About Federal Gold Medal Match .308 Ammo

One of the most popular match-grade ammo lines in the industry is Federal Gold Medal Match ammo, loaded with Sierra MatchKing rifle bullets.

Let’s take a look at why.

What Makes Federal Gold Medal Match Ammo Superior for Long-Range Shooting?

Several factors differentiate Federal Gold Medal Match ammo from other rounds – including those designed for competition.

Federal’s Gold Medal Match ammo is loaded with a specially formulated propellant that is intended to deliver consistent performance in a wide range of conditions, as well as benchrest-quality Gold Medal primers.

The propellant and primers are non-corrosive and these rounds are loaded into virgin, reloadable Federal brass cases.

The Sierra MatchKing bullets take center stage here. These are boat-tailed OTM (open-tip match, sometimes referred to as “hollow point” even though they aren’t really) bullets that give shooters that extra margin of precision that makes the difference at greater ranges.

What About Load Specifications?

Federal’s Gold Medal Match .308 ammo is loaded to deliver muzzle velocities of 2650 FPS with a ballistic coefficient of .462 for impressive stability and wind-deflection, even in adverse conditions and at great ranges.

Federal Gold Medal Match (.308, 168 Grain) Ballistics

Federal’s Gold Medal Match ammo also delivers excellent ballistic performance at extended ranges, making it a choice round for long-distance shooting and competition.

The muzzle velocities exhibit more or less linear decay within 500 yards, dropping from 2650 FPS to 2460 FPS at 100 yards and 1778 FPS at 500 yards.

These rounds deliver 2619 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle, dropping to 2257 ft-lbs at 100 yards and 1179 ft-lbs at 500 yards.

They are also excellent for long range competition given their trajectory and resistance to wind-drift.

Zeroed at 100 yards (1.5” above bore line) the bullets will drop 4.3” at 200 yards and 15.3” at 300 yards.

Zeroed at 200 yards, the bullets will drop 8.9” at 300 and 51.5” at 500 yards. The trajectory droops by some standards, but is exceptionally consistent.

Being boat-tailed, these bullets also resist wind deflection very effectively. With a 10 MPH crosswind, drift is .7” at 100 yards, 3.1” at 200, and 22” at 500.

What About Hunting?

Multiple common queries online have to do with the use of Federal Gold Medal Match ammo for hunting, likely because of two factors.

One, it is engineered for long-distance accuracy, and two, because it is advertised as a “hollow point.”

For whatever reason, more and more hunters are getting obsessed with the long game. Yes, it’s impressive to dispatch a target at 500 or even 300 yards, but part of the sport and joy of the pursuit is in that – the pursuit. By hunting (getting closer) you’re more involved anyway. You don’t need a match-grade bullet to hunt effectively.

The second issue is the mention of the name “hollow point” here. These Sierra MatchKing bullets are technically OTM (open-tip match) bullets, not hollow points.

There is a little void in the nose of the bullet, but this is a remnant of the process by which these bullets are manufactured. Unlike standard FMJ bullets, in which the jacket is drawn down around the nose of the bullet and left open at the base which exposes the bullet’s lead core, OTM bullets have the jacket drawn up from the base and pinched at the nose leaving a little hole.

This creates superior radial symmetry to FMJ bullets, making them more consistent and more accurate at greater ranges.

But these bullets are not designed for disruption (expansion). Therefore, though a MatchKing bullet will drop most medium or large game with proper shot placement, it is inadvisable to use them for hunting.

Can You Get .308 Federal Gold Medal Match Online?

You can buy Federal Gold Medal Match ammo online. Visit Bucking Horse Outpost via the previous link and see what they have in stock.