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post your best .308 load

A

Aauletto

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 21, 2013
48
0
Newtown PA
I am new to reloading and was looking to see if anyone would share a sweet spot for 308 load i know ill have to work it out on mine but just looking for ideas as a foundation .. I have 1/12 twist 20 in heavy barrel remington 700 sps tactical using varget powder and 155 smk cmc primers

thanks in advance
 
Have you looked through the reloading forums? There are a couple threads with hundreds of .308 loads posted.
 
Start at 40 for 155 grain and work your way up...every rifle is a little different. For me I have a stiller/ rock creek and for 168vld's I can go no higher then 41.5 of varget cause of pressure signs...but my accuracy is at 41.3...But as already suggested check out the 308 load sticky.


Aauletto said:
I am new to reloading and was looking to see if anyone would share a sweet spot for 308 load i know ill have to work it out on mine but just looking for ideas as a foundation .. I have 1/12 twist 20 in heavy barrel remington 700 sps tactical using varget powder and 155 smk cmc primers

thanks in advance
Click to expand...
 
Sierra 175 Match BTHP - Black Hills Brass - Winchester Primer - RL15 @ 43 grns - Sized to 2.8" = Shoots LIGHTS OUT in my 700 bolt rifle and AR10 (T).
 
thanks for the info i grabbed some hornady match brass how can you tell if you have pressure sings ?
 
Flattened primer all the way to the edge, no curvature at all. That is a warm load. Sticky bolt lift, getting warmer. Shiney ejector mark or noticable circle on casehead, back down. Insipient case head seperation, shiny hairline mark around body about 1/4" up from extractor grove. I use 47.2 gr varget and 155 ncc, this is over book so WORK UP. In ur shorter barrel h4895 will probably give u better speed then varget. I am switching to h4895 in my 24" a3g, my varget is dried up and down to 20 rds of it. H4895 gives equal accuracy and es&sd, but velocity is up 50 fps. Br2 primers hornady brass(8-9 firings) .020 off rifling. Work up carefully in ur rifle,safety first.
 
So far my rem 700 aac-sd likes 43.3gr Varget, Win LR primer, 168gr smk, and FC brass.


I picked up some imr 4064 last week and im going to work up so loads to see how it shoots.
 
Sierra 168 gr HPBT MK
Winchester Brass
Fed 210 primer
H4895 42.2 grains

Out of a POF-308 20" barrel, 1/10 RH twist

SUB MOA, out to 300 yards. Shot a .438 MOA 3 shot group at 300.
 
Sierra 168 SMK
Lapua Brass
CCI BR2 Primer
44.5 gr. Varget
2.86" OAL

Shoots like a beast out of my 26" remington 700.
 
175 SMK, 41.8 gr IMR4064, LC Match Brass, Winchester Larger Rifle Primers, with COL of 2.80. Shot good out of my 20in Remington 700. I gave up on Varget after I found this load.
 
armydog said:
175 SMK, 41.8 gr IMR4064, LC Match Brass, Winchester Larger Rifle Primers, with COL of 2.80. Shot good out of my 20in Remington 700. I gave up on Varget after I found this load.
Click to expand...

This

I run 41.6 grains of IMR4064 behind the 175 SMK. It gives me exactly 2600 fps in my 26" Savage barrel with very low SD's, better than any I ever got with Varget. I use Winchester brass and Fed 210M primers. The gun is short throated so I actually have to seat a little below 2.8. Shoots lights out.
 
Tikka T3 Varmint, 1 in 11 factory barrel

155gr Amax
42.3gr H4895 (Varget load for 2600fps out of the Hornady manual works equally well)
Federal Brass
CCI primer
2.830 OAL (loaded to magazine length)
 
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My best 308 was 44.4 of 748 and a Nosler 150 solid base. Pre ballistic tip. Nosler was gonna make 'em again , but never did. Anyhow, that load in my 40x w/ 11.25 twist all went in one hole. Pretty much still does.
 
M24 contract overrun bbl
1:11.25 twist
LC LR Brass
Fed Match primer
polished case neck (inner)
155gr A-MAX (sorted by weight)
44.25 gr Varget (barrel node)
single load length 2.900
mag length is just a touch under that
i know its kinda anal retentive but I sort all the components by weight, even primers.
this load smacks 20"x30" steel flawlessly even out to 1.5 second flight times in the Pikes Peak National Forest. Longest free range I know of.
 
46.0gr's of Varget
Lapua brass
155gr Lapua Scenar
Wolf/Tula primers
 
In my factory rifles (two remingtons, one win70, one fn spr) and one with a custom replacement barrel I've found the below to work well in all. This, using match bullets, primers of your choice a brass of your choice. The exception being Lake City brass, which tends to need the load dropped back 1.5-2 grains due to its case capacity/internal volume.

155 weight class varget 46.5-47
168 weight class varget 45.5-46
175 weight class varget 44.5-45
180 weight class varget 44-44.5

OAL will vary in each rifle, there is usually a node between 1-1.5 grains lower in all of the above as well.
 
The biggest thing I noticed with my 20" sps tac. My loads vary greatly to others shooting around me. They shoot longer barrels in FTR class and are always surprised buy how slow my bullets are going, AND buy how much more powder I am using.
168smk ,WW case, BR2, coal 2.810, 44.0. Varget - 2447 fps. (.6 MOA)
168 Horn HPBT LC07 case,BR2, coal 2.850, 46.1 varget- 2650 fps (unstable at 1000)
With my new ladder test - 175smk,Lapua, fed match primer loaded to 47.x of reloader 15 and was able to shoot it without a tight bolt lift. My load will not be that much powder because it works the brass too much.
I also have a sps varmint barrel I want to test. I will not be shooting my 20" barrel loads in it with out working starting with lower charge- working it up.
 
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Aauletto said:
I have 1/12 twist 20 in heavy barrel remington 700 sps tactical using varget powder and 155 smk cmc primers
Click to expand...

My custom rifles with match chambers like ~45.0 Varget/SMK 155 Palma
My old Tikka Scout liked 45.5 Varget/SMK 155 Palma
My old Sako TRG with a long/loose chamber loved 46.0 Varget/SMK 155 Palma <-- this would be hot as hell for most guns

Should find a slow node ~43.5 Varget, and the fast node ~45.5 Varget. Start at 43.0 and work up to find both nodes.
 
TroyMN said:
I also have a sps varmint barrel I want to test. I will not be shooting my 20" barrel loads in it with out working starting with lower charge- working it up.
Click to expand...

I compared my 175 smk and a 155 lapua loads in both, you should see about 100 fps difference between the two rifles... or at least that is what I saw when the same load was fired through both (20" tactical vs 26" varmint) but I was using varget. I'd think RL15 would be close as well.
 
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My latest is 155 SMK, 45.5 Power Pro 2000MR at 2590 FPS out of a 20" Savage barrel. Slow, low pressure but accurate one hole groups. My next node is 47.2 at 2760ish but not as accurate. Last one at 48.9 at 2950 and smoking. Just slight primer flattening. I love this powder.
 
Fed brass
Fed match 210 primer
IMR4064 44.5
175smks
Oal 2.85
2692 fps

Worked really well for me.
 
43 GR. of IMR 4895 in Winchester brass W/Rem. 9 1/2 primer.

This load is for my Savage 99 lever gun. always less than 1 MOA three round groups (and from an accurized LEVER gun!).
 
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If your .308 doesn't shoot all 155-180gr bullets well with Varget, then you have a gun problem. I would start there.
 
I have a Savage 10fp tactical with 20" barrel and 1-10 twist. My favorite load for this rifle is h335 38.8gr sierra 175gr matchking and rem 9-1/2 primer. Sub moa at 100 and at 200 I get golf ball size groups.
 
Shoots 3 shot groups in the teens @ 100 which is enough for me to stick with it for awhile for all other applications

155 Scenar
Win brass
210M Primer
2.8" COAL avg

46.5grs of Varget

2935 FPS average ES of 12 SD of 9 across 20 shots

I have run this load up to 47.8 and saw no signs of pressure. These were about 3050 FPS. No sticky bolts, no flattened primers. Was more a half moa load(47.8) then a quarter(46.5). Its sub-moa out to 650 which is as far as I've shot it. It does impressive things at 600. This is in a GAP Rifle 11.25 twist Bart barrel 24"
 
So far my most accurate at short range (100--400) has been 43.5g Varget, CCI 200, Win brass w/ 175 SMK at 2.810" in a Savage 10BA. My son has shot under .5 MOA with this in testing at 100 yards. We shot some in the last 1,000 yard match and they seemed good compared to the SWA he was using. Still need to play with seating COAL, however for 1,000.
 
2 groups on the left were with 47grs CFE, Win brass, WLR primers, 168AMAXs, on right is 47grs 2000MR, Lap brass, CCI primers. 2800fps with either load. 700 SPSS. 300yds.
rYzH10P.jpg

SJa1oC5.jpg
 
rem. 700 Varmint in B&C stock
1-12" twist
Hornady 168 BTHP Match
Fed GMM Brass
43.3 Gr Accurate 2520
Fed 210m primer
2.831 COL
2725 avg. 12 fps extreme spread
Avg. 5 shot groups at 100 run around .380"
Shows no pressure signs in this rifle.
It does have a VERY long throat as it is a factory chamber. actual length to the lands with the hornady 168 is 2.931.





Same bullet and col with WLR primer and 46.5 gr of Aliant Power Pro 2000mr runs at 2715 fps with a extreme spread of only 9 fps
Shoots avg. of .312" in this rifle.
as soon as the 400 rounds of the 2520 loads are used 2000 mr will be my powder of choice.
 
Savage FCP HS 5r 11.25 twist
SMK 168
Remington brass
Winchester primer
41.0 Gr IMR 8208 XBR
COL 2.800
.25" 100 yard 5 shot groups
 
43.4 grains Reloader 15
FGMM FC brass trimmed to 2.008"
F210/F210M primer
175 SMK
2600 fps out of 20" 10 twist.

44.0 grains Varget
LC brass trimmed to 2.008"
F210/F210M primer
175 SMK
2600 fps out of 20" 10 twist.

Both are FGMM clones for my rifle...
 
20" 5R .308

175gr Berger VLD match/hunting
44gr Varget
Federal Match brass
CCI primers
OAL at 2.850 for mag feed or 2.895 for single loading

old pic of the first day I shot this load at 200yds. Groups range from 3/4"-1" (around 1/2 moa) and are consistently in that range to this very day
 
Aauletto said:
I am new to reloading and was looking to see if anyone would share a sweet spot for 308 load i know ill have to work it out on mine but just looking for ideas as a foundation .. I have 1/12 twist 20 in heavy barrel remington 700 sps tactical using varget powder and 155 smk cmc primers

thanks in advance
Click to expand...

42.2 grains 4064, LC LR 07 brass trimmed to 2.10, 175 nosler cc,Fiocchi LR primer, loaded to 2.810. This load shoots 1 hole at 100 and best 3 shot at 200 was under half inch shooting off bags. That's out of remington 700 sps tactical on a B&C medalist stock...stock everything else
 
post your best .308 load

My best .308 load is 45 Varget in Lapua brass and a JLK 180 VLD LBT at 2740 fps .005 off the lands. That's a .580 BC bullet, and, if you run the numbers, it's in .260 territory. But don't copy this load until you know it's safe in your AW. If you don't have an AW, don't bother.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have a similar rifle, so far my best accuracy off a bench at 100 yards has been:
168 gr SMK
41.1 grains IMR 8208 XBR
Br2 primer
Lapua cases
2.825 coal
 
So far for me its 43.5grs of IMR4064 over a winchester wlr primer in a lapua case topped with a sierra matchking 175gr hpbt projectile. Im shooting my beat at 0.20" and my worst at 0.90" out of my remington 700 5r milspec .308
 
OP,

Similar to your set up.

Rem LTR 12 twist 20"

Win brass, fed or cci primers, 155 Sierra Palma, 46.5 grains varget.

Bill
 
I have shot this load with great results in over a dozen different 308s...

155 Lapua Scenar
45.5gr Varget
CCI 250
Lapua and Winchester brass
 
155 Lapua Scenars
48 gr. Varget
Fed 210m primer
Hornady brass

Getting 2980 fps out of a 24" Bartlein 1-10 twist.

Extremely accurate load.
 
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