308 Berger 185 Load Data

[TheLucasRanch]

Anyone have load data, or a favorite load, for .308 Berger Classic Hunter (basically HT) 185 gr bullets using Varget? The data from Berger seems low and produces lower velocities than what many on the forum seem to see and favor. Is everyone exceeding Berger’s max values? Anyway, using Peterson match brass SRP, Federal GMM 205M primers, Varget. 20-inch barrel REM 700 SPS. Thanks for sharing. Just looking for a solid deer load inside of 300 yards and which doubles as a good target load out to 500 or 700 yards that’s all. Thanks.

 

[Shiftyk5]

I use the Berger 185 juggernaught, loaded long. Over book max. Load worked up in a factory 20” rem700.

185gr Berger Juggernaught
43.5gr Varget
FGMM magnum primer
Hornady Brass
COAL: 2.9350”

2550 FPS

Use at your own risk. It’s over max book load

 

[tlsmith22]

Try PowerPro 2000MR with the 185s, you can get some really good speed out of them with it.

 

[KnightOfNee]

Anyone have load data, or a favorite load, for .308 Berger Classic Hunter (basically HT) 185 gr bullets using Varget? The data from Berger seems low and produces lower velocities than what many on the forum seem to see and favor. Is everyone exceeding Berger’s max values? Anyway, using Peterson match brass SRP, Federal GMM 205M primers, Varget. 20-inch barrel REM 700 SPS. Thanks for sharing. Just looking for a solid deer load inside of 300 yards and which doubles as a good target load out to 500 or 700 yards that’s all. Thanks.

My load for my AR Krieger 1-10 18" 308 obermeyer chamber is:
185gr Berger Juggernaut
43.3gr Varget
CCi Br2 primer
Lapua Brass
Coal 2.8145

The rifle loves these, most groups are clover or better if I haven't been drinking redbull!

As always, work up for Safety!

​

Berger VLD hunter are also a good shooting bullet that I've had good luck with but at times may be a little more sensitive to seating depth.

I've also had Hornady SSt bullets fly decent for a hunting round, not as good as most the bergers but they hit fairly hard and if loaded well are not to shabby for shooting deer within a few hundred yards.

 

[wvfarrier]

I was looking at N550 but the velocites are way lower than I wanted

 

[Bantam1]

My buddy runs the Jugg's with Power Pro 2000. He seems to get great speed and accuracy with that powder. I want to say he is in the 45 grain range.

 

[Bobby Ball]

I found the 2000 to be fast, but I thought it was dirty compared to the N550, and Varget. In my personal experience I also felt like it went from decent to max pressure very quickly. The 550 showed slow in the reloading software, but turned out to be just as fast or close to the others. BL-C2 has given me the best SD so far (2.3). I found that the 185's seem to have one of the longest ogive and bearing surface and do a better job taking up the excessive freebore space in (at least my) AR10 chamber. And I've had good luck with the CCI 34 primers.

 

[db2000]

Seekins SP10 Proof CF 18” 1:10”
Magnetospeed V3

3/9/23
60F 33% 30.23in

185 Juggernaut
FGMM brass x 1
Varget 40.5
210M
BTO 2.120
2428, 2431 fps

41.0 gr COL 2.0170 2443, 2459
42.0 gr COL 2.0200 2505, 2486, 2499, 2504 moderate pressure signs


Savage APO 24” 1:10
Berger 185 Juggernaut OTM Target
FC 18 brass x 3
Varget 43.5
Fed 210M
BTO 2.144
2650, 2662, 2656, 2645, 2658 SD 6.7
No pressure

Basically the same with Classic Hunter bullets

 

[Heretic]

Try PowerPro 2000MR with the 185s, you can get some really good speed out of them with it.

45.6 grains for me out of a Rem 700 tactical in Hogue stock = .75" groups. Good recipe.

 

[Doom]

Your can get about 75-100 fps more velocity (w/ 175SMK) with 2000MR than with Varget in a 20" barrel but there will be a lot of muzzle flash and unburnt powder.

 

[Sgtsideways]

You seem to have gotten a lot of good information here. I really like the 185g OTM Juggs. They're the same as the 185g target Juggs also. The Berger line up has really helped with my groupings. The Juggs seem to like jump from what I have read. I hope to test this in the next few days.

I've had good luck with the following:

185 Juggernaut
LC 1x, 2x brass,, as well as 1x Lapua
Varget 41.0g, or Win 748 42.9g
WLR primer
OTS of 0.700"
Seating pressure of 38-45 PSI.
Velocities in the 2500fps neighborhood.

All shot out of 24" MRAD Barrel with Accu Tac bipod. My best 5 shot groups at 100yds were about 0.4 MOA and 0.45MOA, and has improved since I started using an adjustable bag rest. Hoping to get leather bag rests for Christmas...........Merry Christmas.

 

[TheChris]

Also shooting factory Barrett MRAD 24". Seems like I get very little change in velocity between 42.6 and 43.0 grains of Varget. Starting point for seating is 2.810 COL and might just hang out here.

Note that my initial latter was 41.9, 42.3, 42.7, 43.1, 43.5, 43.9, then I went back and ran more at 42.6, 42.8, 43.0, and 43.2. Temperature was close on both days (~70F) but obviously something was different from the initial batch to the second batch. Shot suppressed with MagnetoSpeed strapped on for the chrono.

It sounds like I could push faster and play with seating depth, but I think I'll just call it good for my purposes at 42.8 as that gave me ~.8moa @ 100y on a gusty day.

I'm open to feedback/suggestions, though, as I'm not an accomplished competitive shooter or anything, just wanting a good reliable practice round that I can use when I don't want to burn up my 300NM barrel.

 

[mark5pt56]

Try PowerPro 2000MR with the 185s, you can get some really good speed out of them with it.

Old post but yes, PPMR2000, work up, I had mine going 2700+, yes they were hot and flew great to 1K

 

[DDGKunia]

Axsr, 20" 1-10 barrel.
Alpha srp brass, fire formed, 450 primers
N540, 43.7gn, 2625fps with a SD of 9
This powder gave me single digit SD from 42.9-44. Kinda weird.

with 400 Primers I was getting blowouts, but the 450s hold great. If I needed to go to 400's I have a good node at 42.4 and 2490.
I use n540 for all my 308, 6.5 and 223. All heavy projectiles, but it is nice to only run a single powder.

 

[db2000]

Also shooting factory Barrett MRAD 24". Seems like I get very little change in velocity between 42.6 and 43.0 grains of Varget. Starting point for seating is 2.810 COL and might just hang out here.

Note that my initial latter was 41.9, 42.3, 42.7, 43.1, 43.5, 43.9, then I went back and ran more at 42.6, 42.8, 43.0, and 43.2. Temperature was close on both days (~70F) but obviously something was different from the initial batch to the second batch. Shot suppressed with MagnetoSpeed strapped on for the chrono.

It sounds like I could push faster and play with seating depth, but I think I'll just call it good for my purposes at 42.8 as that gave me ~.8moa @ 100y on a gusty day.

I'm open to feedback/suggestions, though, as I'm not an accomplished competitive shooter or anything, just wanting a good reliable practice round that I can use when I don't want to burn up my 300NM barrel.

I’d go with whatever shoots the best. Not worth a few extra fps IMO. I get 2540 w/ V43.0 18” Proof Seekins gasser and 2680 43.5 Savage APO 24” bolt. Those are my best grouping loads for 10 shot strings. Low single digit SD and fairly low ES.

 

[Kickin45]

DO NOT TRY THIS!!!!

 

[TheLucasRanch]

I use the Berger 185 juggernaught, loaded long. Over book max. Load worked up in a factory 20” rem700.

185gr Berger Juggernaught
43.5gr Varget
FGMM magnum primer
Hornady Brass
COAL: 2.9350”

2550 FPS

Use at your own risk. It’s over max book load

Thanks. I’ve worked up similar loads and gotten very similar results. Question: what kind of MOAs are you getting with this?

 

[MurseFlatLine]

I just recently discovered I had an old box of .308 FGMM 185g Berger Juggernaut factory ammo. I pulled one down and discovered a charge weight of 44.7g on my RCBS Chargemaster 1500 and a charge weight of 44.8g on my RCBS pocket scale. (Same charge, no kernels lost, both scales calibrated) which leads me to believe it is a charge weighed to the hundredths. Maybe 44.75g?

Reviewing hodgon load data, this appears to be a slightly above max load of Accurate 2520 (Hodgon max is 44.6). Powder appears to me to match as a double base flattened/slightly ball powder of two distinct kernel sizes.

I have found COAL to vary from 2.803 to 2.808
CBTO was 2.136 to 2.143.

I do not have groups available, however I recall this factory load shot sub MOA in a factory R700 5R.

I do not have Accurate 2520 on hand for direct comparison, nor have I worked with it yet. Open for suggestions and input from yall on positive powder ID.

 

[Xcount]

It's been a while but that powder looks more like MR2000 to me than A2520. It's more flattened, and 2520 is spherical balls.

 

[straightshooter1]

I just recently discovered I had an old box of .308 FGMM 185g Berger Juggernaut factory ammo. I pulled one down and discovered a charge weight of 44.7g on my RCBS Chargemaster 1500 and a charge weight of 44.8g on my RCBS pocket scale. (Same charge, no kernels lost, both scales calibrated) which leads me to believe it is a charge weighed to the hundredths. Maybe 44.75g?

Reviewing hodgon load data, this appears to be a slightly above max load of Accurate 2520 (Hodgon max is 44.6). Powder appears to me to match as a double base flattened/slightly ball powder of two distinct kernel sizes.

I have found COAL to vary from 2.803 to 2.808
CBTO was 2.136 to 2.143.

I do not have groups available, however I recall this factory load shot sub MOA in a factory R700 5R.

I do not have Accurate 2520 on hand for direct comparison, nor have I worked with it yet. Open for suggestions and input from yall on positive powder ID.

It's been a while but that powder looks more like MR2000 to me than A2520. It's more flattened, and 2520 is spherical balls.

Back in 2020 I used 44.9 to 45.1 grs of 2000-MR behind 185 Jugs and through a 20" factory barrel I was getting 2620 fps. I didn't get very good results when I tried the Jugs and went back to 175 SMK's that did well with that powder.

 

[Xcount]

I have both powders on hand. Under a 10X loupe they both do appear similar in shape but the 2520 is significantly smaller in kernal size. So if you consider the kernals very fine then that is probably 2520, if not it could be MR2000.