Bullet Weight ?

[Goatman]

I was watching the now infamous FAL review that was recently posted on this forum and the nut doing the review was saying with the 16" barrel, for the utmost in accuracy a 110 grain bullet would be best.

Hard to say how credible the guy is when he sounds the way he does, especially when he clearly states in verbage and in writing that the video was just his opinion, not necessarily fact.

What do you guys think about the most accurate bullet for the 16"'er?

[SgtStrykerUSMC43]

The one that shoots the smallest groups would be my choice to stick with.



j/k.

Each gun is different, and having said that, I offer the following...

I'm not sure what the r.o.t. is on the current production guns but I specified a 11 twist barrel on the standard 21", 18" and 16" units the HB's got a 10 twist and performed very well with 168 grain SMK projectiles. Norma Match and Black Hills worked very well also.

ymmv

[W.E.G.]

I've never seen a FAL that doesn't like 168 SMK's.

I shot a bunch of "AK bullets" through a FAL so I didn't have to move them at the last move. They seemed to shoot well enough - at least at close range.

I had some 190 SMK's to waste before the same move.
The 13-inch FAL didn't like them.

[SONYtec]

I've never seen a FAL that doesn't like 168 SMK's.

I shot a bunch of "AK bullets" through a FAL so I didn't have to move them at the last move. They seemed to shoot well enough - at least at close range.

I had some 190 SMK's to waste before the same move.
The 13-inch FAL didn't like them.

You said you shot a bunch of AK bullets through a FAL. You mean you loaded AK projectiles into a .308 cartridge???

190 SMK's needed a faster twist barrel. Waste of ammo.

[djv38]

190 SMK's needed a faster twist barrel. Waste of ammo.

I think he knew that

I had some 190 SMK's to waste before the same move.

[SONYtec]

190 SMK's needed a faster twist barrel. Waste of ammo.

I think he knew that

I had some 190 SMK's to waste before the same move.

I know, I would have moved it.

[Goatman]

I ran accross a good deal on some 168gr match ammo ($1.00 per) so I bought 500 rounds. Some Federal Match, most Winchester Ranger, so that's what I'll be using at least for now.

I may experiment with some lighter stuff once I get more comfortable and closer to using it for hogs.

[Skeeterbayfarms]

Goatman, I don't know if this will help or not but I have I tried a batch of different hunting bullets in my Fal's.

I have had pretty good luck with the 150 grain Hornady interlocks. They work pretty well on heavier game like bear and even moose, plus I have had decent accuracy with them in all my Fal's and my Garand. I even got good accuracy from the 8mm 150 grain interlock in some old K98's I own. They are not the fanciest bullet out there, but they just seem to work. Hornady's 150 grain SST style bullet shot a bit more accurately in my Fal's, but I don't think I would use them for Hogs. I have tried them on deer and based on that I don't think they would hold together well on heavier animals. The SST works great on coyotes.

I have had great accuracy with Sierra's old style spitzer bullets in the Fal rifle. You might want to give their 165 grain game kings a try. I haven't used them on big game in a Fal but I have shot big game with them in a couple of 30-06 rifles and they worked good for me. I find that most Sierra bullets shoot pretty good. Even in my rifle caliber handguns. IMHO Sierra bullets are always a good place to start if you are looking for accuracy.

You might also look at the Speer Magtips and Remington corelocks. These are a couple of bullets that just seem to work good as all around big game bullets. One of my Fal's shoots the Magtips very well.

When I lived in Alaska I used a lot of Nosler partition bullets and the old style 165 grain solid base bullets. I found the partition bullets worked very well on big game but many of my rifles didn't shoot them accurately. If you find a rifle that likes them they do work well on game. The old solid base bullets shot very accurately out of several of my rifles and they performed well on game. However, Nosler discontinued the solid base bullets and they are getting hard to find.

I just tired the Barnes 165 grain TSX bullets this year. I don't know how they preform on game as I have yet to shoot anything with them. However, they were not very accurate in my Fal's nor in two of my 300 win mag's. I keep reading reports that others are getting great accuracy with them, but I have yet to find a load that works. I am going to play with them some more in one of my grandson's rifles and see if I can work something out.

Sorry I rambled on so. It's a habit I have. I hope this helps you out some and maybe gives you an idea of where to start.

[Goatman]

Thank you Skeet. I'm a ways away from trying to hunt with my newly aquired FAL still, but all these responces give me a couple of good places/bullets to start with!

[Skeeterbayfarms]

I think you will find your Fal fun to hunt with. While not as accurate as some rifles, it is plenty accurate enough for big game hunting. Mine are more accurate than many of my old lever guns and I have taken plenty of game with them.

I am not the most knowledgeable guy around, but I have spent most of my life in the woods. If there is any way I can help you out just give a shout.

I look forward to hearing about your hog hunt!