308 Win.Reloader 17 W/178 A-Max

[chefcam864]

I went to RE17 when nothing else was available locally. As luck would have it, 17 worked out very well for me.

This load is safe and very accurate in my rifle (SPS Varmint; 26" bbl)

47.5gn RE17
178 A-Max @ 2.252" (base to ogive)
Win brass neck turned, uniformed, deburred
Fed 210(M)

MV: 2,680 fps
SD: 8.88
N=15

This load shoots half moa (I've only had it to 300) as long as I do. I'll be at Butner next week, so that will be the real test... However, I've shot many groups in the 2's, and have a scant few in the 1's. Not bad for a factory barreled action.
Enjoy and good shooting, Casey

 

[melloyello]

That's 150fps faster than my 20" with 47.8gr and 175smk at 2531fps. Sounds about right and produces low ES also in my gun. Also 5 shot groups of .6-.8"@100yds. I didn't use that load though because I went to 48.7gr which was my higher node to get just over 2600fps. But, my notes show that it was a very promising load.

 

[Ol' RD]

I'm wondering what RL-17 and Burger 185 target hybrids would do? But that MV and SD looks sweet.

 

[chefcam864]

That's 150fps faster than my 20" with 47.8gr and 175smk at 2531fps. Sounds about right and produces low ES also in my gun. Also 5 shot groups of .6-.8"@100yds. I didn't use that load though because I went to 48.7gr which was my higher node to get just over 2600fps. But, my notes show that it was a very promising load.

I'm glad you said that. I've been seeing guys post speeds of 2650fps out of 20"bbls, and It's been making me wonder what the heck is wrong with my load. How in the heck are they getting those mv's with 6" less bbl? It didn't seem right, but I didn't want to ruffle any feathers. My groups opened up at 48.0, but tightened right back down at 48.5. The bolt was a little sticky, so I decided on 47.5. I may have to revisit that... Funny how our rifles responded so similarly to the charge weights eh?

I have to say I've been extremely impressed with RE 17. I bought because I HAD NO CHOICE. After load development, I bought every can my dealer had in stock because i knew I'd struck pay dirt. Of course 3 weeks later about 20 cans of Varget were on the shelves.

 

[melloyello]

I'm glad you said that. I've been seeing guys post speeds of 2650fps out of 20"bbls, and It's been making me wonder what the heck is wrong with my load. How in the heck are they getting those mv's with 6" less bbl? It didn't seem right, but I didn't want to ruffle any feathers. My groups opened up at 48.0, but tightened right back down at 48.5. The bolt was a little sticky, so I decided on 47.5. I may have to revisit that... Funny how our rifles responded so similarly to the charge weights eh?

I have to say I've been extremely impressed with RE 17. I bought because I HAD NO CHOICE. After load development, I bought every can my dealer had in stock because i knew I'd struck pay dirt. Of course 3 weeks later about 20 cans of Varget were on the shelves.

The numbers seem right to me because I have a 20" factory barrel and my brother has a 26" factory barrel. When shooting factory ammo and handloads the average velocity difference is between 150 and 180. From what I have seen you can figure close to 25-30fps/inch of barrel. But, it can also depend on seating depth and how forgiving your chamber is. But with 2 factory remingtons with different length barrels it should hold close to 25-30fps/inch of barrel.

 

[chefcam864]

Well, I shot at the practice for the Sinclair Eastcoast Fullbore Nationals at Camp Butner today, and the RE 17 and 178 A-Max load did very well.
I cleaned 300 with 4x (10 shots), shot a 92 3x at 500(10 shots), 76 2x at 600 (8 shots), and a 56 at 900 (7 shots). This was my first time shooting past 300 yards and I had a ball! I didn't keep track of my score at 1k, but once I got on target I shot a bunch of 9's and finished with a 10. (I had someone calling wind for me at 1k). It was a learning experience, and I can't wait to do it again, but unfortunately I can't make it to the match this weekend. However, i am shooting a 300 yard match at Catawba next weekend.

On a side note, Bryan Litz's dad taught me how to properly pull and score targets. He was a super nice guy, and good shooter to boot!

I was holding about 1.5 moa at 1k, with very little vertical. The wind was a whole other story. It's unbelievable how much a 308 gets blown around at 1k...

 

[JGorski]

Ol'Rd, check this out.
Alliant Reloder 17

 

[chefcam864]

Ol'Rd, check this out.
Alliant Reloder 17

Thanks! I read that a few weeks ago. I'm a big fan of German Salazar's writing. It's very helpful and informative.