Need bullet advice:Nosler vs SMK vs Hornady

:sos:I'm looking at buying some bullets (2000+) to use for .308 and 30/06 in my garands,M1A and AR10.
Does anyone here have any experiance with the Nosler 168gr custom competition or Hornady 168gr A-max?
I've loaded the 168SMK's and they shoot great in the M1A and garands so I know what I'm getting with those. I just got the AR10 so I have'nt shot it yet,waiting for the spring thaw.
So,what I'm wondering is if anyone knows how overall accuracy differs from the 3 bullets mentioned. I know every gun has its own likes and dislikes but what I'm looking for is someone who has actually used any of these and what you think of them.

Also,does anyone know if the A-max feeds ok in these auto loaders? Any issues with the plastic tip?
Seeing as I can't get out to experiment for at least another month or two I'm just trying to decide on what to buy so I can get some reloading done. The cost of the Nosler CC is the lowest,in the middle is the A-max,the SMK's are the most expensive. I'm wondering if this is a case of you get what you pay for or are these decent alternatives to the high cost of SMK's?

I have used the Nosler 168 Custom Competition in the place of the Sierra Matchkings in my loads and can tell no difference. I think the Noslers are a good alternative to the Sierras.

I've used the 168 grain Nosler Custom Competition (and the predecessor Nosler J4) in my M14 and I've found them to be a satisfactory replacement for the SMK. Maybe you can tell the difference in a bolt gun, but I sure can't tell any difference in my rifle.

Last summer I tried the SMK 168s, the Nosler CC 168s, and Hornady 168s (not A-max) and couldn’t see much difference. I decided on the Noslers, in part because my M1903 seemed to group a little better with them, but the difference was very small and could have easily been just luck.

When I tried the same experiment in .223, I found that the Nosler 69s and 77s grouped every bit as good for me as the equivalent SMKs. For long distance, I do use the SMK 80s, but probably just out of superstition and fear.

Perhaps a World Class shooter can tell the difference, but with my “area of hold” and in a Service Rifle, there is no difference for me; except the price!

Jack

Last year I loaded
Nosler 168gr custom competition
or Hornady 155gr A-max

Both shot well in M1A/M1/1903

M1Riflenut:

I shot a 10 shot group with one of my 03s in our local vintage military bolt rifle matches that can be covered with a nickle! I used Nosler 155 CCs to do this, and yes, I still have the signed, witnessed target! That's good enough for me.

And the 155 Nosler Custom Competition bullet is half the price of a Sierra Matchking.

HTH

Thanks guys for taking the time to comment. I think I'll start with the Nosler's and save a few bucks.

SMK & Hornady's, no major problem substituting.
Did notice with the Hornady 150 gr FMJ that when seating to crimp cannalure the OAL was smaller than 150Sierras. tried leaving more length but ended up with about 1/8" spacing between case mouth and bottom of cannalure.

This is no joke, because I have shot them all out to 600 yards.

They are all good. The Hornady 168 grade Match bullet is great, the Nosler 168 Match J4 jacket bullet is great, and the Sierra 168 SMK is great.

There are slight elevation differences between the Hornady and the Sierra/Nosler. But I have not noticed any difference between the Sierra and the Nosler.

Buy by price.