.308 load questions

[realmswalker]

I just loaded up some .308 win rounds. the brass is headstamped GGG so I believe it's greek? i could be wrong but I'm pretty sure it's mil surp brass.

Once fired, cleaned up nice and all trimmed to specs.

I know you are supposed to load down military brass by 10%.

I looked up the max load for .308 with 180 gr soft point boat tails and got 2 different max loads for imr 4064, one from the speer loading manual, one from the imr web site and one from manual for reloading for the .308 published by loadbooks.

the max being 45.3 from the website i believe and the other two listing 43 as maximum.

being as these are miltary cases i loaded them at 40 grains with oal between 2.775 and 2.800

Is this a safe load in mil brass?

does anyone else load 180 grainers in mil brass with 4064?

how many grains worked out best for you accuracy wise with mil brass?

I have a ton of mil brass and a bunch of 180 grain and 190 grain bullets. the 190 grainers being winchester hollow point boat tail match bullets.

I like 4064 and if someone has some recommended good loads for the 180 grain and 190 grain bullets with this powder I would love some load suggestions.

the rifle is a remington 700 bdl, heavy barrel.

Thank you for your time.

 

[dakotasin]

first, your load will *probably* be safe - but i doubt anybody could tell you without a doubt.

second, when i'm doing this sort of thing, my preference is to take 10% off the minimum load. so, if i got myself into this situation, i would find the most conservative minimum load, take 10% off, then load 1 case up at my found charge, then up it by a half grain, load one, up by a half grain, load one, etc until i am at least 1 grain over my max. shoot them all in a string starting w/ the lightest charge weight and each successive shot w/ the heavier charge weight. if i run into any pressure funkiness (bolt lift, extractor marks, etc), i would note where that is, and call that too much powder - back off a grain of powder and call that my max. doing this you can work up to your max charge you started w/, and be fairly comfy you won't have pressure troubles w/ your first shot. further, if i found no pressure problems, even at the max charge, i wouldn't be afraid of continuing the incremental charge increases in an effort to find the max charge weight.

good luck!

 

[Sunray]

All loading manuals reflect the test results of the loads tested that day in the rifle or universal receiver used. They're an average of the loads tested anyway. That's why you see different data in different books.
"...load down military brass by 10%..." That and removing the primer crimp is all you need to do.
"...from the website..." What website?
Hodgdon's site(their site being easier and less expensive to update) gives 40.7 to 45.2(compressed) for a 180 grain SP bullet with a 2.800" OAL. And 39.4 to 43.7(compressed) for a 190 with 2.740" OAL. Don't worry about compressed loads.
Make sure you've chamfered the inside of the case mouth and deburred to outside. Chamfering makes seating the bullet easier. Deburring is done because that's how it's done. Burrs cause grief.
However, you'll find the .308 loves 165 grain hunting bullets(a 165 grain hunting bullet will kill any game you care to hunt) and 168 or 175 grain match bullets with IMR4064(fabulous powder) and regular large rifle primers better than 180's or 190's with less felt recoil. 168 grain match bullets up to 600 yards, 175 grain Matchkings past there. 190 grain match bullets work best out of a .300 Win Mag.
However, as long as you remove the primer crimp and reduce the loads by the 10%, milsurp brass will be fine. What goes into cases and how they're loaded is far more important. Meticulous loading techniques are critical for match grade ammo.
Working up the load for any bullet/powder combination is essential.

 

[ants]

The suggestion to load military brass 10% lower applies to military brass with thicker wall or thicker base, which obviously reduces case volume.

BUT, not all military brass has reduced case volume. Do you have some commercial brass on hand? Fill a commercial case with water all the way to the top of the case mouth. Then carefully pour the water into your military surplus case. If the water overflows, then your military brass has less internal volume than commercial brass. If the water doesn't overflow, it has the same case volume as commercial brass and you may safely load it with commercial reloading data.

If I was you, I think I would check a bunch of cases that way, not just one or two. I think I would use sized and trimmed brass, and plug the primer pocket so it doesn't leak water. I've seated a used primer for that purpose, then decapped it after the volume test and seated a fresh primer only after the case was thoroughly dried.

 

[jaholder1971]

That "GGG" Headstamp is Lithuanian. Originally milspec M80 ball, so it will be thicker/heavier. Use your scale and weigh it against some commercial stuff.

41.5 grains of IMR 4895 and a 168 Sierra loaded to 2.830" and a Federal GM210 primer is akin to M852 Match ammo of old.

42 grains of RL15, Federal GM210 primer, Sierra 175 MK with an OAL of 2.830" is a good duplicate to M118LR. It's all the exact components except the brass.

190 grain Winchester HPBT???? You sure it isn't Sierra? I'd try 39 grains of IMR 4064 with the same OAL. I believe David Tubb's used that load for LR shooting when he shot .308 rifles.

 

[Bullet]

Here’s a link with lots of 308 info -

http://www.6mmbr.com/308win.html

It has Sierra data there too.

I am using 4064 for my Berger 185gr Moly VLD’s seated .010 into the lands at 2550 fps. I’m using 42.5grs with Lapua brass 43.0grs gave me extractor marks, shoots real nice but you will have to experiment to find the amount of powder your rifle likes. I believe 4064 will give you good results.

 

[realmswalker]

Thank you every one for your info

 

[Grumulkin]

I have found that for military brass being loaded with IMR 4064 for a 308 Win., about a 2 grain powder reduction is required compared to regular commercial brass.