maximum load in 308 win
- Thread starter soditide
- Start date
Do you have any looading manuals? Such as Modern Reloading by Richard Lee, or ABC's of Reloading, or Sierra? If not try this... http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp
If I was you I would try using BL-C(2) for a 175 grain bullet in the 308... great powder that I find meters well
If I was you I would try using BL-C(2) for a 175 grain bullet in the 308... great powder that I find meters well
What he said. If you are not using a manual, you are asking for trouble.
Moreover, every rifle is different. One rifle might take the absolute max load without trouble, another modern rifle in good shape might develop serious pressure problems well short of that same load. Every manual warns to start low and approach maximum levels slowly, looking for pressure signs as you go - there's a reason for that and jumping directly into a red-line load you get from some stranger on the net is really asking for trouble.
Your rifle, your body parts and your call, of course, but I would stop and do some rethinking before going further.
absolutely what Atom said.and not just the part of the loading manual.I only use the manual to get a starting point,after that I work up to what I can tell from the fired case is higher pressure.DO NOT use max loads as they are printed in the manuals,they are only an indication of that particular test barrel.
paperslayer
Regular
- Location
- Chilliwack
FWIW. very RARELY does a bullet shoot more accurately at red-line. Also, if you have to ask that question - sorry to be blunt - you don't yet have the baseline knowledge to be skirting the fringes of what is safe. Stick with the books and avoid hurting someone.
What gun are you loading for? For instance I run a way hotter load in my Model 12 FT/R Savage than I do in my Model 16 FHSAK pencil barreled Savage.
Search the reloading back for a year with 308 matchkings and there should be some info come up.
Search the reloading back for a year with 308 matchkings and there should be some info come up.
In the immortal words of my shooting bud. Don't push the load, get a bigger gun. Like others have said rifles rarely shoot well at max loads, worse it is hard on the gun and potentially dangerous.
A slow hit is better than a fast miss.
A slow hit is better than a fast miss.
back40sniper
CGN Regular
- Location
- South east Sask.
Do a search over on Snipers Hide, surprising how many guys come up with same loads. 43.2+/- seems to be the lower node and 44.3+/- seems to be the upper node. Had a long talk with the techs at Sierra bullets and they said that Varget likes to be pushed hard, I have found the same as I load it in a few calibers. Having said all that Hogdon has data online and you still need to work up in your own rifle, some guns don't like max loads, IE tight chamber/bore.
I agree about pushing it hard. My personal load is 44.6gr of varget, which is safe in my rifle, however it is way over the Sierra book max, but lower than the Hodgdon website max loads. I have found in a few rifles, that varget works best when compressed. YMMV. Somebody once told me that the crunch lets you know the Varget is working.
I also agree that you should be working from a manual. Even one of the online ones like Hodgdon's.
