First time .308, W748 and IMR 4320 - input appreciated!

[BluegrassDan]

Tonight was my first time reloading. I'll admit that I'm a little nervous, so here are the loads I've made for some feedback from you all.

Please do not hesitate to point out any problems you see.

.308 Winchester
150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip
OAL 2.815 (lands are 2.915, but magazine and action will only allow 2.815)

IMR 4320
43.0 gr
43.5 gr
45.0 gr
46.0 gr

Winchester 748
45.0 gr
46.0 gr
47.0 gr


I've made 5 rounds of each load and am hoping to try them tomorrow. First, let me know what you all think. Again, I'm brand new to this so I could use as much help as possible.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BluegrassDan]

Anyone?

 

[leadaddict]

I started reloading about a year ago for my .308. It is first and so far only caliber I'm reloading. I've been using IMR 4320 as well with Hornady 150gn soft points. For me 45.8gn was starting to show more compression of the primer than I was told was a good thing. (they were flattening out and 'cratering' around the firing pin dimple. So I'm loading them to 45.2gn now. I'm also using military brass which is thicker and will have higher pressure than a .308 Win case. Go slow and work your way up.

I've loved reloading and have now shot 500 + rounds of my own reloads and am loving it! Much better accuracy than I was ever able to get with factory ammo of any kind. Welcome! Be safe and have fun!

 

[leadaddict]

And don't forget that your hottest load isn't probably your most accurate, so shoot lots of test groups and find what your setup likes! An extra 100 fps isn't worth loosing accuracy.

 

[bfoosh006]

No offense intended, but to be blunt...

What rifle ?

If your loads are to "hot" , do you know what over pressure signs look like on the cases ?

Do you have a chronograph ?

Why those two powders ? IMR 4064, and IMR 4895 are ole'timer accuracy standards, with RL 15 and Varget being some of the newcomers.

What brand case ?


Again not trying to be rude , but a little more info on your rifle and powder choices will help us answer your questions/ concerns.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've used both of those powders, but only the Win748 in the .308.

A friend/coworker has used IMR4320 in some hunting "handloads" and I can vouch for the results deer. Two shots and two dead deer at about 175yds. As I recall, the powder charges were closer to starting loads than max loads. They were some his dad had loaded in the '70's and were still being shot through the "hand me down" rifle.... They were well labeled with the gummed label that Sierra shipped with the bullets, including the date they were loaded. His dad had passed away some 20+ years prior to the hunt. The two deer shot were his first two deer ever.....

I've used as high as 48.0gr of Win748 and higher with different lot#s of BLC2, so I don't think you'll see problems there.

FWIW, BLC2/Win748 have given me good velocities from the .308 but H4895, IMR4064 and IMR3031, and RL15 have given better accuracy.

Be aware that there are substantial lot# to lot# variation with Win748 and "companion" powder BLC2. In the Speer #12 manual, for instance, they list BLC2 with a max of 44.0gr and Win748 at 50.0gr. These are one and the same powder, but from different production lot#s.

Proceed carefully and you'll be ok. The IMR4320 load at 46.0gr is 2.0gr under Speer's max in #12. Nosler #4 lists 47.0gr as max. with the 150gr BallisticTips but they are using a longer seating depth and a match grade test barrel whereas Speer is using a Remington M700 factory rifle.... Sort of an apples to oranges comparison to be sure......