Has anyone out there found or heard of a .308 factory load that will shoot in an Sig Cross?
I have ran $7-800 worth of ammo through this thing. I’ve ran 15 different loads at 130-178gr in SP’s, Accubond, ELDX, TTSX, + from Hornady, Sig, Barnes, and Nosler. Groups are running ~2” on average. 1-1/4 to 2-3/4”. Hornady American 150gr SP was the closest to getting a 1” group.
I shot my “am I crazy” gun right before testing another 5 loads through it so I know it’s not me. I’ve also messaged Sig and will either be sending it back or dropping in a 20” PBB prefit.
I’ve had really bad results with most factory .308 ammo, I don’t know if its because the spec is wide and rifles for it are manufactured to a lot of different tolerances or what, but even the Sako S20 in .308 shot like crap for me with any factory load I ran through it (and its not the only .308 I’ve had that experience with). Its only after I started hand loading that I’ve gotten reasonable results.
I’ve never really had great results with factory .308 ammo either. Not really sure why I tried several different loads out of my xpr and couldn’t get it to shoot under 1.5 inches, once I hand loaded for it my first group was 0.5 inches. As William said it probably has something to do with with the specs that .308 ammo is made to.
I have not had a lot of luck with factory .308, until I read on another forum that PPU was getting great results. Tried it and getting sub moa out of my tikka in factory 155g loads
Man, nothing worse than hearing about someone spending about as much money on the rifle itself just on ammo for testing. One thing if you found a load and you bought that much ammo to shoot but just to test is a pain.
No experience with that particular rifle. I will say that in my 308s I was suffering from similar things until I tried two different Federal loads. 1, Terminal Ascent 175, and the other is a hybrid Hunter by Berger, but loaded by federal.
I’m reminded of another thread I read on another forum. A guy was having trouble with his Weatherby getting good groups and so he sent it back to the factory. They did testing on it and said that it was shooting up to Specs which is just under Moa. Because the gun shot according to Specs they shipped it back to him and charged him $200 for the service. He was actually pleased. He notes that with that $200 they told him what round this gun shoots great with. He would have spent a lot more than $200 trying and trying different ammo Brands to get to that particular brand that worked. This was back when ammo was tough to get and quite expensive post covid
I have a Seekins Precision SP10 in .308. Like you I tried a bunch of different brands till I found Black Hills 168gr Tipped MatchKing.
This is the Seekins (it is my Pig Gun)
Sensing a theme here. I too have experienced poor results with factory .308 ammo. In my case, I assumed it was the second hand Savage rifle. I got it at a really good price, but it shot 1.5"-2"+groups. Then I started handloading and with a 150 gr TTSX I got just under an inch right out of the gate.
Well, most manufacturers, but not all, if they test the weapon before it leaves for some type of accuracy standard, tend to use Federal Sierra 168 BTHP or 175 BTHP. If a 308 will not group with those loads within reason, well something is off as the reliability of the ammunition is not in question. That does not help you in terms of having a hunting round, but it helps get a feel for what the weapons can do with a standardized load for that caliber.
I would call or ask Sig what they test with, if they do, and try that. If the weapon won’t produce, and they quote an accuracy standard, send it back. Getting a factory barrel that does not perform is very possible.
Good luck
168gr Custom Comp Nosler 1"
175 Federal Terminal Ascent 1.1"for hunting load. Both with suppressor Both hand loads with velocity nodes and seating depth. The federal was mag limited for over all cartridge length. Both with CFE223
Justin,
i do not have a Sig Cross, but I do have a Fierce Carbon Rogue in .308 with a 18" barrel and like you, i went through a lot of different ammo trying to find what the gun liked the best. After several hundred dollars, I came to the conclusion that the best ammo was the Federal Premium Terminal Ascent in 175 grain and the 2nd best grouping came from Barnes 150 grain TTSX. It also shot ther Berger 168 grain Hybrid Hunter under 3/4" groups.
I finally got a response from SIG and I’m not pleased.
“Thank you for contacting SIG SAUER. We are sorry to hear that your firearm may have an unresolved accuracy issue. Accuracy expectations for rifles can vary significantly depending on factors such as ammunition, optics, and the barrel. We do offer an evaluation process to assess the accuracy of the firearm if you feel this is necessary. Please note that there are many variables involved, and charges may apply if the firearm is found to be functioning fully within factory specifications.
We offer a no-cost rifle evaluation at 25 yards. However, if you wish to have the firearm tested at longer distances, a fee of $105 may be applied if the rifle is determined to meet factory specifications.”
Please update if you send to SIG and they give you an answer. I had planned to buy the SIG Cross in 308 next year, so I am really interested in the result.**
If you take the paster (1 inch?) and extend its boundaries up from the middle of the red center, it looks to me like…
168 grain bullets grouped 14 of 15 pretty close to 1.0, with 1 flyer at the 3 oclock but that probably only adds about 1/8 to the overall spread.
Add the 175 GMM and you are at 19 of 20 in that group size…
If my estimate of the paster dimension is accurate, then I would say that the weapon is shooting fine for a factory rifle.
From here, if you can reload, then tune something in a 165-168 btip / amax / eldx / barnes ttsx, and a 178 Eldx. It would surprise me if you cant get a good hunting load out of one of those combinations.
Remember some of Jim’s reviews earlier where he spoke about how companies measure group performance; a three or even five shot group once does not really give a shooter what he wants; having a weapon repeat those groups to the same POI is what we need to get at consistency, accuracy, repeatability for hunting.
Good luck
