Ok, thanks and I get that. However I'm trying to avoid all the "My 6BR is a hammer, 308 is obsolete " comments. ![Grinning face :grinning: 😀](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png)
![Grinning face :grinning: 😀](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png)
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Loaded with 168 SMK's as I don't recall the 175 SMK's being available at the time. As X count said match ammo intended for national match comp. with the longest target is at 600 Yds.Those knurlings were on M852 rounds, which was “not for combat use”.
Match ammo originally made for NM M14’s
Loaded with 168 SMK's as I don't recall the 175 SMK's being available at the time. As X count said match ammo intended for national match comp. with the longest target is at 600 Yds.
Always buy the correct die for the cartridge, being sized...is usually the best bet for getting a usable fit for your rifle, for the average reloader.Small base die question here.
-Shouldn't the inner diameter of a small base die be smaller than a standard full length sizing die?
Background: trying to use .308 small base die to resize the body of my 6 br brass. Long story there.
I went and bought a RCBS .308 Small Base set. 6 br brass falls right in. Weird.....
I pull out my existing Hornady .308 die (not the Match) set and my 6 br brass requires a press to even have a chance of going in.
Guys, do any of you by chance have a picture of a 155 scenar next to a 175 SMK? I bought a 308 with an 11.27 twist. When I asked the previous owner why he didn't go with a 10 twist instead, he said he had it done specifically for the 155s.
I try to chamber factory ammo with 175s and it becomes somewhat difficult to close the bolt. I then realized I might be kissing the lands or barely jamming.
I'm trying to see if bullet base to Ogive on a 155 is much shorter than on a 175. Or, it might be longer but the ogive is at a much lower point on the bullet. I will re-check again tmrw with a sharpie painted factory 175 and see if the lands are showing up. I just had my brain going right now and figured I'd ask. Maybe the rifle is short throated and I may have to ream it out.
Yes the 155. Scenar is surprisingly long. I compared one to a 178gr ELD-M and there's nothing in it. Probably explains why they shoot very well in my Tikka factory chamber (11tw).In Palma and target rifle circles, they normally cut the chambers with short freebores for Berger, Sierra. From as little as 0 freebore to a massive 0.050". Or they cut them long for Lapua Scenar with a 0.100" to 0.120" freebore.
What makes the 155 Scenar different is that is has pretty much the same external dimensions as the 175gr Scenar; just contains 20gr less lead.
I suspect that your chamber has the short freebore. If the chamber was cut for the 155gr Scenar it would have had a long freebore.
Guys, do any of you by chance have a picture of a 155 scenar next to a 175 SMK? I bought a 308 with an 11.27 twist. When I asked the previous owner why he didn't go with a 10 twist instead, he said he had it done specifically for the 155s.
I try to chamber factory ammo with 175s and it becomes somewhat difficult to close the bolt. I then realized I might be kissing the lands or barely jamming.
I'm trying to see if bullet base to Ogive on a 155 is much shorter than on a 175. Or, it might be longer but the ogive is at a much lower point on the bullet. I will re-check again tmrw with a sharpie painted factory 175 and see if the lands are showing up. I just had my brain going right now and figured I'd ask. Maybe the rifle is short throated and I may have to ream it out.
Are there any marks on the bullet? You can always just check the OAL to lands with the 175 and then measure the factory ammo.
You can load 175smk at 2.775” if the longer COAL really are hitting the lands. I’d be really surprised if factory length ammo is hitting the rifling tho
I think the marks that are imprinting are just that. Land marks. I'll get some pics in a bit.
How do you suppose I measure OAL to land with the 175? I'm barely going to start reloading soon so it'll help me to know.
I've seen the method where gut out the bolt. They then insert a case with a bullet in it with very minimal neck tension to allow it to be pushed inside the case as it start going into the lands. The bolt should free fall down with no resistance. Is this what you mean?
There is risk moving away from saami spec chamber.It sucks if factory ammo is indeed hitting lands. However, previous owner had mentioned he had this rifle built specifically for 155s. I would have imagined factory ammo would still be fine but perhaps maybe not?
I am bedding the scope base at the moment. Later tonight I'll remove the base to drill the screw holes out. I'll use sharpie to paint a bullet and then chamber it. I had already done this before but cannot seem to remember where I placed it. I'll update with what I see on the sharpie'd bullet.
There is risk moving away from saami spec chamber.
Could speak to person that did the chambering, another possible allocation for chamber customization would be for specific brass -- for neck diameter.
I mean the cartridges will be longer than normal 175 ammo possibly because the 155 bullet is way too long for its weight. But where the ogive is on that 155 bullet is still a lot closer to the bullet base than with the 175 no? That's why you load them deeper, so you're not in the lands. But then you introduce a 175 into that chamber, and the 175 has the ogive much further up and closer to the tip, so you run into jamming issues. But the 175 is still overall shorter so I can see why the 155, even loaded deeper, could be at saami max or just a touch above.Judging by how close to the case mouth those marks are, the freebore is mighty small.
I have shot 155gr Scenars in a Palma 95 chamber. I still have a few thousand left. I do have to load them deeper than the Bergers to get a 0.020" jump, but my cartridges were still longer than SAAMI max. Theoretically SAAMI spec ammo should still fit without jam.
Finally able to run the M1A at 600 yards this morning with the 169 Sierra Machking and H4895. Decent 10 shot group, 6.5"
View attachment 8452261
Load data:Ok I will bite, what was the load under the 169? And a brief run down on the rifle? We like pictures!
Nice rifle. 43.0 grs sounds like a hot load from what I remember.
VV 140 is your best fit, it’s Uber close to 4064. Any of the 5 series are double based propellants while they have tons of energy but don’t do so well in the heat.With H 4895 being non existent , and the IMR powders 4895 & 4064 getting expensive, I'm starting to look at the VVN powders, epically N 140 , N150 & N540 . They all seam to produce close to the same velocity , about the only difference I see is that N540 costs more. I shoot both AR and bolt 308's.
I use N140 with 155gr, very accurate.VV 140 is your best fit, it’s Uber close to 4064. Any of the 5 series are double based propellants while they have tons of energy but don’t do so well in the heat.
Good luck with those primers.Whipped up 500 rounds today. 168 SMK, 41 grains of Varget, old Winchester WLR primers. Old once fired Winchester cases from the 90's. COAL 2.80. I've been using this loading for well over 20 years, just lacking the Varget since the start of covid. Today was charging and bullet seating on my 45 year old Rock Chucker.
View attachment 8468080
They go bang, never an issue. Been using them steadily in the last few years. Maybe I have 20 to 30k of them left.Good luck with those primers.![]()
From what I hear, those older ones are more reliable than the newer.They go bang, never an issue. Been using them steadily in the last few years. Maybe I have 20 to 30k of them left.![]()
Those old primers work just fine...I just ran 1100 of them 50 yrs old.From what I hear, those older ones are more reliable than the newer.![]()
Ah yes, the old Payless stores where I used to buy a lot of shooting and fishing supplies.Those old primers work just fine...I just ran 1100 of them 50 yrs old.
$8.90 per thousand...
Less than a penny each standard or magnum.
Where might one procure these hybrid cases?For today's 308 Win loaded a bunch of these hybrid 208s and some 215 Bergers in hybrid cases ...51 and 50 gr of powder.
For a 9 twist 308 22" and a 30" 8 twist 308.
Sounds like a real barrel burner.For today's 308 Win loaded a bunch of these hybrid 208s and some 215 Bergers in hybrid cases ...51 and 50 gr of powder.
For a 9 twist 308 22" and a 30" 8 twist 308.
I bought 1500 cases early on...yrs ago then a few from time to time..a big investment.Where might one procure these hybrid cases?