Monolithic FOX BULLETS Ammunition - test

Slovenian company FOX bullets is a relatively young company that started as a manufacturer of premium monolithic bullets. Their bullets, with their specific conical shape and black ballistic tip, quickly caught on and became the hunting bullets of choice for hunters all over Europe. Two years ago, FOX bullets began producing full hunting cartridges. The bullets were brought in this summer by Strobl.cz, the exclusive distributor of FOX BULLETS.

I am already convinced of the quality of FOX bullets, but will FOX ammunition be of the same quality?

To test the accuracy of FOX BULLETS Ammunition, I chose the Tikka T3 Hunter in 30-06 Springfield. It is a normal, run-of-the-mill hunting rifle that I currently use mainly for driven hunt. It's equipped with an ODEON Forester 1-6x24 hunting scope.

In the 30-06 Springfield calibre, there are three bullet options to choose from: 150grs, 165grs and 180grs. Due to the shape and overall length of the monolithic bullet, the manufacturer recommends using rather lighter bullets. Therefore, instead of my favorite 180 grains, I chose a bullet with 165 grains (10.7 grams).

The FOX bullets themselves are monolithic, lead-free bullets with a black ballistic tip. They are made of a copper-zinc alloy and are guaranteed to deform sufficiently even at low velocities of around 500 m/s. The ballistic tip is made of heat resistant material for better ballistics and excellent terminal effect on game. For impact, the projectile creates a mushroom twice its diameter, ensuring efficient energy transfer.

Ammo is sold in cartons of 20. The bullets are PPU, the primer is silver, and the bullet length is 79.7mm. The manufacturer states the velocities on the box:

V(0m)=860 m/s, V(50m)=817 m/s, V(100m)=776 m/s, V(150m)=736 m/s, V(200m)=697 m/s, V(200m)=622 m/s

I measured the actual velocities on the Calwell G2 chronograph (https://www.strobl.cz/en/ballistic-precision-g2-chronograph-with-220v-adapter-caldwell_p3847) and they were as follows V(0m): 828 - 822 - 833 - 827 -818 m/s. So the average velocity was 825.6 m/s, which is 34.4 m/s less than the velocity stated on the box. This may be surprising to some, but almost all manufacturers quote higher speeds on the box than the actual speed. One example for all: on the same day at the range, a friend wanted to measure Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 120gr ELD MATCH sporting ammunition. On the box the manufacturer states 887 m/s, the measured average velocity was 846 m/s, so the difference reality vs box for Hornady ammo is 41m/s.

More interesting is the velocity dispersion of 15m/s, which is excellent for factory ammo.

So what was the accuracy of the FOXBULLETS factory ammunition? Honestly, I didn't expect anything like this. Even though I was shooting a everyday rifle with a low magnification rifle scope, the hits were touching at 82m.

Given the proven performance of the Fox Bullet, I can highly recommend the factory ammo.

Here is a picture of a 5 shot target at 82m:

Rifle: Tikka T3 Hunter, 30-06 Springfield
Riflescope: ODEON Forester 1-6x24
Suppressor: A-TEC Optima 45
Bipod: Caldwell Accumax Premium - https://www.strobl.cz/en/caldwell-accumax-premium-carbon-fiber-swivel-stud-bipod-15cm-23cm_p8994