Varget doesn't have a number - just ask for 'Varget'. What you decide upon re bullet weight will be dictated by what your rifle likes the best. If you are always shooting sub 400m then all the 155, 168, 175 + projectiles will be fine.
My first .308 precision riffle...
- Thread starter ben777lemay
- Start date
thunderstruck
Regular
- Location
- Northern B.C.
OK guys you convince me...
Next week i will buy some varget powder...
Is there a number for that powder ?
For the bullets...Well i think i'm better to start with some sierra-matck-king.
Why ? B-cauz i have shoot some federals with s/m/k bullets ( but those were 168 gr ) and that was not bad at all...
But i'm not sure there is so much brands...
One thing for sure is i don't think to have oportunities to shoot over 400 yards... So i should stay in the 175-185 grains range !
Right ?
I would work with the 175smk. It is a proven long range round that has a superior B.C. compared to the lighter bullets. 400 isn't all that far but if and when you get the chance to shoot to a 1000 you will already have the round for the job, and yes the varget powder works well with the 175's.
Bolivar
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Jeez, it's like a gamble
I think i'm gonna go to sleep, well see tomorow...
I look forward to find the receipe !
But at the same time i know i must be patient and take the time to do it right...
That is the key. Reloading, especially when you are new to it, is a hobby of patience. Do some searches on line in the reloading forum and here.
Most of the long range 308 shooters are using 155 Gn bullets because for some classes of shooting you are limited to that weight. 45-47 Gns of Varget is usually where you will find an accurate load. Read and pay attention to the advice of shooters who use the cartridge, they will help you find the promised land with out making too many wrong turns and getting frustrated.
Another good source of information (IMO) is 6mmbr.com
Have fun.
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(Snip...)
Another good source of information (IMO) is 6mmbenchrest.com
Have fun.
Is this the sight?
http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html
I tried 6mmbenchrest.com but it seems to be a domain that is available for purchase. So I Googled 6mmbenchrest.com and I found http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html .
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johnny boy
Regular
- Location
- Northern Alberta
You should give the 155 Scenar's a try on top of some varget. Work realy well in my Coyote.
thunderstruck
Regular
- Location
- Northern B.C.
I think i'm gonna try...
- Varget powder
- CCI BR2 primers
- Lapua cases
- 175 gr smk
- 168 gr Sierra HPBT
Any recommendations for the powder loads with these bullets ???
With the 175s I load 44.3 gr varget in my 700p.
rnbra-shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
I think i'm gonna try...
- Varget powder
- CCI BR2 primers
- Lapua cases
- 175 gr smk
- 168 gr Sierra HPBT
Any recommendations for the powder loads with these bullets ???
Tomochan (post #18) has given a recommendation that sounds pretty good. And so does thunderstruck's.
The Hodgdon online data site says 42.0 start load for 168 and 175, 46.0 max for 168 and 45.0 max for 175. Remember that your Lapua brass is heavier than e.g. Winchester and will likely max out 0.5 grains earlier. BTW those Hodgdon loads look like full loads to me, I load 46.3 Varget in a a Lapua case with a Sierra #2155 155gr bullet and that gives 3025fps from a 30" barrel (and is a consistent enough load combination that I will use thrown powder charges at 1000 yards)
I have to resize full length the tubes for the first time ( brand new lapua brass )... right ?
I heard when you do that they are too small unless your die is modified or fully built with the dimensions of a case that have already been shooted in your riffle... Is that correct ?
I would like to thank you all, helping me, giving me some advices... i'm like a sponge right now !!!
I heard when you do that they are too small unless your die is modified or fully built with the dimensions of a case that have already been shooted in your riffle... Is that correct ?
I would like to thank you all, helping me, giving me some advices... i'm like a sponge right now !!!
- Location
- Peace River, Alberta
Get a reloading manual and read it. Please.
Greg
Greg
The bullet, i understand...
But why the brass ???
Consistency. - dan
rnbra-shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
The bullet, i understand...
But why the brass ???
FYI weighing bullets, weighing brass, and weighing powder charges basically does not matter for shooting a .308 at ranges of 600 yards or closer.
At long range, i.e. 1000 yards for a .308, differences in bullet speed from shot to shot start to cause noticeable increases in your group size (if you are shooting a decently accurate rifle; otherwise you might not notice the effect). What happens is that the slower bullets spend a bit more time in the air and therefore they fall a bit more and strike a bit lower, whereas faster bullets get there a bit sooner and strike a bit higher. So, spreads in bullet speed cause vertical spreading of the group.
So if you can reduce the variation in bullet speed from shot to shot , you can reduce the amount of this "vertical stringing" in your group size at 1000 yards.
In roughly decreasing order of importance, you can do these things to reduce the velocity spread of your ammo:
2. weigh your powder charges to within +/- 0.1 grains of your desired charge weight.
3. weigh your brass and use them in "bins" in which the cases weigh within 1 grain of each other
4. weigh your bullets and set aside those that fall outside of a 0.5 grain spread.
As you can tell there's nothing terribly difficult about these things, but they are a hassle and they do take time so it's nice to be able to avoid doing them if they are not necessary (and for shooting at 600 or closer, none of them are necessary).
You might notice that the list above is missing a number "1." That is because there is something that is much more important to long range accuracy than the effects of items 2, 3 and 4 combined. My recommendation to shooters looking to get good 1000 yard groups is to completely ignore #2 #3 and #4 until you have taken care of item #1:
1. find a power and charge weight that gives you uniform velocity.
This post is long enough already so I won't elaborate on item #1.
Bolivar
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Daniel
I read one of your posts earlier this year with a comment on what decent ES and SD are for 1000 yard shooting. I can't seem to find it again.
Obviously the small the better but a reloader can waste a whole season and pull their hair out trying to get a ridiculously low number.
What is a rule of thumb for "good enough" when it comes to velocity variation.
Also, with respect to Rule #1 above - doesn't case capacity (and thus weight) play a significant factor in pressure and then velocity? I've personally never bothered with weighing cases but I am considering going through the pain for my 223 target rifle. I would think that consistent capacity cases would me key to consistent MV.....or am I over thinking this?
I read one of your posts earlier this year with a comment on what decent ES and SD are for 1000 yard shooting. I can't seem to find it again.
Obviously the small the better but a reloader can waste a whole season and pull their hair out trying to get a ridiculously low number.
What is a rule of thumb for "good enough" when it comes to velocity variation.
Also, with respect to Rule #1 above - doesn't case capacity (and thus weight) play a significant factor in pressure and then velocity? I've personally never bothered with weighing cases but I am considering going through the pain for my 223 target rifle. I would think that consistent capacity cases would me key to consistent MV.....or am I over thinking this?
As with any experiment, removing variables improves consistency and (hopefully) repeatability. - dan
