Thread: Matches with hunting bullets

How much of a difference in accuracy is there between match and hunting bullets?

2 examples:
Sierra 6.5mm 130gr TMK vs TGK
Hornady 6.5mm 140gr ELD-M vs 143gr ELD-X

If you wanted just one hunting load and do the odd match are you at much of a disadvantage?

Don't see any reason why they can't all be as accurate as one another since they're all similar designs with the same kind of QC. It's going to come down to load development and individual rifle fussiness.

I use a lot of ELD-M's and TMK's for hunting though, so I guess that's an answer? Develop a load with whichever works best and use it for both, whether it's a match or a hunting bullet.

If your only doing the occasional shoot then you as the shooter unlikely to have the skill to tell the difference and knowing your hunting ammo with be far more beneficial in the grand scheme plus its simple when you have the load already sorted.

all the bullets listed are hunting pills in my book - just have different applications & effective ranges.
Pick the one you want to hunt with and the one that gives you best accuracy in your rifle/hands.

Impossible to say really as what shoots well in one gun may not shoot well in another. Too hard to say "x" bullet IS more accurate than "y" bullet.
The only thing id say is that Match bullets generally have a slightly higher BC.

So can I make a few assumptions:

First the rifle doesn't have a preference (impossible to tell without testing anyway).
Second the QC between match and hunting bullets will be the insignificant.
Third the main difference will be BC due to differences in the jacket.

So it boils down to try the projectile with the best BC first.

I used to do that but have kind of stopped and tend to do a bit more research on the specific bullets I'm considering.

Manufacturers know that BC sells, so there's been a bit of a push towards high BC VLD style bullets and this sometimes comes at the expense of "tune-ability". You end up with bullets that are increasingly sensitive to seating depth (like Bergers are renowned for).

If a bullet has an amazingly good BC for the class, these days I'll look at it and wonder whether I'll have to waste half the box trying to find the ideal seating depth for them. I've been burned before with the new 30cal SMK's and so has a mate with 6mm SMK's.

In 22cal, TMK's are really forgiving whereas ELD-M's can be fussy. In 30cal, it's the other way around.

So in your example, I might pick the 130 TMK if research says I'll likely have the easiest load development with it. It might have nearly the worst BC of the bunch.

What you can actually find on the shelves these days is also a big consideration.

And some of the old style flat base SP projectiles can very easy to getting shooting accurately. Sure they don’t have a flash BC but out to 300 yards who cares.

Originally Posted by Magnetite

How much of a difference in accuracy is there between match and hunting bullets?

2 examples:
Sierra 6.5mm 130gr TMK vs TGK
Hornady 6.5mm 140gr ELD-M vs 143gr ELD-X

If you wanted just one hunting load and do the odd match are you at much of a disadvantage?

For me, there's a definite benefit to using just one bullet and getting to know it.
I use a hunting bullet with excellent terminal ballistics and good accuracy(NBT) and shoot about half of them at competitions, which are really 90% practice for hunting anyway.
If you're shooting long range (>700m), bench rest or NRA (eg F class) then you'll want to at least test out a specialist target bullet. But for positional and practical type matches a good hunting bullet will be plenty good enough. Of course, if you can't get your hunting bullet to group well (< 1.5 MOA) then start again with something else.
Another point is that very high BC bullets can be very long and difficult to fit in your magazine.
I've read that longer bullets are a bit harder to stabilise so if you've got an average, non-match barrel you might get better overall accuracy using a short flat base hunting, varmint or bench rest bullet, as mentioned above (this is not personal experience, just received wisdom from Litz books and elsewhere).

I use hunting bullets for my service rifle comps. Mind you using open sights you couldn't tell the difference

Just use something with reasonable BC and is cheap. going from hunting where you can fire zero rounds to a match with 100 centre fire is expensive!

ok Im going to say it...B.C. doesnt matter a flying fig in a match...BECAUSE you KNOW the range,so can dial/holdover accordingly...I mean seriously ,if you were using round nose projectiles for hunting and they shot tiny wee groups cause you rifle liked them....why not use on range??? so what if trajectory is like a rainbow...you have techology to tell you where it SHOULD be and if you shooting matches..you will have range time to confirm drops so where is the issue???


5 years back the opposite question was constantly being asked....can I use target projectiles for hunting...

this guy started with the berger VLD hunting and then changed to the Berger Hybrid so he just uses 1 COA length across several rifles and does not compensate for throat wear. Jumping 30-85 thou".
.243 Winchester — The Forgotten Long-Range Cartridge « Daily Bulletin
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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

ok Im going to say it...B.C. doesnt matter a flying fig in a match...BECAUSE you KNOW the range,so can dial/holdover accordingly...I mean seriously ,if you were using round nose projectiles for hunting and they shot tiny wee groups cause you rifle liked them....why not use on range??? so what if trajectory is like a rainbow...you have techology to tell you where it SHOULD be and if you shooting matches..you will have range time to confirm drops so where is the issue???


5 years back the opposite question was constantly being asked....can I use target projectiles for hunting...

Yes true but the flying brick will be more affected by the wind in both cases.

true that......and they "HIT LIKE A BRICK" too...... LOL.