Ammo speed BS ?

[S-3 ranch]

Do the ammunition manufacturers just pull the speed on the box out of a donkeys A hole
I have bought 3 different brands and zero have made advertised 3060+ fps
Most are running +/- 2900 FPS with 130gr .270win mostly lesser than
Benchmarks just seem like total garbage on the box

 

[NeedleCrook]

I’m sure it’s ideal condition with a 26 inch barrel and even that’s probably Max not average.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Do you have a 24-26" barrel on your gun?

 

[jimh406]

There are actually quite a few variables. Elevation, temperature, barrel type, chambering, length, type of rifling, how clean the barrel is, etc.

There are a few people that regularly test ammo on YouTube. You can check one/more of those and see what they are getting.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Do you have a 24-26" barrel on your gun?

No , unfortunately Winchester back in the 50’s put a 22” on a featherweight
Now days some are 20” which is worse for .243 & 270 imo

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

No , unfortunately Winchester back in the 50’s put a 22” on a featherweight
Now days some are 20” which is worse for .243 & 270 imo

24-26" are the common lengths of velocity test barrels. Many cartridges loose at least 25fps per inch (even more when getting into short barrels and less with longer barrels) and some can loose closer to 50fps depending on the powder and ammo combination.

Then you get into faster/slower barrels, etc. so frankly a shorter barrel gun getting 150fps less than the box advertised doesn't seem grossly out of line.

 

[Reburn]

I bet you got a slow barrel that is exacerbated by the velocity loss due to length.

 

[hereinaz]

So many asterisks for box velocity... but, yeah, I am sure that they fudge the velocity. Frankly, box velocity is one of the many things that I view with a hefty dose of skepticism.

 

[wind gypsy]

somethin somethin about nitroglycerin being hard to come by and ammo manufacturers needing to use what they can. And how many rounds you have down that 70 year old barrel?

 

[mt100gr.]

Do the ammunition manufacturers just pull the speed on the box out of a donkeys A hole
I have bought 3 different brands and zero have made advertised 3060+ fps
Most are running +/- 2900 FPS with 130gr .270win mostly lesser than
Benchmarks just seem like total garbage on the box

When was the last time a new truck met the advertised mpg in real, daily use? ....wind tunnel, 2wd, slick tires, gutted/lightweight version....all marketing!

 

[35WhelenAI]

25 fps loss per inch of barrel, and typically 3060 was/is with a 26 inch barrel. That's 100 fps of it right there. Test barrels are min spec, factory cartridge will maximize pressure with very little room for case expansion versus a hunting rifle that needs to have some margin of clearance for chambering rounds under any field conditions and any manufactures difference in case manufacturing tolerance.

 

[Tmac]

I just shot 130 gr Rem tipped core-lokt in 270 Win that averaged 2,995 fps out of a Tikka. Advertised as 3,080 fps. Thought that was pretty good for just over a 22” barrel.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I guess I am picky and expect the new ammo to be as precisely loaded as my old ammo , federal seems to be the most precise
I bought couple cases of same lot # of sig saur , and Norma whitetail and they just aren’t as fast or reliable fps wise with some deviation
My mistake for thinking newer machinery at the factory would improve the quality!
My buddy got me started with this because his 7mmPRC hornday eldx was in advertising specs and now is loaded no where near 3000 fps
So we tested my 2 .270’s for kicks and it’s been pretty disappointing except for my .308win ammunition which I have had for couple years now
Buying same lot # cases should be fairly standard across the board imo

In researching I found this article

.270 Winchester

 

[35WhelenAI]

I agree, if you're going to do factory ammo, buy enough to last a number of years. Regardless of velocity there is not inconsistency from year to year as long as the ammo supply holds up.

I don't believe it's the quality from the factories, that's as good as ever in my opinion. But it's the components (are they getting the most optimal powder?) that may be available to them or the fact it's a litigious society.

Keep in mind, loading millions of rounds of ammunition, saving a grain or two of powder across that many rounds makes a company more money. Typically optimizing a case fill with a powder of the best burn rate gives best velocity. I can't recall when the last factory rounds I bought were optimized for case fill when pulling bullets and measuring charges

 

[Str8shooter]

Whats worse than the trumped up speeds, are the ballistic drops out to 500 yds (without elevation/DA, temperature, barrel length, etc etc). The number of dudes that treat these tables as fact and send it on wild animals is disturbing.

 

[35WhelenAI]

40 years ago it was excusable because of ignorance on most everyone's part, nowadays it's not.

I give credit, lots of talk about actual shooting and figuring drops on this forum.

 

[Koda_]

I guess I am picky and expect the new ammo to be as precisely loaded as my old ammo , federal seems to be the most precise

Some companies do better than others but this is virtually impossible in mass produced ammo. Ive heard mass produced ammo powder charges are loaded by volume not weight. Components change over years so old ammo is not likely to be the same as new. Lastly, I don't see how anyone can expect their rifle to match the ballistics of a manufacturing test barrel...
Ive never got the same velocity as advertised.

The best thing you can do when you get lucky and find a box of factory ammo that shoots well is to go back and buy as many boxes as you can afford and then some. Most stores ship or sell from the same lot code which is good.

the only way to guarantee consistency is to handload.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Whats worse than the trumped up speeds, are the ballistic drops out to 500 yds (without elevation/DA, temperature, barrel length, etc etc). The number of dudes that treat these tables as fact and send it on wild animals is disturbing.

I never even read the box dope or even ballistic table dope. I verify at the range, then modify to altitude and temp.