Short barrel 308 reloading

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Iamduck82

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Been researching reloading for quite some time (off and on the last couple years). And just bought my first press (gets delivered late next week.... Thank you ATRS).

Here is the question, i want to reload for my dad's old rifle (Remington Mohawk 600), but want minimal muzzle flash, and reduced recoil. Obviously I need the rounds to be accurate and effective (~100-250 yards).

I understand if you go with a lighter projectile (125-150gr) compared to a heavier one (165-200gr) recoil can be reduced. Where it gets tricky for me is I don't know powders..... What powder would I use for a lighter projectile in a 18.5" barrel, and not have a ball o flame?

I plan to reload of 300blk at some point so having common projectile would be ideal (125gr)..

Plan to reload 300blk, .223, and 308win; Would be cool if I could use the same as a powder I'd use in another caliber or for my 700P in 308win.

Open to suggestions... Biggest thing is my powder selection.

PS: I've tried the search function but results came out for full length rifles, or only focused on velocities and not recoil or muzzle flash in short rifles.

Thanks for the help.
 
i would be looking for rel15 or varget if they could be found. imr 4895 is pretty efficent as well. for the 308 stick with 150's to keep velocity up in that short tube.
 
I use a case full of Varget and either a Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tip or a Berger 125gr JHP. Both produce excellent accuracy with much reduced recoil. I have shot this combination out to 700 yds with very good success. I don't remember much muzzle flash but then I wasn't paying attention to that aspect. My rifle is a Savage Precision Carbine with the 20" bbl.
 
Havent tried it yet but i was researching similar loads.
Came accross a burn rate test where they tested half a dozen popular powders in 16.5 and 24 inch barrels. imr 3031 was 100% in both barrels.
That sounds like very little muzzle flash to me, all other powders were less then 100% in both.
All powders varied 120-160fps and they mentioned nothing of muzzle flash
 
not sure you would be able to use the same powder for all the rifles.
the 300 BLK is a smaller case than 223 and even much smaller than your 308.
on the hodgdon website i see they recommend very fast burring powders for the 300 BLK ( pistol fast burning powders) which will not be ideal for your 308.
 
Muuzzle flash and the noise that goes with it is related to gasses igniting when they hit the air. Some powders are better than others, and it has nothing to do with speed of the powder.

Buy a pound of a good powder and try it. Varget would be a good start. I had a 308 with a 18" barrel and some powders were so bad they would cause hearing damage.
 
I once had the same rifle and here are some of the results from it, with 150 grain bullets, either Sierra or Rem Corlokt.

53 grains of Norma 204 averaged 2630.
51 grains of Herters #100 av. 2600.
48.5 grains of H335 averaged 2696, with es of 36.
Canadian military averaged 2715.

I never saw muzzle flash, or any to speak of, from any of them.
However, the noise was horrendous. I had ear plugs and standard ear protectors over them, but it still made my ears ring. I was once shooting at the range and walked into the club house. First thing a couple of fellows said to me was, "What kind of a magnum are you shooting?"
I sold the rifle because of the noise. I wouldn't want to fire even one shot from it, as in hunting, without ear protection.
 
If you want to reduce recoil, going to a lighter bullet is the best way to go. A compact lightweight .308 like your dad's old rifle can be a *REAL* handful.


The Nosler 125 Ballistic Tip is a really nice bullet and if it fits your needs I would recommend it quite highly. It shoots as accurately as match bullets, in my limited experience with it.

Are you going to be hunting big game with it, or just plinking? If you're hunting big game, you need to ensure that the bullet you choose is appropriate for the task (the Nosler 125 BT probably is not).

The amount of muzzle flash you get will mostly depend on the flash-suppressant additives used in the powder you've chosen.

You should work up your loads to max or to near max, with whatever powder you choose, for the same reason that you should do this with any other .308 - because oftentimes that's where the best accuracy is found.

To further reduce recoil, you can choose one of the quicker rifle powders. With a 125 grain or lighter bullet, powders like Varget or 4895 will "bulk out", i.e. fill the case before max permissible pressure is reached. They'll likely give you good accuracy, but they will give you more recoil and (all other things being equal) more muzzle flash, than a quicker powder would. I.e. 50 grains of Varget will give you more recoil and blast (and maybe flash too) than 39 grains of H4198 or 45 grains of H322.
 
H4831 said:
I once had the same rifle and here are some of the results from it, with 150 grain bullets, either Sierra or Rem Corlokt.

53 grains of Norma 204 averaged 2630.
51 grains of Herters #100 av. 2600.
48.5 grains of H335 averaged 2696, with es of 36.
Canadian military averaged 2715.

I never saw muzzle flash, or any to speak of, from any of them.
However, the noise was horrendous. I had ear plugs and standard ear protectors over them, but it still made my ears ring. I was once shooting at the range and walked into the club house. First thing a couple of fellows said to me was, "What kind of a magnum are you shooting?"
I sold the rifle because of the noise. I wouldn't want to fire even one shot from it, as in hunting, without ear protection.
Click to expand...


I haven't shot her in a few years.... She is loud. Ugh.... Thanks for the info.
 
Intentions with the rifle would be a light backpacking rifle and maybe go after deer, or the occasional plinking...... If I were going after elk or moose I'd be loading task specific rounds. Of witch I'd have to suck it up on the recoil and ignore muzzle flash.

Main use would be JIC rifle. No hardcore specific tasks in any direction. Only reason I haven't sold it is I'm sentimental and don't believe in selling guns.

In my home we don't kick people out of the family because they are old and a pain in the ass; and the same thing goes for our guns.
 
The noise is a product of muzzle pressure, and recoil is a combination of the weight of bullet, the weight of the powder and the muzzle velocity. Reduce any of those and you'll reduce noise and recoil. Muzzle flash is, as already mentioned affected by the powder used and the amount of flash suppressant it has.

For hunters, muzzle flash only matters for those who miss on the first shot.
 
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