Rem 700 SPS Varmint .308 owners/loads

[Hawkeye75]

I am looking for loads for my Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .308, anybody got some good ones?

thanks from Tony in Boise

 

[BornAgainBullseye]

Sierra matchking 168 with 46 grains of Varget start with 45 and work up. I get dime size at 100 and 4 inches at 500 yards on a calm day.

 

[USSR]

Sierra matchking 168 with 46 grains of Varget start with 45 and work up.

Run that load using milsurp brass and some makes of commercial brass, and you will be picking pieces of brass out of your face. ALWAYS specify the brass used when giving out a load.

Don

 

[BornAgainBullseye]

as a matter of fact I used 45 grains of varget on a 175grain matchking with LC brass cci primer no signs of pressure and 2625-2650 fps. unless you have a potmetal rifle I seriously doubt that that load will have problems in any .308 bolt gun. This is a mild load for punching targets. The Horaday 150grain light magnum pushing 3000fps is way hotter and is commercial over the counter. If there were any concern of blowing up it would not be on the shelf. Don't listen to don. BTW I was using Federal brass neck sized only fire formed to my chamber. I suggust you buy a set of LEE collet neck sizer dies and shoot some Federal to get good brass. Remington is good also, but I dont like their crimp. Dont listen to don. This load is nowhere near "HOT"

 

[plinky]

The hottest data I've seen is 46.0 Varget under a 168gr MK. That is from Hodgdon and is a maximum, compressed load. I tried 45gr under 168 SMK in R-P and Federal brass and it was shaving a shiny ejector circle on the casehead. Just as importantly, it wasn't shooting that well for me. I backed down to 44.5gr in my last 20 and had the best session so far. I've heard 44gr quoted often as a very good load. That is what I'll load tonight.

BTW, I believe that Sierra's max is 43.5 grains. I'm not worried about wringing every last fps out of the rifle. Probably wouldn't have got a .308 if that was crucial. Then again, if my rifle shot dime sized groups with a max load, I'd be all for it.

 

[USSR]

The hottest data I've seen is 46.0 Varget under a 168gr MK. That is from Hodgdon and is a maximum, compressed load. I tried 45gr under 168 SMK in R-P and Federal brass and it was shaving a shiny ejector circle on the casehead. Just as importantly, it wasn't shooting that well for me. I backed down to 44.5gr in my last 20 and had the best session so far. I've heard 44gr quoted often as a very good load. That is what I'll load tonight.

Yep, that's what Hodgdon says, and that's using a Winchester case which is extremely light and has a much larger case capacity, hence much lower pressure than you would get using another brand of brass. Sorry, BAB, but I have loaded thousands of .308 Win. using LC M118 Match brass as well as various commercial brass and know that you cannot load them the same, so I stand by my previous post that to give out a max or near max load without specifying the brass used is irresponsible.

Don

 

[Hawkeye75]

Is Lapua brass worth having I just bought some?

what should I know about this stuff and how should I prep it if I need to at all?

I also just bought some Hornady SST 150gr bullets I am loading. I have mostly Rem brass. Anything I should know about this brass either, seems the easiest to buy?

thanks

 

[Tarvis]

Lapua brass is frickin expensive, but a local rich guy that shoots long range once told me "to get the best groups you have to start with the best components." For all intensive purposes, you don't sound like a bench rest shooter, so remmy brass should be just fine.

 

[qajaq59]

Are you going to hunt varmints with it? If so, I came up with a very accurate load for my .308 using IMR 30-31 in RP brass with Winchester large rifle primers. All rifles are different though, so use the starter load and work your way up.

 

[Hawkeye75]

Anybody else?

thanks

 

[JDGray]

I'm running 43gr Varget, 168gr SMK, best load I came up with for my Savage. 2640fps, .7 moa @ 100yrds

43.5gr Varget, 155gr SMK ran equally as well.

Load safe!

 

[Strongbad]

168 gr. Nosler Custom Competition w/ Varget.

 

[04JRB]

I have been using 42gr of RE-15 and 168gr Hornady HPBT-M with CCI BR LR primers and Remington brass. This has been very accurate from my SPS Varmint .308. I have also tried A-Max bullets and SMK, both were good too, but I think the Hornady HPBT-M were a good price to performance value.

 

[blitzen]

175 gr Sierra matchkings with 42 gr IMR 4064. 1.14 in at 300 yards with a 700 SPS.

 

[X-Rap]

46.2 grs of BL-C (2) and 168 gr match Sierras and Hornady bullets. WLR primers, Winchester Brass. 1 1/2" groups at 300 yds. Loaded on Dillon 550. Varget won't meter well enough for me to use a progresive so I use the other.
I don't know how they will work in the heat of summer but this winter they were fine.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I'm about to put together some 168 grain matchkings in .308. The load I'm going to run is 42 grains of H-4895, Remington brass, Remington primer, and I'm going to seat them out at 2.790, about 20 thousandths short of the lands.