Approx. Fps of .308 loads?

I shook my magic 8 ball and it said "cannot predict now". However, try shooting it at a 600 yard target and let us know how it prints.

Without more info, I'd be guessing. 2650-2800fps is the ballpark norm, 147gr FMJ. 175 would tend toward 2650... 600 yard hits are attainable with known distances, a good rifle, and training. 1000 yard hits really aren't 762's bailiwick; accurate rifles, match ammo and lots of training are needed. Obviously, elevation is only part of the equation. Mirage, wind drift etc....

https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/4dof

I'm betting its right at or slightly above 2600

This is just a guess because you are not providing velocity numbers.

That 175gr bullet is going to be traveling ~2500 fps from the muzzle.
The 175gr SMK has a BC of .485

Approximate velocity @
100 yards 2325 fps
200 yards 2157 fps
500 yards 1697 fps
600 yards 1562 fps
800 yards 1323 fps
1000 yards 1142 fps energy 502 ft/lbs and the drop will be over 458" with a 100 yards zero.

If you bring the velocity up to 2750 fps the velocity @1000 yards will be 1259 fps with a drop of 367".

Again, this is only an approximation since I don't have your actual muzzle velocity.

Simple answer: Yes. It’s good to about 4 miles actually.
Realistic answer: It’s possible.....with the right optics, bases, rings, and a boat(tail)load of practice.

I do sometimes wonder if people realize just how far 1,000 yards is in the real world. Driving at 70mph (34 yards per second) you’d have to drive for almost 30 seconds to go 1000 yards. It doesn’t seem that far at that speed. But find a small, say human sized permenant object where you start your count. Then stop, get out, and look back at it. “Hey Jonny, that’s a LONNNG ways man”.

Not that 308 isnt capable for 1000 yard target shooting, lots of people do it each year in F-T/R. However it does take a very specialized setup. Do keep in mind that the 308 based M24 sniper weapon system has a max effective range of 800 meters.

Might be helpful. Different powder, but might be close enough to extrapolate something from the different barrel lengths. All 4 of my rifles tend to show pressure signs (slight primer crater) about 43.5g of varget. Velocity is obtained from an oehler 35 and it agrees with drop to my farthest target right now at 610 yards.

Your 308 will do just fine at 1000 yards, provided you are not COMPETING against the mags or 6.5 class cartridges! For practice I find it to be an excellent choice. Shoot the heck out of it and get good at the wind. All that wind drift is not a bad thing... it will force you to learn to shoot.

22 inch barrel 308, 43.0g varget 178 amax 2.820 oal 2575 FPS
16 inch barrel 308, same load gets about 2450 FPS
Different 16 inch barrel 308 goes about 2475 FPS
26 inch barrel 308, same load gets about 2700 FPS

For a very long time Palma matches have been shot with the .308 using a 155gr bullet. If it's good enough for them why not give it a try instead of a 175gr bullet?

That bullet starting out @~3000 fps will remain super sonic out past 1000 yards and be around 1330 fps at those distances. That bullet might be a better choice IMO.

Joshboyfutre said:

I appreciate the answers fellas for the record I do understand that 308 is not an ideal or even average thousand-yard round,

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https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/308-long-range-load-development-results.822638/

Quickloads, which ive found surprisingly accurate with hodgdon and imr powder and standard cartridges, is saying youll get around 2500 for 42.2gr of 4064.
At 44.2 your looking at around 2600

Ive never worked with the .308 so i cant personally verify this info, as being accurateish.

You may wanna buy a cheap chrono, even the 60-100 dollar models are pretty good these days. Or you could get a Magnetospeed sport for 160? Ish?....
Ive got a prchrony i think i payed 70 bucks for an the expensive Magnetospeed v3 and both are at most 20-50fps of eachother.

Just guessing from what I've seen from my rifles with 165 and 180 gr bullets, velocity would fall somehwhere around 2500, maybe a bit more, could be a bit less.
Will it shoot 1000 yes? Yeh probably, High-power 1000 yd shooting was a carry over from the blackpowder cartridge days, and was began with the 30-40 Krag,7x57 mauser, and 6.5 swede. The twist in your barrel and matching the bullet length to that twist is probably more important than the velocity.

Joshboyfutre said:

Thank you loonwolf!! Thats exactly what I was looking for. Think I kinda distracted everyone by mentioning .308s @ 1000. I'm just looking for an approx MV guess till I can get a chrono (which I've been putting off far to long!!)

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Your very welcome!

Joshboyfutre wrote:
...trying to figure out if the low node (42.2g) would be good out 1,000yds.

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All of the published load data that I consulted was gathered using a rifle with a 24 inch barrel. My guess (and that's really what it is) is that with your 22 inch barrel, you would be looking at about 2,500 fps at the muzzle with the 42.2 grain charge.

Can you reach out to 1,000 yards with a good quality bullet with high ballistic coefficient launched at 2,500 fps? Yes.

How accurate is is going to be? Not very.

As others have already posted, without specialized sighting equipment, trying to hold over a target 1,000 yards distant when the bullet is going fall more than 15 feet during its journey is not really practical.

The IMR4064 start load for a 175 is 41.5(2,500 FPS). Max is 45.6(C)(2,728 FPS). Out of a 24" barrel. You will not come close to those velocities with a 20" barrel. That does not mean you cannot shoot 1,000 yards with your rifle though. You'll just need more elevation.
2.850" is too long for any .308. Max OAL is 2.800". And there's no 'approximating' or varying OAL.
Do not just pick a load and hope. You need to work up the load for accuracy.
"...308 is not an ideal or even average thousand-yard round..." Has been since before most of us were born. With iron sights like real, big, hairy men too.
"...the blackpowder cartridge days..." Way more than 1,000. Brits were shooting at a mile in the 19th Century.

Sunray said:

The IMR4064 start load for a 175 is 41.5(2,500 FPS). Max is 45.6(C)(2,728 FPS). Out of a 24" barrel. You will not come close to those velocities with a 20" barrel. That does not mean you cannot shoot 1,000 yards with your rifle though. You'll just need more elevation.
2.850" is too long for any .308. Max OAL is 2.800". And there's no 'approximating' or varying OAL.
Do not just pick a load and hope. You need to work up the load for accuracy.
"...308 is not an ideal or even average thousand-yard round..." Has been since before most of us were born. With iron sights like real, big, hairy men too.
"...the blackpowder cartridge days..." Way more than 1,000. Brits were shooting at a mile in the 19th Century.

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Couple things, hes shooting a 22" barrel and depending on rifle may actually see the same velocity (or much less) than the test barrel. Which is the reason for recommending a chrono.

Your functional maximum COAL is dictated by the length of your throat, and or magazine if thats a consideration. 2.80 maybe the max in some rifles and far from it in others. Again while ive never worked with the .308, but ive seen coals vary from below saami standard to almost .5" over depending on chamber and bullets chosen.

Another way to measure velocity, provided you know the ballistic coefficient of the bullet, is as follows:

1. Measure the bullet drop between targets shot at 100 yards and 200 yards.
2. Play around with one of the ballistics programs such as one can use for free on the internet (see the Federal site). Put in different velocity numbers until the bullet drop coinsides with what you measured.

A chronograph is more accurate but this method will give you some idea of the velocity.

On the barrel length velocity thing, my chronograph doesn't show enough difference between a 20,22, or 24 inch barreled 308 to get excited about.

I just fired 44.5gr IMR4064 over 175 SMK's seated .010 off the lands today. Made hits on steel at 1000 yards with 12.3 MRAD elevation in the scope. I chrono'd these at 2600fps from my RPR when it was a lot warmer. I really doubt they'd even be doing 2500 fps with that low of a charge.