Extreme Accuracy Reloading: Hornady A-Tip

Extreme accuracy reloading is how you determine just how accurate your rifle truly is. Last year I reviewed the Ruger Precision Rifle Magnum in 300 PRC. During that review, I was averaging 0.6 MOA groups using Hornady 300 PRC 225 Grain Match Ammunition. I purchased the rifle shortly after that review, and several months later spotted Hornady’s new A-Tip projectiles on shelves. Keen to see just how accurate this Ruger could be with these new projectiles I promptly bought a box and set off to work up a precision hand load for this rifle.

With the projectile inserted into the case, it was then inserted into the rifle’s chamber using the tool and pressed all the way forward. With the bullet pushed all the way forward to the lands, the tool is then removed, and you’re able to measure your overall length with a set of calipers.

In this instance, the leade in the rifle’s barrel was well over the maximum Combined Overall Length or COL of 3.700″ for this cartridge. Typically it’s best practice to seat the projectile .003″ off the rifling lands. As the leade was so long in this chamber, I opted to seat the projectile at the recommended Hornady length of 3.685″ for 300 PRC A-Tip.

Hornady’s 230-grain A-Tip projectiles are designed for optimal use in a 1:9 twist barrel and fit the bill perfectly for my 300 PRC chambered Ruger RPR Mag. Along with these projectiles, I purchased the recommended A-Tip Seating Stem that drops into Hornady’s Custom Grade Reloading Dies in order to seat these projectiles uniformly.

Federal Gold Medal Match large rifle magnum primers were sourced in order to get the correct burn in this longer case. I had the opportunity to ask Federal engineers about the difference between Large Rifle (210 Primer), and Large Rifle Magnum (215 Primer), and here’s the feedback they gave me.

Components are all the same between the 210 and 215 (cup, anvil and mix type)

215 has MORE mix (higher pellet weight)

215 is a better igniter for larger propellant beds for the following reasons

Due to more mix it has better ignition capability – more stored energy for the larger propellant bed

It burns at the same temperature as the 210, but the heat energy (mass) is higher than the lighter pellet weight of the 210. Higher flame temp is not the goal as this leads to a higher pressure front and compacts the propellant bed leading to less consistent ignition from shot to shot

It’s important to note the cleaning and firing schedule for your rifle prior to grouping it. Typically a rifle will group better with a certain amount of copper fouling present in the barrel. Additionally, you should never start accuracy testing a rifled barrel that you’ve just cleaned. Prior to grouping the A-Tip ammunition, I put a group on paper to verify both proper zero and the condition of the rifle. Six targets were then marked with the corresponding charge weight before each five-round group was put downrange.

The end result was this 0.34 MOA five-round group that landed almost squarely 1 MOA left of center at 100 yards. Prior to this, I’d seen an average grouping of .55 MOA with hand-loaded 225-grain ELD-Match ammunition, so this was a sizable improvement.

Find Hornady A-Tip Bullets

A-Tip projectiles certainly aren’t a necessity for most shooters, they do provide a noticeable advantage by eliminating more standard deviation. The only downside to these projectiles is both cost and use. They’re certainly not cheap (at about $75 per 100), and aren’t optimized for hunting use. If neither of these is a factor for you, I’d highly recommend A-Tip projectiles. Especially for targets at extended ranges.