Questions to make a good handload for Sako A7 .308

[sure as shootin]

Right now I'm in the process of prepping myself to hand load for my Sako A7 .308. I have gotten most of the reloading gear but no ammo components just yet (powder, primers, or bullets). I was wondering if anyone on site has been loading hunting rounds for this particular rifle,,,,or even if you've just been loading for a .308 and could tell me what you think would be the best powder and bullet to use for my hunting rounds. My Sako has an 11-1 twist and I was told that it should shoot a 165-168 grain bullet the best, however, I don't know for sure since I've only owned the rifle for a couple of seasons and haven't tried a bunch of different grain weights and just factory loads.

Any info or recipes for a good hunting hand load for my A7 .308 would be greatly appreciated! Cheers~

 

[Ganderite]

You did not say what you hunt.

308 is quite powerful. About right for a moose and much more than is needed for a deer.

I like to keep my hunting rifle simple, so I load my 308 with 180 gr bullets. These are perfect on moose, and do not blow up a lot of meat in a deer.

As for powder, it is often a question of what you can find. Do you have, or will you buy a powder thrower? It sure makes loading easier. If you buy a ball powder, it will throw directly into the case with excellent consistency. I have often thrown 10 consecutive loads without so much as a tenth of a grain variation.

good ball powders for your 308 would be H380, BLC2, H335, WW748.

If you buy an extruded powder, look for RL15, Varget, 4895, 4320, or 4350. They can be thrown too, but won't be dead nuts accurate. But still plenty good enough for hunting ammo.

 

[sure as shootin]

You did not say what you hunt.

It will be used mainly for deer and a backup for moose and elk,,,,I have a 300 WSM for the larger game which I will try to reload for, as well. I doubt I'll go any higher than 165-168 gr. for the deer unless I can find something lighter that my gun likes more and is just or more accurate. I guess my goal is to get as small a grouping as I can with a bullet that is most suitable for hunting.

 

[Kevlak]

My tikka t3 308 gets a steady diet of H4895, I use 155gr Berger hunting vlds for target, because they are a little cheaper and group very well out of my rifle. For my hunting loads I use the 150gr Barnes ttsx. CCI larger rifle primers for my target loads and federal 210m's for my hunting loads. All Winchester brass. I've tried varget, get the same speeds but is better accuracy with H4895.

Kevin

 

[Ganderite]

It will be used mainly for deer and a backup for moose and elk,,,,I have a 300 WSM for the larger game which I will try to reload for, as well. I doubt I'll go any higher than 165-168 gr. for the deer unless I can find something lighter that my gun likes more and is just or more accurate. I guess my goal is to get as small a grouping as I can with a bullet that is most suitable for hunting.

Several of used 308s as deer rifles. One year, while we were skinning our deer, we noted how much excess damage was done by the 150 and 165 gr bullets were were using. We agreed that a heavier bullet would be less destructive.

I used 180s after that (the Hornady interlock) and found I was getting exit holes about fist-sized, instead of hat sized.

The other advantage of the 180s is that the one load works for both deer and heavier game.

 

[sure as shootin]

My tikka t3 308 gets a steady diet of H4895, I use 155gr Berger hunting vlds for target, because they are a little cheaper and group very well out of my rifle. For my hunting loads I use the 150gr Barnes ttsx. CCI larger rifle primers for my target loads and federal 210m's for my hunting loads. All Winchester brass. I've tried varget, get the same speeds but is better accuracy with H4895.

Kevin

Does the Tikka T3 have the same barrel twist as the A7? Or I guess what I'm wondering is, how important is the twist when choosing a grain of bullit?

 

[Kevlak]

Does the Tikka T3 have the same barrel twist as the A7? Or I guess what I'm wondering is, how important is the twist when choosing a grain of bullit?

I know tikkas are made by sako but not sure if it's the same barrel, mine is a 1:11 twist. I went for the 150gr Barnes ttsx because Barnes recommends 2000fps for it to fully expand. Mine traveling at 2825fps I'm good to about 400yds before it drops below 2000fps. I would not be hesitant about taking a elk with this round, and I already know that it can take a moose.

Kevin

 

[Ganderite]

Does the Tikka T3 have the same barrel twist as the A7? Or I guess what I'm wondering is, how important is the twist when choosing a grain of bullit?

For 99% of applications/barrels, the twist won't matter.

For absolute best accuracy, such in a benchrest rifle, the twist should be just barely enough to stabilize the bullet. So a 308 might have a 1:16 twist.

In theory, if a twist is much more than is required, such as with a 308 with a 1:10 barrel shooting 150gr bullets, the over stabilized bullets will group slightly bigger, but few rifles and ammo are good enough to see the difference.

In the real world, such as the 1:11 Tika/Sako, twist would only matter if you wanted shoot something real, real long, like a 210gr VLD bullet. Any ordinary 130 gr to 200 gr bullet will shoot just fine.