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250 gr A-tips in a .308 Winchester

jmac1911

Private
Minuteman
Apr 18, 2019
34
16
New Hampshire
Hi All, Anyone have any experience with 250 gr A-tips in a .308? A friend asked if I had any load data for it and i can't find any. He wants to develope a short range deer load with them. It appears the bullet was made for '06 and 300 win mag or PRC. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Hi All, Anyone have any experience with 250 gr A-tips in a .308? A friend asked if I had any load data for it and i can't find any. He wants to develope a short range deer load with them. It appears the bullet was made for '06 and 300 win mag or PRC. Any help would be appreciated.
It won’t work. They are too long. Tell your friend it’s dumb idea fueled by ignorance. Use 220gr round nose if you must burden a 308 Sammi chamber with this silliness. Most people would use a 180gr though.
 
Does he just not want to build/buy another gun? Like Emerson said, pick a shorter bullet that’s designed for hunting.

If he’s open to getting a new gun and wants a short range cartridge there are plenty of options

Edit: Probably the second easiest thing to do would be getting a different barrel chambered in .358 Win. Then all you need to do is neck up some .308 brass
 
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There’s a thread about this from last year, I believe. We ran the numbers and it’s sub-optimal.
 
Most people I know with 308s shoot deer with 130-150g bullets. I always used 168s. I guess not always, my dad usually loaded 150s in the 30/06 when I was kid.
 
Hi All, Anyone have any experience with 250 gr A-tips in a .308? A friend asked if I had any load data for it and i can't find any. He wants to develope a short range deer load with them. It appears the bullet was made for '06 and 300 win mag or PRC. Any help would be appreciated.
Yes, I have shot the 250 Atip in a 22" 9 twist and a 30" 8 twist Bartlein. Top load of 6.5 Staball gave 2319 fps in 22" and 2409 in 30"...and 2219 fps in 18" AR 10. All in LC brass.
The 230 Atip in 22" 9 twist 308 LC brass 2552, fps 2582 fps was too much pressure for LC brass.
The 230 SMK was really accurate in the 9 twist 22," with the reformed 277 Fury hybrid case at 2500 fps, this case has more capacity, and will take much more pressure, but 2500 is easily done with LC brass.
Also run the 225 ELDM with good accuracy about 2550 fps in the 22" & 2676 fps in the 30," and 2453 in an 18" AR 10.
A good LR load is the 230 Atip in 9 twist 22" 2552 fps. Or the 230 gr SMK.
Also like the 200 SMK .715 BC at 2740 fps in tbe 22".
So yeah, you can load these heavy bullets in 308, but the 8 and 9 twist are necessary for the 230 & 250 gr bullets. Most of my latest 308 builds have been 9 and 8 twists, because the 308 will handle these high BC bullets with good velocity. The 30" 8 twist is on a long action feeds from mag 200 SMK 2856 fps, 225 gr 2675 fps or 230 ATip 2620 fps with excellent accuracy. It would need to be throated longer for the 250 Atips which are 2409 fps now & could reach 2500 fps, with the long action 308 case other than LC brass used in this test.
But 2300 fps with a 250 Atip in a 22" 308 would be plenty for deer hunting.
 
Max effort 250 Atip 308, next to 4" 300 RUM 250 Atip at 3000 fps, and a 80,000 psi hybrid case. This center 308 load with 250 Atip will get 2500 fps with a 308 case, 30" barrel 8 twist long action, aluminum chassis rifle.
 

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Yes, I have shot the 250 Atip in a 22" 9 twist and a 30" 8 twist Bartlein. Top load of 6.5 Staball gave 2319 fps in 22" and 2409 in 30"...and 2219 fps in 18" AR 10. All in LC brass.
The 230 Atip in 22" 9 twist 308 LC brass 2552, fps 2582 fps was too much pressure for LC brass.
The 230 SMK was really accurate in the 9 twist 22," with the reformed 277 Fury hybrid case at 2500 fps, this case has more capacity, and will take much more pressure, but 2500 is easily done with LC brass.
Also run the 225 ELDM with good accuracy about 2550 fps in the 22" & 2676 fps in the 30," and 2453 in an 18" AR 10.
A good LR load is the 230 Atip in 9 twist 22" 2552 fps. Or the 230 gr SMK.
Also like the 200 SMK .715 BC at 2740 fps in tbe 22".
So yeah, you can load these heavy bullets in 308, but the 8 and 9 twist are necessary for the 230 & 250 gr bullets. Most of my latest 308 builds have been 9 and 8 twists, because the 308 will handle these high BC bullets with good velocity. The 30" 8 twist is on a long action feeds from mag 200 SMK 2856 fps, 225 gr 2675 fps or 230 ATip 2620 fps with excellent accuracy. It would need to be throated longer for the 250 Atips which are 2409 fps now & could reach 2500 fps, with the long action 308 case other than LC brass used in this test.
But 2300 fps with a 250 Atip in a 22" 308 would be plenty for deer hunting.
Sure you can load them. Your 308 velocities with the same barrel length are 100fps or so faster than 30-06. So they about 250fps past normal pressure in a 308. Posting that without pointing out what you are actually doing, so random internet mouth breathers think it’s cool, is pretty dumb. Those velocities are for 30cal magnums, not for some guy hotrodding his pea shooter. Be honest about what is necessary to attain your velocities with a 308.
 
Max effort 250 Atip 308, next to 4" 300 RUM 250 Atip at 3000 fps, and a 80,000 psi hybrid case. This center 308 load with 250 Atip will get 2500 fps with a 308 case, 30" barrel 8 twist long action, aluminum chassis rifle.

Which "80,000 psi hybrid case" is this?
 
Sure you can load them. Your 308 velocities with the same barrel length are 100fps or so faster than 30-06. So they about 250fps past normal pressure in a 308. Posting that without pointing out what you are actually doing, so random internet mouth breathers think it’s cool, is pretty dumb. Those velocities are for 30cal magnums, not for some guy hotrodding his pea shooter. Be honest about what is necessary to attain your velocities with a 308.
I know, most of my 308 loads will hang with or better than many of the 300 mag types in factory loads in their factory 24 and 26 inch barrels. All that accomplished with a 308 30" 8 twist, LA in alum chassis with much better accuracy in the 308 case, mag feed. The barrel was originally for a 300 RUM project, to increase the barrel from 26" to 30" to fire 250 atips at 3100 fps, but I chambered it in 308 Win and never looked back after the performance I achieved out of the 308 case. But the 22" 9 twist is a 7.5 lb hunting rifle with a slightly shorter lead and has excellent performance, heavy bullets is where it's at 200 to 230 gr. It likes the 200 gr SMK .715 BC 2740 fps & the 230 SMK at 2500 to 2550 fps .8 BC The new powders and bullets .715 to .878 BC make it possible. Learn to take advantage of newer developments ...problem is availability of components.