.308 Powders

[Sniper4Life]

I am going to get some powder as my reloading stuff just came And I am thinking about Reloader 15 and 10, Hodgdon Varget and H335, IMR 3031 and 4060, and Ramshot Tac. Has anyone had experience with these powders? And is it possible to buy powder in smaller amounts than 1lb?

 

[loadedround]

What bullet weight are you using? I use Varget for 150gr Nosler BT bullet and H4965 for a 168 gr Sierra HPBT bullet. Both are good powders and the second one I use in my M1A NM rifle.

 

[Mark whiz]

Some of the more accepted powders for .308 rounds (especially for semi-auto rifles) are:
Win 748
RL-15
BL-C(2)
Varget
4895
4064

I've had success using all of these powders, depending on the bullet and rifle utilized.

 

[taliv]

iirc something close to 46g of R15 was sierra's 'accuracy load' but don't quote me on that. i've used a ton of R15 in 308win and been very happy.

 

[Zak Smith]

If you want to make it simple, get some Varget first. It works great from 150gr up to 175gr, and is the basis for many widely-used long-range loads.

I'm not knocking those other powders, but you can save some money by not collecting the 90% full jugs of powders you don't use anymore, like most of us have sitting around...

-z

 

[Walkalong]

Tell me about it. All kinds of powder in lonely little jugs. Some big ones too.

 

[Slamfire]

My Experience

I have shot extensively with the 308 in competition for a couple of decades. If you are shooting an M1a the “standard” powder is IMR 4895. I believe the cartridge was developed with IMR 4895. I have not used H4895, I understand it is shorter cut, and I prefer shorter cut to longer cut, so I would recommend giving that powder a try. I have also used kegs of AA2495, found the charge weight and velocities to be identical with IMR 4895. If your rifle does not shoot under a MOA with a load of 168 Sierra, 40.5 to 41.5 grains IMR 4895, LC cases, WLR, then you have a bad rifle.

I like the shorter cut powders. So while both IMR 4064 and IMR 3031 shoot just great in the 308, they do not throw as well. With a 168 Sierra 42.0 grains IMR 4064 or 40.0 grains IMR 3031 will shoot incredibly tight groups. IMR 4064 was the other “standard” powder in competition M1a’s.

I recently have been testing Varget and found it to be an excellent powder in the 308 bolt gun. I have been using varget with 190’s at long range and am able to get about 25 fps more velocity over IMR 4064 without pressure problems. I hesitate to recommend it for the M1a because when I did load testing, I got case head separations in the gas gun. That tells me Varget gives a higher port pressure than I want. Others have called me a fool and claim that their M1a functions just fine with Varget. Well, my experience is my experience. Varget seems to be a short cut powder, throws well.

While I prefer stick powders, the ball powder AA2520 was very popular for a time in the 308. I think it went out of favor because Accurate Arms kept changing powder vendors and each lot was a law unto itself. However that powder shoots excellent groups in a M1a, which means ditto for a bolt gun. Charge weight is the same as IMR 4895 and being a ball powder it will throw within a tenth grain. Stick powders will throw within a half grain. Not that it really matters for accuracy, it only matters if you are shooting maximum loads.

You will find that the 308 will shoot excellent groups with a wide variety of bullets and powders. It is one of the most forgiving cartridges around in that respect.

 

[30Cal]

And is it possible to buy powder in smaller amounts than 1lb?

A pound goes pretty quick.

Ty

 

[calpoly93]

Hodgdon sold "trial pack" with smaller quantities of four powders...Not sure if they wer 1/4 pound.. Remember, a pound only makes about 150 rounds.

Slamfire has all the right info. To add, Varget is claimed by some to be TOO SLOW...with all the other options out there, why risk it? I mean, it's not like one powder will make you shoot like a Jedi...I also like Win 748, being in So Cal, I don't have to worry about extremely low temps! H4895 Is my current fav

 

[wolfe28]

4064 and Varget

I use both of the above for 308, and have had a lot of sucess with both. In my Savage 12 BVSS, 4064 is a little more forgiving on the need to be exact on the loads, but I'm partial to Varget for its consistant performance over a wide range of temperatures.

As for smaller sizes than 1 pound, I have seen varget in either 4 or 8 ounce containers (can't remember which), but I use the stuff enough for smaller amounts to not be necessary. Besides, if you don't like a particular powder for match or hunting work, use it with some surplus 147 or 150 FMJ projectiles that can be had for ~$50/1K. I do that all the time with my extra powder and non-match brass.

D

 

[Grumulkin]

I settled on IMR 4064 in several 308s because I got the best accuracy with it using 168 grain bullets.

 

[BsChoy]

"iirc something close to 46g of R15 was sierra's 'accuracy load' but don't quote me on that. i've used a ton of R15 in 308win and been very happy."

Taliv check Alliant site...they max at 42.8 grains of RL-15...I shot some with 43.3 yesterday and got some reasonale flatness on my primers.

 

[Mark whiz]

With 150gr bullets, 45 to 46gr of RL-15 is not an overcharge.
Just checked Alliant's site and they list a 150gr Barnes bullet with 45gr of RL-15 and a 150gr spitzer with 46.3gr of RL-15.
Personally, I've loaded up to 46.2 without any sign of overcharge apparent.

I glanced thru all my data sources and max charges for RL-15 range from 46.0 to 49.0(which is a compressed charge) - with Alliants 46.3 max charge a good medium.

All that said, the OAL of your rounds can have a major impact as to when you see pressure signs. A long round that is on or close to the lands in your chamber will develop higher pressure than a shorter round that is off the lands. ALSO the case you use will make a big difference - mil-spec cases are much thicker than commercial brass and loads for them have to be significantly reduced to prevent an over-charge.

 

[Jim Watson]

My .308 shoots as accurately with AA2520 as anything, and the Ball Process powder meters SO smoothly and accurately. So I'd try either that or maybe Ramshot TAC about which I have read some good reports.

Unfortunately, my .223 does not so I load it with Varget. Re 15 is also good.

I'd limit my powder to one of the Ball Process powders and one extruded. After that you will likely do more good with different bullets and bullet seating than you will with different brands of powder. Like Zak says, no sense ending up with a shelf of powder cans 3/4 full in the search for a magic propellant.

 

[waffentomas]

Lot's of good advice.

I really like 748 and Varget. H4350 has given me some really nice groups, but I want more velocity using Barnes. 748 is my favorite.

Tom

 

[Sniper4Life]

Ok another question, How many grains can you load in a mil-spec case without a overcharge?

 

[Zak Smith]

Consult one or more reloading manuals, and follow the recipes and safe practices contained in them.

 

[Mark whiz]

Sniper................try this:

Standard-Military Case Conversion

If you want to adapt a load used in another, lighter case, for use in a heavier case, here's a little ditty that I garnered for an old NRA loading manual. Weigh enough cases to get an average of both and then subtract the lower average from the higher. Reduce your powder 12 percent of the *difference* for use in the heavier case. *case weight difference x 12% = amount to reduce powder charge. Safest way is to start low and work your way back up, as with any load development.

By this method say you had some mil-spec cases (say LC) that weighed 20gr more than your commercial Winchester cases. Now you have found a good load with 45gr of Powder "X" in those Winchester cases. By the formula above you would multiply that 20gr difference by .12 (or 12%) which is 2.4. So your load would convert to 42.6gr of Powder "X" in those LC cases (45-2.4=42.6).

I have used this method several times in .308 cases and it worked out really well.

 

[Black Snowman]

I use Varget, CCI LR, TZ (Israli) military brass, with 168 and 175 gr A-Max moly coated bullets in my .308 Browning A-Bolt Eclipse w/BOSS. If I do my part on sand bags I get clover leaves.

 

[tbtrout]

I prefer 40 gr of IMR 4895 under a Sierra 168 HPBT, Federal match primer in Lake City surplus case. Excellent results in several rifles.

 

[Dave R]

Am I the only one using H335 for my .308?

Tried both Varget and H335, and the H335 seemed to give me 'slightly' better groups. It meters like a dream, too.

 

[ATAShooter]

+1 on RE-15 ... excellent powder for 308, 30-06, 223 ,... Gives me that warm, fuzzy, wet feeling when I think about it....