Could use some advice....
I have three different .308 rifles:
1. a Remington 700 VSF LH—tan HS Precision stock, 26" heavy fluted barrel, 1:10 twist
2. a custom built AR10—18" N6 Noveske heavy barrel, 1:10 twist
3. a left handed Ruger Gunsite Scout—16.75" medium profile barrel (sort of), 1:10 twist
The perfect solution, for me anyway, would be to develop a load that works well in all three rifles, and it is a nearly impossible task because the 10" spread in barrel lengths from longest to shortest. Even if accuracy were not an issue, getting a bullet that would perform well terminally in all three barrels is kind of hard, and this hasn't been helped by the fact that reloading components, particularly bullets in .308, are nearly unobtainium right now. My favorite load for the Remington is a 175 grain SMK over 43 grains of Varget. It doesn't get much over 2600 fps in the long barrel, but it throws 3/8" groups at 100 yards. I love it.
The AR10 was optimized for the M118LR, and I have had good luck with 175 grain SMKs over somewhat stouter loads of Varget or BLC2 (approximately 45 grains or so, from memory) which approximate the M118LR. My Mark 60 eyeballs are beginning to fade, but I watched my son use that rifle to put 4 rounds into one hole at 100 yards using Federal 175 grain 7.62 NATO Gold Match, so it is capable of astonishing accuracy. I haven't had the chance to chrono any loads out of this rifle yet, but with 8" less barrel than the R700, I'm guessing that muzzle velocities are probably closer to 2400-2500 fps, or even less.
But that Ruger Gunsite Scout has been a puzzle from the get go. I've stayed with the 175 grain SMK for the simple reasons that I've gotten my best groups with that bullet, and because I'm guessing that the thin bullet jacket of a Matchking will help it to perform well at the lower impact velocities of the 16.75" barrel. I understand that Ruger now offers the rifle with an 18" barrel, and had it been available at the time I bought mine, that's what I would have held out for. I would have also preferred the stainless barrel offered now. But neither of those features were available when I bought mine, so you do the best you can with what you've got....but I really think that extra 1.25" of barrel would have helped. The rifle has definitely shown a preference for bullets 165 grains and heavier....I had good luck with the Federal Fusion 165 grain load....but I would really like to get a good handload worked up for it. The load that shoots well in my Remington also shoots reasonably well out of the Ruger from an accuracy standpoint, but I worry about decreased velocity because of the 10" difference in barrel length.
Anyway, all I can find these days in a bullet that ought to shoot well out of a 1:10 barrel are the 180 grain hunting bullets like the Combined Technologies Ballistic Silver Tip and the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. I'm ordering a couple of boxes of each right now, but I worry that the short barrel on the Ruger won't be able to propel them fast enough to get them up to proper performance velocities.
My primary application for this rifle is hog and white tail hunting in north Texas, and it is my "grab and go" bolt rifle. The hunting distances for me are not that far....certainly under 200 yards for anything I'd care to try shooting at....and the country is brushy with a lot of scrub oak, cedar, and mesquite, so there aren't very many long shooting lanes...and I think that the brush favors a heavier bullet.
If anybody has any suggestions for bullet/load combinations that have worked successfully for you in the Gunsite Scout (or similar), I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any help.
