308 Bullet and Powder Selection

[varano14]

So here is the deal, just picked up a Savage 12fv in 308 on the Cabelas deal. All said and done after the rebate I'll be into it like $250. I have not shot it yet but I am planning and acquiring what I will need to eventually reload. My initial plan was to grab a few different factory offerings and see what shoots and go from there. That was how I approached it for my 223. Anything that had a 69gr bthp in it seemed to shoot better then the rest, so that was what I am using. Is it worth doing the same for 308?

Midway currently has Hornady's ELD-M bullets on sale so they end up being the same price as either the 168 or 175 SMK's should I go with one of the Hornady's or just stick with the SMK's. If so which weight? Its a 26in 1-10 barrel. Is there some other bullet I should consider? I am attempting to balance performance and price.

The range I frequent goes out to 300. However about 45 minutes away is a 1000 yard range. I don't plan on going there immediately but I am loading with ranges longer then 300 in mind as that is the end goal.

Finally powder. I have an 8lbs of varget on hand for 223. Should I stick with that or is there something else that performs better for 308?

I know this is a lot of questions in one post and for that I apologize. Feel free to answer one or all if you have thoughts.

Thanks guys!

 

[isofahunter]

I the KISS side of me says use Varget and either 175 bullet you listed. But if you want max performance Berger 185 and 2000 MR powder. I use 168 and Varget but that combo runs out of gas at 900 yards, I switch to 6.5 or 300 if going further. Got to love a new rifle for 250 bucks

 

[varano14]

Yah I figured there was not much a reason to stray from Varget, as of now its seems to be fairly easy to find. Thanks for your thoughts I was leaning towards the 175s just because of the 1-10 twist but not really sure how to decide between the two.

 

[Brux]

IMR 4064, 175 SMK's

 

[GIXXER2000]

Varget 178 ELD-X Good out to 1000 yard very accurate. I use Varget for all my .308 loads even 185y Hybrid in a 26in 1-10 twist barrel. I shoot the ELD-X cause got a great deal on 800 of them and was pleasantly surprised how great they shot. I live in AZ so 4064 is to temp sensitive in the summer heat but have use in cooler temps.

 

[J McGriddle]

IMR 4064, 175 SMK's

+1

 

[BCP]

Hard to go wrong with varget

175 sierras are my favorite but I shoot plenty of 155 or 168 grain noslers because of cost, as well as 147gr FMJs from my m1a

PS - the 175 smk will make it to 1000 if that is your thing, same for the other 175-178s, plinking around with them at <300 can get expensive though

 

[HOGSJL]

Berger 185 HVLD has been good in one of my 308s. Also have a good load with the Berger 215 and H4350 if you are looking for long range. Also the 180 Berger Elite Hunter has been good also. These are all hunting loads though.

The 178 ELDX are giving me fits. One day shoots very well the next not so much. Inconsist results with it out of a 24" and a 16" barrel. Varget for the medium smaller pills just because of availability and "temp" rates.

 

[BearNaked]

I always used 43 grs of IMR 4064 with great results because at the time, Varget was nowhere to be found. I also ran the 178 hornady Match BTHP's with great success out to 1000 yards.

out of a 20" barrel I was getting 2650 fps.

 

[bucklowery]

My 308 likes the bar get behind the 168 gr anything but I settled on the amax for best for hunting and target

 

[varano14]

Thanks everyone I think you have sold me on varget to start just to keep things simple. I think I'll give the 175s a go. Then maybe experiment with other stuff once I get a baseline load

 

[18Echo]

Can't go wrong with Varget and 175's. It's nice because Varget can be used for several calibers so buy 8 pounders versus the 1 pounders.

 

[varano14]

Can't go wrong with Varget and 175's. It's nice because Varget can be used for several calibers so buy 8 pounders versus the 1 pounders.

That was also my thinking it's a lot easier to build up some extra pounder in case of a supply pinch. 2-3 years ago when I started loading varget was nearly impossible to find

 

[eicas]

There are some Varget/175smk loads out there that seem to work in about everything. All right around 43.0gr. Once you find your honey spot, you can play a bit with the jump and fine tune it. I’ve messed with the 185 Juggs a bit too, and am currently revisiting them. But for cost, and all around “shootablity” you cant go wrong with the Sierras I think. Theyre very tolerant to new loaders. At least they were for me, and still are.

 

[Sharpshooter3]

175smk + varget is golden for me but if varget gets hard to find Reloader 15 also has been good.

 

[varano14]

There are some Varget/175smk loads out there that seem to work in about everything. All right around 43.0gr. Once you find your honey spot, you can play a bit with the jump and fine tune it. I’ve messed with the 185 Juggs a bit too, and am currently revisiting them. But for cost, and all around “shootablity” you cant go wrong with the Sierras I think. Theyre very tolerant to new loaders. At least they were for me, and still are.

That sounds exactly what I am looking for. This is my first 308 so I would like to find a load that works well without to much work. I can always play with other bullets later on.

 

[eicas]

If you google “mk118lr” you should get lots of ideas. I have two loads for the 175smk. One is a magazine length loading, and another is a single feed. Im running a 700 5r milspec and the lands are halfway down the barrel it seems. No matter, I get good results with the 175.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I took my standard 175gr/308 load (42.2gr of IMR-4064) and substituted 178 ELD-X. It did not shoot quite as well as the 175SMK, but I think there's just a small charge weight mismatch (due to bearing length differences) at work here, and will refine the load as this year progresses.

I think the ELD-X is a great concept, and I intend to use it as a resolution to the hunting vs match bullet question. It's both.

I will be developing loads for it in .308 and .30-'06, and eliminating my 168SMK/165SGK recipes.

Greg

 

[Garvey]

178 gr. .005" off, H-Varget 44.0-45.0 gr and the sun rises in the east.

 

[varano14]

Thanks everyone, I jumped on a deal in the PX for 500 175s, and just picked up some CCI large rifle primers today. Once the dies show up I'll start load development.

Any opinions on doing load workup on a virgin bore? Should I run a box of factory ammo through it? I don't plan on any elaborate break in, just not sure if anything changes as the initial few rounds go through.

 

[spife7980]

Any opinions on doing load workup on a virgin bore? Should I run a box of factory ammo through it? I don't plan on any elaborate break in, just not sure if anything changes as the initial few rounds go through.

Do you have brass already?

I would shoot 100 rounds through it before starting load work ups to get it broken in. I would also make sure the brass Im developing with has been shot in my chamber so that they are all at the same benchmark unlike virgin brass that can have varying dimensions. So that can be 100 rounds of factory ammo that you then use the brass from or you can load your own if you dont mind putting in the work up front. It will be cheaper than factory ammo to load your own and you wont be stuck with the lesser brass thats usually in factory ammo.

 

[HOGSJL]

I break in a barrel-sort of by doing the shot and clean while running up to find initial pressure. Also fireforms the brass. It’s not for the 100 cases but it gets it in he ball park for operating pressures though. You’ll have to fine tune it with ff cases anyway but it’s a start.

 

[varano14]

Do you have brass already?

I would shoot 100 rounds through it before starting load work ups to get it broken in. I would also make sure the brass Im developing with has been shot in my chamber so that they are all at the same benchmark unlike virgin brass that can have varying dimensions. So that can be 100 rounds of factory ammo that you then use the brass from or you can load your own if you dont mind putting in the work up front. It will be cheaper than factory ammo to load your own and you wont be stuck with the lesser brass thats usually in factory ammo.

That was basically my thinking that I should run some rounds through it first.

How important is using brass fired from my chamber? I have 250 pieces of once fired federal brass I planned on using but it wasn't used in this rifle.

I guess I could load it all up with a generic load and shoot it, which may not be a bad idea as I will need to get used to the recoil. Moving up from a 223.

 

[spife7980]

That was basically my thinking that I should run some rounds through it first.

How important is using brass fired from my chamber? I have 250 pieces of once fired federal brass I planned on using but it wasn't used in this rifle.

I guess I could load it all up with a generic load and shoot it, which may not be a bad idea as I will need to get used to the recoil. Moving up from a 223.

I would measure a few pieces to find the longest ones you have. Then size them incrementally smaller setting the shoulder back .001-.002 at a time using your bolt/chamber to feel for resistance in between each step (remove expander ball in this step so your not having to open and squeeze the necks back and forth each time). When you reach the point that the long ones are sized enough to chamber without forcefully having to close the bolt on them then I would just use that setting to size all of the rest to uniform as you can with the expander ball back in. If you can chamber the longest pieces of brass right off the bat then it is what it is, they are smaller than your chamber. Size them all to where you arent setting the shoulders back any more, just touching the necks.

The one caveat with this approach is that you might have clearance on the shoulders but the base of the case is sized too large. Covering the case in sharpie will allow you to see where you have interference with the brass and chamber in case you have this situation. The only way to fix this really would be a small base die but I bet youll be alright without it.

 

[Hondo64d]

So here is the deal, just picked up a Savage 12fv in 308 on the Cabelas deal. All said and done after the rebate I'll be into it like $250. I have not shot it yet but I am planning and acquiring what I will need to eventually reload. My initial plan was to grab a few different factory offerings and see what shoots and go from there. That was how I approached it for my 223. Anything that had a 69gr bthp in it seemed to shoot better then the rest, so that was what I am using. Is it worth doing the same for 308?

Midway currently has Hornady's ELD-M bullets on sale so they end up being the same price as either the 168 or 175 SMK's should I go with one of the Hornady's or just stick with the SMK's. If so which weight? Its a 26in 1-10 barrel. Is there some other bullet I should consider? I am attempting to balance performance and price.

The range I frequent goes out to 300. However about 45 minutes away is a 1000 yard range. I don't plan on going there immediately but I am loading with ranges longer then 300 in mind as that is the end goal.

Finally powder. I have an 8lbs of varget on hand for 223. Should I stick with that or is there something else that performs better for 308?

I know this is a lot of questions in one post and for that I apologize. Feel free to answer one or all if you have thoughts.

Thanks guys!

Varget is very hard to beat in the .308. Temp stable, gives good velocity and accuracy and is usually available. I’ve had good luck with it behind both 168gr and 185gr Berger Classic Hunters. Since you are planning to shoot to 1k, stay away from the 168gr MKs. The 168gr ELD has a substantially higher BC and is a likely 1K candidate. It is one I intend to try. The 178gr ELDs would be fine too if your rifle likes them. I have some 178gr ELD-Xs on the shelf I intend to try.

I have made the mistake of buying a bullet I wanted to work in bulk only to have it not work well in that particular rifle. I know you want to get rolling, but I’d encourage you to start by buying a box each of the ones you want to try and let your rifle tell you which it prefers.

John