.308 and bullet weight?

[kimberman]

I'm about to begin load developement for my first .308. The rifle is a Remington 700 VSF with 26" barrell and 1:12 twist. I want to punch paper out to 500yds and possibly beyond if I get enough practice.

I've got 168 gr BTHP hornady's, 165 gr hpbt sierra's and 180 gr swift sirraco's. I also have a variety of 150, 165, and 180 gr hunting bullets, such as interbond, and sst. My powders on hand are rl-15, h414, imr-4350 and imr 4831.

I was thinking of starting with the 168 gr BTHP hornady's with rl-15. I might try some of the sierra 150's with rl-15 or h414.

I've never shot much competitively or with the .308, so I was just wondering if I'm on the right track here. I'm guessing the 180's are a little heavy and anything under 150's are a little light.

 

[Ice-Pick]

.308 loads

Hornady 168 gr HPBT's work great with varget for shorter range. I think the O.R.A. guys are using 155 GR Palma's for 600 yds.

 

[simulate]

155Sierra HBPT and 2015 BR powder win matches at 900 metres. I find the better B. Coefficient lighter bullet just seems to work better.
My 2c.
Good luck.

 

[Skullboy]

Start with the Reloader-15.........that is the current powder for the U.S. Military M118LR Sniper/Match ammunition.

Try the Sierra 168 gr. Matchking, or the Sierra 155 gr. Palma bullet. I never had good experiences with Hornady match bullets, expect for the 178 gr. AMAX which my barrel loves....................

Also give the Sierra 175 gr. Matchking a try.My stock Rem 700P barrel liked that bullet and shot it very well.

Reloader-15, Varget, H-BLC2, WW748, IMR 4064, and IMR 4895 are all good .30 Cal powders.

SKBY.

 

[maynard]

168's will work out to 900 yards maybe, but are the worst bullet made for 1000 yards. Target Rifle shooters have a max bullet weight of 156 gr. Sierra, Nosler, Lapua, Bergers and Hornady all offer 155 gr bullets. Like Skullboy I have never had any luck with Hornady AMAX 155's.
Lapua, Bergers for long range (800-1000) and Nosler or Sierra for shorts (300-600) if I can get my hands on enough of each.
If not, I have no problems using any of the above bullets at all ranges.

 

[gushulak]

My Rem700P has a particular thing for the178gr. AMAX, it shoots great with everything, but shines with AMAX's for some reason. Give them a try. I have to really try to handload a bad accuracy load with AMAX's, which obviously isn't my goal during load development.

 

[kimberman]

Thanks for the tips guys! I'm a little disapointed about the hornadys, I've used Interbonds in my hunting rigs and really like them. The sierra's are probably the easiest bullets for me to find so I'll probably start with them. The next time I get to town I'll look for the 178 gr amax and maybe some varget.

It'll probably take me a while to get out to 800-900 yards, but I hope to get there by this fall.

Thanks again!