new 308 load info

[Vince45]

Hi guys , ive been shooting a long time but just ordered a Browning A bolt
stainles Stalker in 308.Which is a new calibre for me. It has a sporter weight brl 1:12 twist. 22 inches long.

Im trying to do some homework on loads to speed up the development when I get the rifle . From what I can see a 155 Sierra Matchking or 155 Hornady A max using Varget is a good start for target work 300 max at my range.?

With hunting loads is 130 to 180 grain in a flat base spitzer realistic in the 1:12 twist?
Mainly hunting goats , pigs , fallow and Red Deer with (168 and up being the Deer loads)

I also considered standardising on A. 168 Sierra Match Kings and B. 168 Gamekings for hunting in the interests of K.I.S.S. ! Any and all comments appreciated

 

[Ramone]

168 gr SMK or SGK is the way to go- and I'd HIGHLY reccommend Varget for powder.

 

[MtnCreek]

155 Hornady A max using Varget is a good start for target work 300 max at my range.?

Yep. At that range, the 155 gr a-max would be hard to beat.

180 grain in a flat base spitzer realistic in the 1:12 twist?

With a hunting type 180gr, I'd say it would stabilize. 160gr Nosler BT in a .308 is a good deer bullet, IMO.

 

[Ky Larry]

Only your rifle can tell you what it likes. You'll have to load and shoot a variety of different bullet/powder combos to see what works. I have a CZ-550 Varmint in .308. It likes IMR-4320 with Hornady 165gr SST's. I've had good results with just about any Sierra or Hornady bullets from 165-180 gr using IMR-4320, Re-15, or Varget. The .308 Win isn't a picky round to load for. You'll just have to see what your new toy likes. Good luck.

 

[longshot7.62x51]

i use 168 SMK with 40.5 gr of benchmark
then berger 168 VLD with same powder charge for deer

 

[rodregier]

165g Nosler Ballistic Tips and Varget as a .308 Win load for both described applications would work just fine IMHO.

 

[Vince45]

Thanks for the feedback guys , good to know Im on the right track

 

[juk]

I use the Sierra 165 Gamekings for target AND hunting purposes. It does very well for both. I have had good results with the mentioned 165 SGK over 43grains of IMR 4064 in Hornady brass.

 

[Rob96]

168 gr SMK or SGK is the way to go- and I'd HIGHLY reccommend Varget for powder.

Yep,except I use RL15.

 

[bryank30]

168 Nosler Custom Competition, there cheaper than SMK's and are exactly the same, get that speed up, I use 44 grains of Varget

 

[Skyshot]

Vince, I don't think you going to get good accuracy with heavier bullets with that 1:12 twist rate. Try using a 150 gr. Sierra flat base Prohunter with a charge of IMR 3031 or RL-12 start about 42grs of powder with either and work up. This is an absolutly superb deer hunting load. I have used this load since back in the early 70's and is sub MOA capable in most sporters. Matchking bullets are not a wise choice for hunting purposes as thier construction does not produce uniform expansion. The flat base is a cheap bullet as far a cost goes but it is extremly accurate in the .308 out to 300 to 400 yards ( depending on the rifle of course). Good Luck!

 

[Vince45]

Hi Skyshot, yeah just to clarify I meant to punch paper with 168 Matchkings and hunt with 168 game kings . The prohunter was on my radar and I will be writing your load down to try . Shillen Barrels site states 1:12 suitable up to 170 so will tryb 168 as Trophy Boars on Cape Yorke in Queensland where I am heading next year are regularly over 100 kg or 225lbs and there was a boar taken by a dog team that was weighed at 140kg 315 lbs .I dont know how to post photos yet but if you want a photo pm me your email. Its a humdinger. Our Red Deer are much bigger than whitetail so I would prefer to try the 168 but will also get 150 Prohunters and give them a run in case the
168gmk dont want to perform .

I have just recently got a 303 No 1 Ruger 1 in 10 that should shoot 215 grain Woodleighs ( Ausssie brand ) about 1.25 moa so could always use that if the 308 prefers 150 ( which would be fine for most of the public land hunting available here )

Thanks guys really appreciate the input

 

[Skyshot]

Ok. Vince, just curious if you couldn't have got that Stalker with a 1:10 twist, anyway,If the 168's don't work with the 1:12 twist and you have to settle for a lighter bullet you might want to check out the 150 partion or the 150 Accubond by Nosler. However I might add that my uncle has killed several Black bears with the 150 gr. Sierra with the load I listed before. And I have killed a few Russion boars with it. So it has had proven results. My experience with the 308 1:12 barrels is they have to be loaded at Max to get good stabilization with the heavier stuff. In 1:10 twist Savage that I hunt with I'm using the Nosler 165 grain Accubond with 44 grns of Varget. This load shoots just under MOA in my 22" barrel Savage, and thats another Recipe you can try. Hopefully you can get several brands of bullets and load up a few of each and get in some good range time. As other posters have said Varget is perfect powder for anything in the 165 to 180 gr weight. And it not so temperature sensitive. Anyway, let us know what the Browning likes.

 

[USSR]

Shillen Barrels site states 1:12 suitable up to 170 so will tryb 168...

A 1-12" twist in .308 will stabilize 190SMK's, so I wouldn't go by what Shillen says. Bullet stabilization programs calculate "optimal" stabilization, and do not give you any kind of idea as to how far one way or the other you can go and still have suitable stabilization.

Don

 

[DIM]

try 175 gr SMK or Berger over 52 gr of RL-17 ;-)

 

[Maverick223]

If you want to "streamline" your load just use a 178gr. A-Max for everything. It is one of the few match grade bullets that will work for hunting. SMKs are excellent bullets for target, but I wouldn't go as high as 190gr. because you really start to limit your powder capacity with a bullet that long.

 

[courtgreene]

I can't really suggest anything for your gun as mine is 1:10", but before I reloaded for it, it preferred 180's... once I started reloading though, 150's really came into their own. Point being, you should try a lot of different loads if you want it's best possible accuracy. If you just want to get it "hunting accurate" and you are shooting at relatively large vital areas, then see if what you like works and go with it.

 

[Vince45]

Hi guys and thanks again for all the input, as I said originally this post is in the nature of homework and I have gleaned a lot . The Browning became available at a 20% discount and I had to get my name on an order list asap .

If I had time to really think about the twist in 308 I may have gone 1:10 but am not unhappy with the 1:12. ..I am now just gathering info so I can see what is generally perceived to be the parameters so I start in the ball park with weights and powders and develop a hand full of trusted loads .

Ive had a couple of shoulder ops which is why I decided not to go 3006 or 300 mag but work to the strengths of the 308 ( accuracy , known data, wide range of reloading ingredients available,.and managable recoil.)

 

[MtnCreek]

I don't think you've limited yourself with the 1:12 barrel. This is a hunting rifle, correct. IMVHO, the higher velocities of the lighter projectiles is better in the woods than heavier projectiles at slower speeds. If you were trying to print paper at long range, then a 1:10 twist rate would be better.

 

[Maverick223]

For hunting and medium range target use, a 1:12 is no hindrance (and may be a bit better if you use it for varmint)...you can shoot anything from 110 to 180gr (and often go a bit heavier) with no problems.

 

[gamestalker]

+1 on the 155 gr. A-Max

 

[Maverick223]

^That's another good one. I prefer the 178gr., but then again I'm loading it in an '06, so the .308Win. may benefit from the lighter projectile.

 

[Vince45]

Yes definetly primarily a hunting rifle, Im planning on getting next year a
223... 26 " heavy barrel, 1 in 7 or 8 with an eye to competing in F class std and other target disciplines.So the 308 will be my allround go to hunter and Im feeling completely comfortable with that following the good quality feedback .

 

[Maverick223]

So the 308 will be my allround go to hunter and Im feeling completely comfortable with that following the good quality feedback .

Yep, if you can't kill anything walking the AU continent, it ain't the rifle's fault.

 

[Funshooter45]

Your original plan is a good one. I like both Hornady and Sierra bullets for my .308 loads. Both of them are very accurate and don't cost a fortune. Although I have noticed the local reloading stores are inching their prices up on those as their reputations grow.

Your plan to use Varget is also good. Around here that is the m ost popular powder for .308 for good reason. However, you might want to pick up some Rel-15. Some guys claim it gives them slightly better accuracy than Varget. For me, they seem to be identical in performance.

If you want a pwder that is a breeze to measure, you can try Ramshot TAC. It is spherical powder and gives very consistent charges in a powder measure. And it's cheap. So far it hasn't given me quite as good results as the Varget or Rel-15, but to be honest I haven't spent much time trying it yet. Another ball powder that some guys like is Winchester 760 but I have not tried it ata all myself.

I have used 155 gr Hornady AMAX bullets and Sierra 168 MAtch Kings just to see what the fuss is all about. They were both very accurate. That's cool but primarily I want loads that I can hunt with. I have found very good accuracy with 150 gr Hornady BTSP and 165 gr Sierra BTHP. There are a ton of others that I have yet to try, but I know those 2 bullets are extremely effective for deer and elk and the accuracy is just fine.

I also bought a box of Sierra 110 gr HP that were on sale one time. They are goofy looking short little buggers. They don't look like they would be very accurate, but I was surprised. I loaded some of them up using Rel-7. The best accuracy came from the lighter charge weights, about 38.0 gr if I recall now. I'm not sure what they would be good for, but it makes the .308 feel like shooting my .243.