178 gr Hornady BHTP .308
- Thread starter coolzak
- Start date
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
Im working on 56.5-57gr of h4350. Oh wait..... You mean for the 308 winchester
Hornady book says
32gr at 2000 fps for a min
43.2gr at 2500fps for a max
Hornady book says
32gr at 2000 fps for a min
43.2gr at 2500fps for a max
Aprilia Man
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canadian "WET" Coast (Raincouver)
I got some loaded at 42gr Varget .... they might end up a little slower than 2500 fps.
I want to try them out and see what grouping I can get.
I haven't taken the rifle out other than to sight it in with a new scope back in January. I'll try and chrony the load next time out and see how it works out at 200yrds. I'll try some heavier powder loads and see how those work out. Keep in mind that every rifle responds differently with similar powder/bullet combos.
Edit: Looking at Hornady's data center, 180gr start off load for Varget is 41gr at 2470fps, max of 45gr. Definitely not as conservative as the Hornady reloading manual. I'm guessing I'm just shy of 2400fps with 40.5gr load.
I did up some test loads ranging from 41 Gr Varget up to 44.5 and I'll hit Silverdale early next week to try them out. Once I figure out the sweet spot I'll narrow it down to 0.2 increments and test them at 300 for spread. Your info was useful to get me a start anyhow. Many thanks!
You wouldn't think so but the profile of the bullet is significantly different so I didn't want to leave it up to chance.
I shoot the Hornady 178gr BTHP with 44.6gr of Varget. Good accurate load...out to 600 M, haven't shot it any farther.
No chrono...but judging by the drop...I'm getting 2715 fps out of a 24", 1:12 Barrel.
Meplats are a little inconsistent, but they are $10+ cheaper than other brands.
No chrono...but judging by the drop...I'm getting 2715 fps out of a 24", 1:12 Barrel.
Meplats are a little inconsistent, but they are $10+ cheaper than other brands.
Here's my test data if it helps.
Going by this, I take it powder loads oscillates like a wave so there's a best low load and similar accuracy with a heavier load? Looks like 41.8gr is your best low load and you can get by with 43.2gr in a pinch for a hotter load.
True, especially at this seating depth. If you go by the OCW (optimal charge weight) theory however, the group size at this point is not as important as the average point of impact. The shift in group center is the smallest from 42.5 to 43.2 so this would be the range in which the load is the most tolerant to charge weight variance. Group size can be tweaked by varying seating depth. I haven't done much more testing, but there is definitely some potential in this load.
These groups were shot round robin, except for the fouler/sighters. CBTO was 2.071", COAL 2.800".
Forgot to mention I got the following avg velocities:
42.5 - 2469
42.9 - 2493
43.2 - 2517
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