• Frank's Lesson's Contest

    We want to see your skills! Post a video between now and November 1st showing what you've learned from Frank's lessons and 3 people will be selected to win a free shirt. Good luck everyone!

    Create a channel Learn more
  • Having trouble using the site?

    Contact support

Loading questions for .308

Truth223

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 29, 2011
379
1
42
Central,Il
I have 75 pieces of Federal Match brass that ive tumbled,trimmed and chamfered. For now im using the Lee case guage and all of the brass measure out to 2.010 . I have cci 200 and Winchester primers. Which of these would work better? I have a few different powders that im doing ladder tests for (varget, N150, imr 4320 and imr 4895). Bullet is speer 168 gr hpbt match, and have some smk 168gr on the way also. Does this sound good to go?
 
Just pick a primer/powder combo and stick with it. If you change a component, back off the charge and work back up. I shoot 178's with varget and Fed. 210m's so my load data wont be to useful to you but you have some good components to use.
 
42.8 imr 4895 with 168 works best for me. 1/2" groups with it in multiple 308s including an AR. Varget is good on the heavier bullets. H4895 is equally good, but loads differ slightly. RL-15 is another good choice.
 
42.8 imr 4895 with 168 works best for me. 1/2" groups with it in multiple 308s including an AR. Varget is good on the heavier bullets. H4895 is equally good, but loads differ slightly. RL-15 is another good choice.

42.8 with the H-4895 (preferred) & 43.0 with IMR-4895 for me with the 168's. Try jumping them about .040" to start with or go with maximum legnth for magazine feed if you need to.

I have a new jug of IMR-4320 that I'm going to work with next week but with the 155gr Noslers.
 
I think you'll be fine creating some loads with what you have. For me and my MilSpec, with 168's the go-to load is 42 gr of of H4895. These are 5 shot groups at 100 yds from a week ago:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0114-001.JPG
    IMG_0114-001.JPG
    84.1 KB · Views: 23
I have 75 pieces of Federal Match brass that ive tumbled,trimmed and chamfered. For now im using the Lee case guage and all of the brass measure out to 2.010 . I have cci 200 and Winchester primers. Which of these would work better? I have a few different powders that im doing ladder tests for (varget, N150, imr 4320 and imr 4895). Bullet is speer 168 gr hpbt match, and have some smk 168gr on the way also. Does this sound good to go?

To be honest - it sounds like you are going to get lost in a blizzard of over complication.

I don't know what your rig is but the chances are it will shoot very well with any load based on most of these combinations. You can get tooooo absorbed by all the technicalities of this for no practical benefit. My 308 Sako would shoot pretty much any old load close to 1/2 moa (in a rest) the odd one was 3/4 moa. Could it be better if I did ladder tests, optimised seating depth etc Probably, but it is not worth the effort as I cannot shoot 1/2 moa from any position.

Ammunition quality is only one link in the chain. You can chase this down for ever. At some point it is a blind alley. My guess is that if you took a stock load off the reloading section it would work just fine. 308 is not finicky