I recently purchased a Loadbooks manual for .308 Win. Inside it publishes loads from various manuals, all for .308 Win. In the Nosler section, I was surprised to see the maximum load listed for IMR-4064, using a 180 grain bullet as: 44 grains, MV = 2,718 fps. Is this correct and not a misprint? Would this be a safe load to work up to (assuming no signs of excessive pressure) in, say, a Browning X-bolt?
I had previously thought the only way to safely get a 180 grain bullet to move at 30-06 velocities (2,700 fps) in a standard bolt action .308 hunting rifle was to buy Federal high energy Nosler Partition cartridges, advertised at 2,740 fps. Is this untrue? Can a reloader safely achieve such velocities with a bolt action hunting rifle (not just a heavy single-shot target rifle), if carefully working up to this maximum load without signs of excessive pressure? If so, is IMR-4064 the best powder available to handloaders that can do this?
Thanks for any input.
Greg
I had previously thought the only way to safely get a 180 grain bullet to move at 30-06 velocities (2,700 fps) in a standard bolt action .308 hunting rifle was to buy Federal high energy Nosler Partition cartridges, advertised at 2,740 fps. Is this untrue? Can a reloader safely achieve such velocities with a bolt action hunting rifle (not just a heavy single-shot target rifle), if carefully working up to this maximum load without signs of excessive pressure? If so, is IMR-4064 the best powder available to handloaders that can do this?
Thanks for any input.
Greg