Speer 165gr. #2034

[HeavyLoad]

Speer lists it's 30cal 165gr. BTSP as having a .520 B.C. is this a correct number?

 

[jonbearman]

Published BC"s are usually measured in perfect conditions when testing and usually they are a bit lower in the real world. If you are using it to hunt with it should be just fine. What cartridge are you shooting sir?

 

[HeavyLoad]

I'm using them in 308. I was just asking because it's hard for me to believe that bullet has a higher BC then a 165gr. ballistic tip.

 

[jonbearman]

I am with you.

 

[wboggs]

Speer makes good hunting bullets. I have had good luck with the 165 Grand Slam but the BC isn't that high. At my normal hunting ranges of 25-350yds it doesn't make that much difference. I wouldn't get too worried about a little difference in BC. Nosler BT's also work well. My buddy uses them in a 7mm Mag and has culled several hundred deer out to about 350yds. Place the shot properly and you won't have to worry.

 

[AckleymanII]

This bullet is a SMACK DOWN for deer in 308 and 30/06's, make no mistake about it!!!

Good luck

 

[LRH]

I contacted Speer to ask about loads and never heard back from them as they are now part of a larger conglomerate of commonly known products and they simply put me in to some voice mail system. Anyone have a good load for that round in 308? I figured on doing a ladder test using Nosler's accuracy node of 44grs of Varget for their 165gr Ballistic Tips.

 

[SheepDog]

A good starting load would be 38.5 grains of Varget but that is for the Nosler bullets and not the Speer bullet. Speer recommends a starting load of 42 grains of Varget with a maximum of 46 grains. (not a compressed charge)
The construction of the Speer bullet is very different from the Nosler bullets. This is why I always recommend looking at data from the bullet manufacturer and the powder manufacturer.
Hodgdon recommends a starting load of 42 grains and a maximum of 46 with a Hornady bullet in a compressed charge.

 

[LRH]

I'm guessing 44gr is probably a pretty good central value for an accuracy node as it is exactly in the middle of what both Hodgdon and Speer recommend. The BC of .520 of the Speer is 9.5% better than that of the Nosler 165gr BT which is .475.

The differences are probably negligible. At 600 yards the wind drift of the Speer bullet is 27.9 inches in a 10mph wind at a 90 angle. For the Nosler is is 31.1 inches of drift for a difference of 3 inches or so.

Drop is -92.2 for the Speer at 600 yards and the Nosler is -95.8 for a difference of closer to 4 inches. That puts you off at a diagonal from your original point of aim of 4.82 inches at 600 yards. That could make the difference between a knockdown and an animal that you have to track.

At that range, 600 yards, both bullets still have over 1,000 foot pounds of energy with 2700 fps muzzle velocity. The Speer has 1146 foot pounds and the Nosler has 1050 foot pounds of energy. The Speer has a little over 9% more energy at 600 yards, no small measure. Theoretically, The Speer bullet has much better performance.

It hasn't been gel tested on YouTube like so many other bullets but like most quality soft points it is probably a pretty good expanding bullet.