifles, 7.62mm, M14, M21, M24, and M40A1. The
cartridge is intended and specifically prepared for use in
high accuracy weapons.
Description:BALL Cartridge. The cartridge is identified by
cartridge case head stampings with NATO design mark,
manufacturer and year.

Propellant:
Type ........................ WC 846 and
IMR 4895

Weight ..................... 44 gr
Projectile:
Weight ...................... 172 gr (*usually listed as 175)

Straight from TM 43-0001-27. I added the maroon text

 

[silentvoice71]

His rifle being a tactical. I believe its a 1:10 twist. All of the 308 remington tactical series rifles are 1:10 twist

 

[pierce195]

The M118 round is loaded with 175 grain Sierra BTHP.

 

[42769vette]

When you come down Thursday we can talk about everything. Im probably not the very best person to ask about the ammo, because I was never a military sniper, but I know what works at 1000 and what doesnt.

As far as the scope when you come down Ill have alot of scopes for you to compare. There are not to many places in Indiana that will have the number of scopes I have in this quality range..

 

[silentvoice71]

Ps bud that round is built for the barrels they run on their weapons. Which if i remember is a 23" 1:11.25 twist rate. I would worry less about what round they run, because it may change out of no where. Your 1:10 gun may not like that m118 at all. That being said different strokes for different folks also applies to long range guns and ammo.

 

[Niles Coyote]

I am not a mil.gov sniper, but I stayed at a holiday inn express once...

Precision Rifles are additive and I have a thing for 308’s

Remington Tactical's are 1-12" twist, the AAC model is a 1-10" and the 5r "tactical rifling" are 1-11.25" twists.

The USMC uses a 1-12 twist while the army uses the 11.25 in their 308's

I don’t or rarely shoot factory ammo BUT I do own a Remington tactical in both 223 and 308. I have used 155, 168, 175 and 180 grain bullets in the 308 and all shot great... and I am not talking only 100y but out to 1000y.

My primary load for it is a 175 loaded a little hotter than factory Federal gold medal match and also 168 Hornady A-max. My 175 load is right around 2550fps and that is about 50-75fps faster than the box of 175 FGMM ammo I was given when I bought the rifle. My 168 amax load is either 2630 or 2670, I forget right now but here is a pic of 3 at 900& 1k

I had some very favorable winds that day and that third shot at 1k was a very slight wind change... That said it can and will shoot to 1000 yards but once you get over 800 it can get very challenging.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Guess I can't post since I'm not a military sniper...

FWIW, limiting responses to "former military snipers" is pretty much going to eliminate 95% of the helpful responses you would have received on here...

 

[cook4army]

First off, I apologize for my choice in words when I started this thread, as I never meant to offend anyone, or their expertise. Im not used to posting on forums, and still have to remember that I'm not in the Army anymore, and that there are thousands of people out there that could very well answer my question without ever having worn a uniform. My main question from former snipers was about the round they used, so I could get a general idea of what I may need to hit 1000Y.

That being said, I have read over the posts, and would like to thank those that have commented as I have learned alot from what you all have written. +1 rep to Niles Coyote for even throwing in a couple of pics.

Im new to precision shooting, having only been shooting AR style weapons for the last 21 years. I joined right out of high school, and the only deer hunting I did, was with an old Ruger single shot .44 mag/410 combo, so hitting a target with anything other than 5.56 is foreign to me.

I have spoken with AA Optics and am confident that I can find a great scope that will help me hit my goals, as well as using the input given here to find the perfect round weight and powder charge to get there as well.

Thanks for everyones input.

 

[phylodog]

M118 Special Ball is loaded with a 172gr bullet
M118LR is loaded with a 175gr bullet and is much preferred over the special ball.

I would recommend Federal 175gr Gold Medal Match or Black Hills 175gr HPBT Match ammo. Both will get you to 1K yds here in Indiana.

 

[BigMoose]

When first conceived, the M24 rifle was originally going to be chambered in 30-06, that is why the M24 uses the long action 700 receiver. They were going to use up stocks of stored M72 match ammo

Before they could get the M24 produced, the 30-06 stocks were depleted and they changed over to the 7.62NATO cart. the M118 Match is the load that replaced the 30-06 M72.

M118 Special Ball M118 match with a little less QC still works well.

M118LR is the current load, you find it for sale once in a while

Mk316 Mod 0 is an equivalent used by the Navy and some USMC folks.

M852 MATCH (168 grain) loads do some funny stuff out past 600. But still work great inside 600

 

[ol' Huff]

When you meet up with 42769vette he is going to have a ton of scopes for you to look at. Tell him you want to try a Vortex Viper PST in 2.5-10x or 4-16x. A couple companies sent scopes to to me to test last year and this scope was far and away the best bang for the buck. Alan knows what he is doing with them. He'll get you set up.

 

[cook4army]

Will do, thanks.