black hills ammo - The Firearms Forum

21bravo · 04-12-2009, 11:39 PM

i shoot match grade hornady 168gr A-Max and BTHP ammo in my Ruger Hawkeye .308 i dont reload so this is why i shoot match grade ammo, to have the most consistant factory ammo, if there is such a thing, as i can. (i know, i know...i should get into reloading). well i got on the Hornady website yesterday with the intent of buying some 168gr match A-Max. on the home page there is a letter from steve hornady saying that they are not taking any private ammo orders because of the high demand for ammo in the commercial area. and they no longer make match grade 168gr A-Max. now its 155gr A-Max Palma Match...

so here is my question...or rather, here are my questions...

1)does anyone here have experience (good or bad) with black hills ammo and would you recommend it? i know the military has a major contract with them so thats a plus...

2) Do they produce consistant loads?

and the final question....that may be a dumb one

3) hornady 168gr Match A-Max is pushing 2700fps at the muzzle. the black hills .308 match load with a 168gr Hornady A-Max is only pushing 2650fps at the muzzle....so, whered the other 50fps go? is hornady rounding up? or is something else a factor here? maybe the powder...?

thanks in advance for the help

cycloneman · 04-13-2009, 08:31 AM

Hornady is propably using a blended powder made for them. The velocities stated by the manufacturer are not law. Your milage may vary. That means that no 2 guns will shoot the same ammo at the same velocity. There are many things that vary like the length of bbl and the chamber that will cause differences. The only way to know exactly what your velocity is in your gun is to chrony it. A chrony is just under 100 for the basic model. I have no experience with Black Hills ammo but I can tell you that in my 308 Hornady match ammo is within 10 fps of each other. If that is what you have been shooting then i would try to find it at other vendors and stick with it. My 02. Also just because you purchased Hornady ammo lets say 2 years ago the new stuff you buy today may not yield the same results. Every time you buy ammo you should buy enough from the same LOT number to do what you need to do.

As far as Hornady not producing the 168 a max anymore, well thats just a sign of the times. I too have lost an favorite from hornady.

21bravo · 04-13-2009, 05:34 PM

thanks for the input cyclone

youve helped more than you think...
and hornady still loads the 168gr A-Max in .308 but they no longer make it in Match Grade. because theyve went to what they call Palma Match ammo they dropped down to a 155gr A-Max... but...again, thanks for your input

Popgunner · 04-13-2009, 07:54 PM

Black Hills ammo was recomended to me by Dawn who is dealer rep for Springfield Armory. I had called them asking for ammo recomendations for my M-1A.

04-12-2009, 11:39 PM	#1
21bravo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilkes county, nc Posts: 790	black hills ammo i shoot match grade hornady 168gr A-Max and BTHP ammo in my Ruger Hawkeye .308 i dont reload so this is why i shoot match grade ammo, to have the most consistant factory ammo, if there is such a thing, as i can. (i know, i know...i should get into reloading). well i got on the Hornady website yesterday with the intent of buying some 168gr match A-Max. on the home page there is a letter from steve hornady saying that they are not taking any private ammo orders because of the high demand for ammo in the commercial area. and they no longer make match grade 168gr A-Max. now its 155gr A-Max Palma Match... so here is my question...or rather, here are my questions... 1)does anyone here have experience (good or bad) with black hills ammo and would you recommend it? i know the military has a major contract with them so thats a plus... 2) Do they produce consistant loads? and the final question....that may be a dumb one 3) hornady 168gr Match A-Max is pushing 2700fps at the muzzle. the black hills .308 match load with a 168gr Hornady A-Max is only pushing 2650fps at the muzzle....so, whered the other 50fps go? is hornady rounding up? or is something else a factor here? maybe the powder...? thanks in advance for the help __________________ "BIG MOMMA BRAVO" If everything seems to be going well, you obviously do not know what the hell is going on --"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime." - Thomas Jefferson -->

04-13-2009, 08:31 AM	#2
cycloneman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 7,401	Re: black hills ammo Hornady is propably using a blended powder made for them. The velocities stated by the manufacturer are not law. Your milage may vary. That means that no 2 guns will shoot the same ammo at the same velocity. There are many things that vary like the length of bbl and the chamber that will cause differences. The only way to know exactly what your velocity is in your gun is to chrony it. A chrony is just under 100 for the basic model. I have no experience with Black Hills ammo but I can tell you that in my 308 Hornady match ammo is within 10 fps of each other. If that is what you have been shooting then i would try to find it at other vendors and stick with it. My 02. Also just because you purchased Hornady ammo lets say 2 years ago the new stuff you buy today may not yield the same results. Every time you buy ammo you should buy enough from the same LOT number to do what you need to do. As far as Hornady not producing the 168 a max anymore, well thats just a sign of the times. I too have lost an favorite from hornady. __________________ Who are you going to serve today?

04-13-2009, 05:34 PM	#3
21bravo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilkes county, nc Posts: 790	Re: black hills ammo thanks for the input cyclone youve helped more than you think... and hornady still loads the 168gr A-Max in .308 but they no longer make it in Match Grade. because theyve went to what they call Palma Match ammo they dropped down to a 155gr A-Max... but...again, thanks for your input __________________ "BIG MOMMA BRAVO" If everything seems to be going well, you obviously do not know what the hell is going on --"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime." - Thomas Jefferson

04-13-2009, 07:54 PM	#4
Popgunner Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Contributor Posts: 1,764	Re: black hills ammo Black Hills ammo was recomended to me by Dawn who is dealer rep for Springfield Armory. I had called them asking for ammo recomendations for my M-1A.