[Robert]

Sorry if this has been covered before but my search did not yield much. And this might be a tad specific but here goes.

I am looking to load ammunition for my FAL. It is a standard 21" barrel, nothing special. After talking to a fellow FAL shooter I have picked the 168gr Match Kings, but time will tell if they work well in my rifle, that's why I did not get a ton of them. Brass and primers I have covered, the X factor for me is powder. I would really not have to spend too much time and money on powder R&D. Can anyone suggest a good powder for the .308 with a 168gr bullet in a FAL? Not looking to go hot, just a good load for general shooting. It is my goal to start shooting Heavy Metal Class in 3 gun when it warms up, so I need to get moving on the loading. Thanks.

[win308]

40.5 gr H-4895, 168 Sierra MK, WW primer..however, others are OK too, and GI brass, (41 grain with commercial brass). A match load that will be more accurate than your FAL can take advantage of.

[mudriver]

I use IMR 4350 and 338 with no problems. Haven't built "the load" for my FAL's yet.

[Clark]

I was building FALs in the mid 1990s and using 168 gr Match Kings and IMR4895.

I kept hearing that 1.5moa was possible, but the best I ever got was 3moa.

Given what I now know about concentric ammo, I could pull a FAL out of storage and try again, if I cared at all, but that time has passed.

[NuJudge]

I like 168 match bullets, but they are wasted on a FAL. If you want that weight range and feeding has not been a problem with other bullets, I like 165gr Remington bulk Core Lokts. Through a decent FAL, I can hold the 9 ring of the NRA 200 yard rifle target.

One FAL I've shot a lot tears up brass rims a lot. Don't reload if yours does this.

The FAL will deal nicely with just about any powder from 3031 to 4831, because it has the adjustable vent near the gas tap. I like IMR 4895, but it will do fine with anything in that range.

[USSR]

41.5gr of IMR4895 behind a 168gr bullet is a standard .308 load for an autoloader.

Don

[evan price]

For my FALs I learned that buying premium hunting bullets was not worth the money. The rifle is maybe 2 MOA at best with the best bullets you can buy. Mine hit equally with pulled M80 147-gr projectiles, bulk Hornady 150-gr projectiles, or premium hunting projectiles. Save your money, get some M80 projos or some bulk 150-gr projos, it's what the FAL was designed for.

That said, I have had good luck with 4064, 4895, 3031. However! I don't use those anymore. I load for my FALs with either H335 (42.5 grains under a M80 pulled bullet, gets me accuracy and POI comparable to the surplus I was shooting, gas on 4 leaves the brass about 12" to my right on the bench) or else my favorite powder, Varget (work up from 42).

I haven't tried to find a hyper-accurate load for the FAL because I am loading something to approximate the South African surplus I have been shooting.

[SlamFire1]

For my FALs I learned that buying premium hunting bullets was not worth the money. The rifle is maybe 2 MOA at best with the best bullets you can buy.

My experience too.

That said, I have had good luck with 4064, 4895, 3031.

Any of these powders will perform well in a 308 gas gun. IMR 3031 is the fastest I would go. I used three pounds of estate sale 3031 in a match M1a, 39-40.0 grains with a 168 SMK shot exceptionally well. While IMR 4064 and IMR 3031 shoot well, they are long grained and I prefer IMR 4895. A standard match load with 168's is going to be between 40.5 and 41.5 grains IMR 4895. Your OAL should be LT 2.800. I set my around 2.750.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/Fn-FALPAC11996A1fulllengthDSCN4741.jpg

If you want a ball powder, I would give AA2520 a try. I would also stop using 168 SMK bullets in a FAL barrel as it is a waste of money. I would give the 150 gr Hornady FMJBT bullet a try. It costs less, and it shot exceptionally well in one rifle, with IMR 3031 and AA2520.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/Targets/150Hornady435grsAA2520.jpg

[Robert]

Thanks for all the data. I received the Match Kings for Christmas, my brother uses them in his custom bolt gun and mom wanted to know what she could get me. I like a heavier bullet, not really sure why but I do. Once I start buying my own bullets I plan on doing some comparative testing to see.

And she did bend some rims but I opened up the gas port a couple of notches and fixed that issue. Still flings brass a quarter mile though...might have to back down some more.

[delta5]

I load 147 g M80 pulldowns with either BL-C(2) or IMR 4895. Works great in my FAL...

For plinking, I just watch for sales on about any type bullet in 150 gr.