PPU Z Grom Lead Free 308

cammy567

Well-Known Member
Now its been on the market a few month does anyone have any further updates on either accuracy or performance. Ive been searching the threads but not finding much. Given the price I would have thought more people would have tried it?
I was lucky my rifle was "Ok" with normal PPU, the lead free is only in boxes of 100 so if it doesn't like them I could be left with a few spare.


Thanks in Advance
 
Bought a box of 20, used 10 of them at the range, in two five shot groups.
Was pretty happy with it and will buy more.
1.5 to 2 inch groups, velocity avg of 2420, 17 sd and 48 es.
20 inch rifle barrel.
Shame you can't find a 20 pack, 100 is a bit of a awkward number to take a gamble on.
They were/ are available as just the projectile if handloading is a option for you?


Bit more of a detailed dive here, saves reading a long post.
Out of my rifle, 20 inch Sabatti, 1-11.5 twist multi radial rifling, fitted with a Wildcat mod and V3 magnetospeed (it shifts POI but hasn't affected group size in my case). Its a constant 1 inch shot.

They shot about 1.5/ 2 inch at 100 yards and velocity was 2420fps avg with a 17 SD and 48 ES.
All stabilized with no issue. No signs of over pressure.

For a giggle, because the groups were slightly larger than expected, and were fairly tight, but what opened them up was one or two flyers in each group. Maybe me, rifle or down to SD/ ES but wouldn't expect it to matter till pushing it out some distance.

Out of curiosity and seen it with PPU factory rounds.
Measured the OAL and found usual length difference you would expect and then measured CBTO and found a fairly big difference in some.
Think there was fliers because of the seating depth variation. Bit of a guess maybe some are seated around a node where my rifle isnt quite happy with them due to that variation.

So with remaining rounds have seated them deeper into the case (within reason), will have three, three shot groups at different depths, so going to try see if that shrinks the groups and affects velocity spread.

I do like them, but hope a hunting person let's us know how they get on with game.

Sorry long post, hope it helps and hasnt wasted anyone's time reading my ramblings 😂🤦‍♂️.
 
Now its been on the market a few month does anyone have any further updates on either accuracy or performance. Ive been searching the threads but not finding much. Given the price I would have thought more people would have tried it?
I was lucky my rifle was "Ok" with normal PPU, the lead free is only in boxes of 100 so if it doesn't like them I could be left with a few spare.


Thanks in Advance
Do you mean bullets or cartridges are in 100s?
 
I have just done a quick google and found box of 20 rounds of factory for £34 a box. I guess that makes it the cheapest lead free factory on the market. The next cheapest being S&B Blue I guess or maybe Winchester.

My issue though is if 1/3 of the rounds are seated strange making them flyers are they really that cheap? What are you supposed to do with growing pile of randomly seated ammo? Can’t/shouldnt trust it on live animals so I guess it gets put to one side for a range day or something.

Finally maybe it’s a mentality thing but I don’t fancy having the open every box and decide with the aid of a ruler what is a 1MOA round and what is a 2MOA.
 
I have just done a quick google and found box of 20 rounds of factory for £34 a box. I guess that makes it the cheapest lead free factory on the market. The next cheapest being S&B Blue I guess or maybe Winchester.

My issue though is if 1/3 of the rounds are seated strange making them flyers are they really that cheap? What are you supposed to do with growing pile of randomly seated ammo? Can’t/shouldnt trust it on live animals so I guess it gets put to one side for a range day or something.

Finally maybe it’s a mentality thing but I don’t fancy having the open every box and decide with the aid of a ruler what is a 1MOA round and what is a 2MOA.
That's why I tried it with it being budget friendly and lead free. Saw a review on youtube and the chap liked them and said they were accurate for him.
Think I will pick up a box to hand load and maybe another box of factory to check seating depths.
I do want to try the S+B, but it's about £40 for 20 rounds. I'm a S+B fan boy, but not that much 😂.

Yeah, I know what you mean, with not trusting it or having to save it for a range day or sight in, its different when it's used on game and distance.
Worst case maybe adjust depth to something consistent or/ and what you're rifle likes, bit of a pain I agree and not the idea with factory rounds.
They weren't crimped or sealed as far as I could tell.
Would you have a tinker with seating bepth?
It could have just been the box I had and maybe my rifle is picky with projectiles and seating depths. They may group in a pin hole for you.

Don't think 2 inch at 100 yards is too bad for budget friendly lead free factory stuff especially in 308. I do get what you mean, the consistency is abit of a concern to me too.

Will you be giving them a go?

Hope not put anyone off, they did seem pretty good and I do recommend trying a box to hand load or box of factory. Bet could get them to group real good.
 
Think mine were 27 squids a box. From Brother in Arms, Christchurch Dorset.
Not much more than I paid for Barnes TTSX heads about the same time.
 
Looks like I'm wrong, on further reading it looks like 5 boxes of 20, not sure why all the quotes were for 100. Ill ask the dealer for a smaller quantity and give them a try.
 
That's why I tried it with it being budget friendly and lead free. Saw a review on youtube and the chap liked them and said they were accurate for him.
Think I will pick up a box to hand load and maybe another box of factory to check seating depths.
I do want to try the S+B, but it's about £40 for 20 rounds. I'm a S+B fan boy, but not that much 😂.

Yeah, I know what you mean, with not trusting it or having to save it for a range day or sight in, its different when it's used on game and distance.
Worst case maybe adjust depth to something consistent or/ and what you're rifle likes, bit of a pain I agree and not the idea with factory rounds.
They weren't crimped or sealed as far as I could tell.
Would you have a tinker with seating bepth?
It could have just been the box I had and maybe my rifle is picky with projectiles and seating depths. They may group in a pin hole for you.

Don't think 2 inch at 100 yards is too bad for budget friendly lead free factory stuff especially in 308. I do get what you mean, the consistency is abit of a concern to me too.

Will you be giving them a go?

Hope not put anyone off, they did seem pretty good and I do recommend trying a box to hand load or box of factory. Bet could get them to group real good.
I will buy a box to try but mainly so that I can give customers first hand advice. Same as I have done with most non lead on the UK market. Targets first then live deer next if they group etc. They won’t be used on deer though unless the whole box groups MOA or less. Personal opinion but I don’t class anything more than MOA to be particularly humane. It might save the shooter £1 per deer but I don’t think ammo is something you can cut corners on with love prey.

We could and probably should use PPU normal lead or FMJ for our estate rifles on the range on steel. At £12 a box we would make more money or charge less, but I don’t think it’s fair on the user trying to improve his/her shooting to have something that is fair or constructive. “Please remember what we chatted about and in your own time give me a 3 round group on the middle target” bang, bang “good exactly what we want” bang “sorry that one is 3” left you must have pulled it.

The other consideration with non lead ammo is that the design needs to be good for it to expand properly and even more so expand properly all the time and various ranges. A good design needs lots of R&D. R&D is something that is expensive and therefore new products onto the market are always expensive. Hence why other non lead offerings from other manufacturers are expensive at the moment part because of materials and part because the manufacturers are still paying off their R&D costs for their lead free offerings. I guess only time will tell if PPU have done their R&D for this offering.

Obviously as I said before I haven’t tried any so the above is my thought process with regards to anything cheap really. I will buy some at the shooting show if there are any and give them a try. If they pass my MOA criteria then I will try them on deer and report back. I am prepared to eat my hat or words or both if they work.
 
170grn ?

i would be more interested if was around 130grn ...all the suggested general info on other lead free is go light for calibre and push them faster ....
but as you say dont know till try them....
first must be accurate, then second must do the job / perform on live quarry to satisfaction.

i bought PPU 100grn .25-06 and 55grn in .22-250grn to try as at time was cheaper than reloading and i was working away a lot so thought id save time not reloading..... i found them in both cases ( on roe ) to be quite "hard" ....most were runners, no carcasses lost but time spent finding them in cover, and on inspection all were "pencilled" or looked like been poked with a knitting needle... maybe would have been fine on reds ( 100grns ) ....

look forward to any more reports on them

Paul
 
I haven't used the Z-Grom but I have used the original Grom. It wasn't for lack of trying on my part that I haven't used the Z-Grom, it was just that Kranks hadn't even heard about it when I enquired some time ago and now that they have them they don't have the calibre that I wanted. PPU suggested that I contact their German distributor.

I have assumed (possibly incorrectly?) that the Z-Grom only differs in that they have replaced the lead with zinc. I know from personal experience that the original Grom works well. I also know that it has a good reputation on larger game. I can see no reason why the Z-Grom shouldn't work equally as well.

The original Grom was accurate in my 8x57irs rifle but they seemed to leave a fair bit of copper in the bore so I am assuming that the copper bullet must be fairly soft.
 
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