308 load

[lucaspot]

would like to know what load and bullet i should start with?
someone told me 43-46gr of hodgdon varget with 168 gr sierra match king and cci magnum primer....?
any suggestions?

 

[Winchester 1886]

would like to know what load and bullet i should start with?
someone told me 43-46gr of hodgdon varget with 168 gr sierra match king and cci magnum primer....?
any suggestions?

I use Norma brass,44.5Gr Varget,168 SMK and CCI Br2 getting .5 MOA
5 shots groups IF I do my part...

 

[Ron AKA]

would like to know what load and bullet i should start with?
someone told me 43-46gr of hodgdon varget with 168 gr sierra match king and cci magnum primer....?
any suggestions?

You can find some good loads to try at this link:

.308 Cartridge Guide

Varget is a very good powder to try, as are 168 SMK's. Also worth a try for bullets are Lapua Scenar 155, Berger 155, and 155 SMK's. For primers I would use CCI BR-2, or Federal 210M, instead of a magnum primer. Lapua brass is a good start to accuracy.

 

[ben hunchak]

Every gun will have a favorite bullet, so you have to experiment, i wouldn't go with mag. primers in the .308 unless using a ball powder, and the spherical H-380 is worth a try when looking for accurate loads.

 

[sunray]

"...should start with?..." Hi. For what? A Matchking is a target shooting bullet. Not made for hunting if that's your plan. Any good 165 grain hunting bullet will kill any game you care to hunt.
150 or 155 grain match bullets are good out to about 300. 168 grain match bullets are good out to 600 yards. A 175 past there.
Varget will do nicely. Hodgdon gives 43.0 to 46.0(compressed) for a 168 grain bullet. Don't worry about compressed loads.
IMR4895, H4895(close but not the same) or IMR4064 are other good .308 powders. Certainly not the only powders that are good for the .308, of course. None of these powders need magnum primers.
You only need magnum primers if your manual says to use 'em for a particular powder. They burn a bit hotter for a bit longer and are made to ignite hard to light powders and cold weather shooting.

 

[AKD]

First off, If your getting in2 hand loading you should go buy a load book.

something every hand loader should have on his bench.

 

[Budweiser360]

The 155 Berger's, Lapua's and Sierra are so good now, I would choose one of those or a 185 Berger BT, everything else in between doesn't give much an advantage over a 155 when you compare BC vs. speed IMO

 

[Shooter ----/]

Reloading forum may give you some ideas.

 

[maynard]

150 or 155 grain match bullets are good out to about 300. 168 grain match bullets are good out to 600 yards. A 175 past there.
QUOTE]

Well now I know where I have been going wrong all these years I've been shooting 155's out to 1000 yards all this time.
168 SMK's were developed in the 60's for 300 ISU shooting. They will work out to about 800 yards but turn into a turd past that.
No need for magnum primers.

 

[smak_daddy]

My 308 go to load.

46 grains varget
155 gr Sierra Palma

 

[tigrr]

What gun?
What yardage?
What is the size of your budget?
All these are relevent to our answers.
Mine lapua brass
lapua 155 scenars
Varget
cci br2 primers
My gun Savage Mdl 12 F/TR

 

[lucaspot]

thanks for everyones input
gun is a savage 12 vlp.

 

[gushulak]

My Rem 700P likes a 168gr. BTHP behind 44.0gr. Varget. 2700fps and very accurate. I am using Win or Lapua brass with a Fed 210M primer.

 

[mardig88]

varget or 4895
44 grains for a 150gn bullet

what i like about these two is the versatility. they allow you to reduce the total number of types of powder you need to stock up on

 

[kevguy]

would like to know what load and bullet i should start with?
someone told me 43-46gr of hodgdon varget with 168 gr sierra match king and cci magnum primer....?
any suggestions?

This is a nice load for .308:
WLR Primer
45.0 gr H-4895
155 gr Nosler Custom Competition HPBT
Any .308 win brass to your liking

Try it, I suspect you will like it.

 

[lucaspot]

thanks for everyone's input.