180 grain 308 load with Varget?

[wolfe28]

Does anyone have a load that works well for them in 308 with the following components:

180 Grain BT projectile
Varget powder
Winchester Brass
Winchester Primers

Thanks for all the help. I'm basically looking for a point to start working loads up from.

D

 

[USSR]

wolfe28,

Start at 43.5gr and work your way up toward 45.0gr, looking for high pressure signs.

Don

 

[wolfe28]

Are you sure about that one?

I'm not trying to be a smart-a$$, but are you sure about that load range? The reason I ask is because 43.5 grains of varget is the max load for a 180 grain projectile, according to the Lyman manual.

I manage to get a very tight group with 43.1 grains of varget behind a 175 grain SMK, so I was kind of thinking somewhere in the 42.5 range might be close for the 180, but I was just asking to see if there was a load that people were using that worked really well for them.

In any regard, thanks for all the feedback.

D

 

[USSR]

Are you sure about that one?

Yep!

I'm not trying to be a smart-a$$, but are you sure about that load range? The reason I ask is because 43.5 grains of varget is the max load for a 180 grain projectile, according to the Lyman manual.

I manage to get a very tight group with 43.1 grains of varget behind a 175 grain SMK, so I was kind of thinking somewhere in the 42.5 range might be close for the 180, but I was just asking to see if there was a load that people were using that worked really well for them.

You're using Winchester brass. Winchester brass is about the lightest brass (hence the largest case capacity) of all the various .308 brass. I use Hornady Match brass (also very light), and with 45.5gr of Varget I can safely send the 178gr Amax bullet along at 2747fps. Remember, all reloading manuals are vetted by lawyers before they ever go to print. Although the manuals clearly state what brass they are using, they assume the worst, such as someone using their load in brass with a smaller case capacity (like LC Match) and getting higher than normal pressure.

Don

 

[Zak Smith]

Also note that the most common max load for people shooting the 175gr SMK bullet is between 44.0 and 45.0gr Varget, so his numbers are in the right range.