# Hunting > The Magazine >  Belmont ammo 308 with hornady 150gr SP  - Range Report

## Nugget connaisseur

The .308 ammunition from Belmont Ammunition continues to impress me. Im surprised they are not promoting it!!
Only reason i found out about it is a friend recommended to try it. way it consistently groups great and the ES and SD are always fantastic.
The best part of this is that its cheap, cheaper than barnaul steel cased ammo and almost half the cost of other soft points. 
Especially good if you buy in bulk and its loaded right here in New Zealand. 
Loaded with PMC brass that I could sell off to bring the cost down even further.

For hunting this would be the first box i reach for to try down any rifle. I used to reload SSTs but for the price and the soft points perform very well i don't bother anymore.


Tikka T3 308 with factory barrel ~ 120 rounds down the barrel so not sure if it will speed up a bit more yet.
VX freedom 3-9
Shot off a bi-pod.

4 shots while sighting in the scope. Group was Just over 1"



Adjusted and shot this 3 shot group.



I now have boxes from 3 different lot numbers. So next time i will test 10 rounds from each batch to see if there is any variance between lots and also get a larger data pool for the ES and SD.
I dont often shoot groups. So can someone recommend a target that is easier to shoot at than just some orange dots on a plain piece of paper?

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## Max Headroom

> Attachment 114503
> 
> The .308 ammunition from Belmont Ammunition continues to impress me. Im surprised they are not promoting it!!
> Only reason i found out about it is a friend recommended to try it. way it consistently groups great and the ES and SD are always fantastic.
> The best part of this is that it’s cheap, cheaper than barnaul steel cased ammo and almost half the cost of other soft points. 
> Especially good if you buy in bulk and it’s loaded right here in New Zealand. 
> Loaded with PMC brass that I could sell off to bring the cost down even further.
> 
> For hunting this would be the first box i reach for to try down any rifle. I used to reload SSTs but for the price and the soft points perform very well i don't bother anymore.
> ...




I gave up shooting round targets awhile ago. now I draw a diamond on paper, and aim for either the top or bottom, which allows a more precise aimpoint.

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## Trout

Good shooting,try a black A4 sheet of paper with a white 10mm dot in the middle at a 100yds.All your concentration is on the white dot.You should be able to put your tight groups on the dot after a bit of practice.Try a 20mm dot at 200yds.

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## Husky1600

As Trout said, a white dot on a black background is the best. The size of the dot is not too important as the human eye is an amazing thing. The human eye is circular, the wee bit in the middle is circular, your scope is circular - so your target should be a circle. It makes the whole sighting thing much more natural for your eye/brain coordination, and your eye will always be drawn to placing the cross hairs in the centre. And white on black is a no brainer when you consider your cross hairs are black.

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## rupert

It will be very interesting to see your work on the variance between lots.

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## Curtis27

Hey great thread. I have just brought a Tikka 308 and cut down to 16inches for a bush gun with DPT suppressor and carbon stock etc. It was set up to shoot with Hornady Superformance 150gr SST and have put a box through it. Its shooting them at 2700fps out of the 16 inch barrel but at $75 a box for the Hornady ,I am very keen to try this Belmont 150gr soft point. I use the Belmont 55gr soft point 223 ammo and have found it great and very consistent. Just wondering how this ammo will perform with a shorter barrel and if speed will be compromised too much.

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## Nugget connaisseur

> Just wondering how this ammo will perform with a shorter barrel and if speed will be compromised too much.


I have a 16" Zastava that i can run some down to give you an idea on the velocity. The current SST and 8208xbr powder gets 2550fps out of it. Have not tested those loads down the tikka yet.

Thanks for the advice on the targets, ill give both of those ideas a try and see what one i find easiest to use.

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## Nugget connaisseur

> It will be very interesting to see your work on the variance between lots.


Ill give it a go sometime in the next few month and give you an update on it.

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## Curtis27

> I have a 16" Zastava that i can run some down to give you an idea on the velocity. The current SST and 8208xbr powder gets 2550fps out of it. Have not tested those loads down the tikka yet.
> 
> Thanks for the advice on the targets, ill give both of those ideas a try and see what one i find easiest to use.


That would be great. The price difference is over $2 per round so very keen to get onto these Belmont rounds

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## Sako851

Just travelled up to Whanganui and got 100 rounds for $125 for the Hornady SP

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## Sako851

This is my second batch, first was the Sierra projectiles SP 150

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## rugerman

Oh sounds like it's worth giving it a go in my Tikka  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Nugget connaisseur

> Just travelled up to Whanganui and got 100 rounds for $125 for the Hornady SP


Website lists 100 rounds for $108.70 currently.
https://belmontammo.co.nz/product/30...le-100-rounds/

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## rugerman

I'd say he's including petrol cost too  :Grin:

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## mhoppy

@rugerman Looks like the $108.70 excludes GST so adds up to $125.
Was hoping to try some of these before buying a 100 though. Anyone in Chch have a few of these rounds?

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## rugerman

haha well there goes that theory  :Have A Nice Day: 
Still a pretty cheap price to just buy and try. I have been paying $65 just for a box of 20 6.5mm rounds so worth a crack I reckon. Gone back to the 308 for a change

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## Nugget connaisseur

Ah it doesn't say excluding tax on the website until you go to the checkout.
I got my last lot on sale and don't remember that.

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## Curtis27

> Ah it doesn't say excluding tax on the website until you go to the checkout.
> I got my last lot on sale and don't remember that.


It says on the r/h side of page "all prices include GST". I'm in the same boat would rather buy the 250 pack but a bit risky if my gun doesnt like them

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## Sako851

Yeah I thought $108 as well until I got to the counter haha

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## Trout

> Good shooting,try a black A4 sheet of paper with a white 10mm dot in the middle at a 100yds.All your concentration is on the white dot.You should be able to put your tight groups on the dot after a bit of practice.Try a 20mm dot at 200yds.


Take note of yr very 1st cold bore shot,see if you hit the dot,take yr time taking the shot.Then another day,try 200 yds,cold bore shot as if you are hunting and you only get one shot.After a while you should be able to hit the dot with yr 1st shot.It takes time I know and you gota get a calm day to try.

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## Nugget connaisseur

my cold bore shot is about 1.5 moa high at 100m.  I will have to confirm this with some more testing with the method you said. Most my shooting is inside 150m so wouldn't be a huge issue there. But 250+ it defiantly will be.

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## Nick-D

> my cold bore shot is about 1.5 moa high at 100m.  I will have to confirm this with some more testing with the method you said. Most my shooting is inside 150m so wouldn't be a huge issue there. But 250+ it defiantly will be.


Cold clean bore, or just cold bore. My tikka prints 1" high off a cold bore when clean but is bang on when dirty

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## Nugget connaisseur

> It says on the r/h side of page "all prices include GST". I'm in the same boat would rather buy the 250 pack but a bit risky if my gun doesnt like them


Try find some other 308 shooters to go in together and get some?  or a single packet and freight works out at 35 bucks. Still worth trying.





> Cold clean bore, or just cold bore. My tikka prints 1" high off a cold bore when clean but is bang on when dirty


Cold and clean. Every other shot after that is on point.

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## Gibo

> Try find some other 308 shooters to go in together and get some?  or a single packet and freight works out at 35 bucks. Still worth trying.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cold and clean. Every other shot after that is on point.


Leave it dirty, tikkas love some copper in there

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## Trout

My tika loves a clean barrel.A few yearlings this summer didn't. :Thumbsup:

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## Nick-D

> Leave it dirty, tikkas love some copper in there


Yeah this

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## Nugget connaisseur

> Leave it dirty, tikkas love some copper in there


i usually do but grabbed bore tech by mistake while cleaning. 
Usually just clean the carbon and give the chamber a good scrub, then apply a light oil.
2-3 patches down it before shooting to remove all the oil.

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## NRT

Just ordered 250 at$280 I couldn't load it for that 

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## Trout

> It says on the r/h side of page "all prices include GST". I'm in the same boat would rather buy the 250 pack but a bit risky if my gun doesnt like them


I just got a invoice and it didn't add up right,i said yr web site on top right side say(all prices include GST)
reply said (the cart on the website takes the GST out then adds it back in at the check out).Hmmm technology today.

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## Trout

Just chronied some Belmont Hornady 308  150 SSTs thru 20inch tika.Five shots averaged 2749 ft/s.Ok ammo maked in NZ just under half the price of the Hornady Superformance  SSTs 150 gr,which I get 2969ft/s which is belting along.

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## Sako851

Nice info thanks  @Trout.
Anyone else chronied Belmont 308 ammunition?

What does the SST stand for?

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## Sako851

Found it: Super Shock Tip.

Would be keen to know what the SP’s are going along at so we/I can chuck it in a ballistic calculator. I always thought it would be around 2500 out of the 20” barrel

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## NRT

My ordered arrived today 150 interlocks works out $1and12 cents a round that's cheap as

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## Boaraxa

> My ordered arrived today 150 interlocks works out $1and12 cents a round that's cheap as
> 
> Sent from my TA-1025 using Tapatalk


 @NRT sweet let us no how they go.

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## Nugget connaisseur

Just got some more data and will write a full report later.

Belmont advertise it at 2815fps. Most likely from a 24 inch barrel. 
Its the same as the Belmont black that they sell for $280 for 250 rounds and comes with the ammo tin.
https://belmontammo.co.nz/product/be...r-sp-new-case/

Chopped my barrel down to 20" Fps is now 2650. 
Friends 16 inch T3x is getting 2500 on the dot.

Tikka are notorious for being 50-100fps slower than other barrels of the same length.

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## Trout

To get yr BC,zero say at a 100yds then with out adjusting yr scope,go to say 400yds and fire 3 or 4 shots at the top of yr target sheet and see what yr drop is as 400yds.Just adjust yr BC to match yr bullet drop,distance and velocity.Gota be close enough.

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## Curtis27

> To get yr BC,zero say at a 100yds then with out adjusting yr scope,go to say 400yds and fire 3 or 4 shots at the top of yr target sheet and see what yr drop is as 400yds.Just adjust yr BC to match yr bullet drop,distance and velocity.Gota be close enough.


This method works very well. I tried it a few times before using chonograph and was close enough for sure

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## Sako851

Yearling at 30 metres this week, one shot to the shoulder and fell where it stood with the Belmont SP 150gr. Same as a few months back a stag at a little over 320metres dropped where it stood.
Very impressed with the killing power of these! 20 inch barrel

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## Hiawatha

I keep banging this drum in the face of the overwhelming desire of many shooters to pay way way way more for projectiles that have a plastic tip or simply promise more. Fact is that for killing deer and printing little groups there is very little to equal the Hornady spire point. And certainly not for the money. Belmont Ammo know this. Sure it has a flat base but it opens up fast, but holds together well and punches out the other side. That is what you want. I actually do like the 150gn SST in my 308 too but on big deer the SP edges it out for consistency. I have a 15 inch barreled Tikka. I run the SP as a standard load but carry a few 150gn SST Superformance in my pouch for the odd longer shot. The SP shoots 2 inches high at 100m. 2550 fps. The Superformance 3 inches high and 2750fps. Perfect.

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## PerazziSC3

Having read entire thread but the 7x57 ammo from them with 139sst is literally the most accurate combination I have owned or shot and I have reloaded and owned a lot of rifles and calibre from 204 to 338. 

Unfortunately it's only going 2420 in my 17" barrel but has an es of less than 10 across the lab radar and 10 shots. Still seems to kill very well at that velocity however

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## Nugget connaisseur

I ran out. Have some more on the way but its now a sierra soft point same price tho. Hopefully it shoots just as good for me. 

I will be doing the same. Making a 150 or 168 BT load for 250m+ but inside that ill use soft points.

I had someone complain to me it doestn have nice packaging or the pastic ammo holder things....Well what do you want to pay for...the product. Or the product + some fancy packaing with gold lettering and a clear window and some plastic ammo holders and the middle man and retailer.

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## Nugget connaisseur

Shot this wallaby a fortnight ago. In the Humerus threw the chest and out the other side in the armpit area. 
Expansion was about 20c piece on the exit hole, very impressive considering how well it also performs on larger game too.

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## Dago

Our 6.5x55 milsurps and Tikka love Belmont.

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## Micky Duck

> Shot this wallaby a fortnight ago. In the Humerus threw the chest and out the other side in the armpit area. 
> Expansion was about 20c piece on the exit hole, very impressive considering how well it also performs on larger game too.
> Attachment 124313
> Attachment 124314


thats a decent sized hopper....great fun to pop them isnt it??? careful you may get hooked and have to come back n shoot some more.

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## jakewire

Any one tried their 30 06?

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## Nugget connaisseur

> thats a decent sized hopper....great fun to pop them isnt it??? careful you may get hooked and have to come back n shoot some more.


It was, and tasty too. Going to try go next year again. After Tahr again and hopefully a chamios too

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## Bill999

chamois and skippy are two on my to do list to, mostly so I can see what the odd buggers look like up close and taste like

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## Russian 22.

> Our 6.5x55 milsurps and Tikka love Belmont.


What fps, effect on game and accuracy are you getting?

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