Federal Premium ammo data

agman1999

A friend and I have found a couple of premium loads from Federal that our deer rifles love. However, I really don't love the prices, especially when I've got access to 30-06 dies and a press. The trajectory table on the box lists a load number. Will this correspond to a reloading manual entry, or is it just for internal use with their company?

JustC

I used the federal premium ammo in my 7mm mag for long shots for years (older gold box). Just before I went to WY last year, I ran short and purchased the new "vital shock" boxes (same bullets with same data on the box) I tested the new box against the old box and the new "vital shock" 150gr NBT hit 2" lower. That being said, I have a handfull of rifles that will shoot the federal premium ammo into very small groups.

You can NOT try to match your velocity in your rifle to that on the box to try to find the right load. If you have have access to a press and dies, then run the load ladder with your choice of bullet and appropriate powder and determine what your rifle wants to shoot.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?

temblor

No. Federal doesn't print reloading manual data to my knowledge. The best you could probably do is determine which type bullet is loaded in the particular federal load that you rifles like, shoot it against a chronograph for velocity out of your gun, and then research a loading manual from the maker of the type bullet in the loads you were using to get in the ballpark on the types of powder you can use to get close. Keep in mind that many of the manuals data are shot out of pressure test bbls that will clock differently( usually faster) than your production bbls will. Sometimes if you know what to look for you can pull the bullet on a factory round and visually determine the type powder that they used( and sometimes it's a powder that we can't buy over the counter). -- If you post your caliber, what brand of bullet(usually listed on the premium boxes)and what weight it is there are lots of guys on here who will share their pet loads for their rifles with you, and sometimes they shoot well in other rifles too -- or will get you close........good luck...[8D]

sandwarrior

I've hardly ever found factory ammo as good as the velocities published. It seems they shoot from a premium rifle and I just shoot what I've got.
I load the best I can with the many components available and test the loads as best I can under the conditions you are going to shoot in. It makes a lot of sense to go out in MN and shoot when the temp is well below zero because that is what you are going to experience when you get up into the mountains in WY, MT, NM, AK, etc. Load and test the year before and zero when you get to the site you will be hunting at. Do a little research on the net and have a good idea what your ballistics will do when you will get to the place you hunt at. A couple hundred feet per second doesn't mean much until you are on the last day of a great trophy hunt and you need to know the drop on a great dall ram @ 400 yds and all you did was shoot off the bench in the warm sunny lower 48 that August. I can almost gaurantee the drop will be more than what you shot the previous summer. I've seen more than one nice buck get away in the late season cold with a long shot out west.
Several of my rifles like the premium ammo I get for the brass but I can do as good a job as the ammo makers do. When I reload I have more time and money to verify it on the range.

We have the second amendment so that all the rest are secure....UNK>