Best bullets for long range 308

[Islandactual]

Looking for opinions on everyone's favorite bullet for 308

I used to run berger VLD and hornady ELD 168s in my old savage 110, hornady was slightly more consistent while berger grouped tighter.

Currently developing 168 berger VLDs for my new rifle (pgw action IBI barrel 22" 1-10 twist) from the research I've done the favorites across the board seem to be
175/178gr hornady ELD or Sierra match kings

Can't find any SMK locally so I bought some 178 hornady ELDs to play with, curious about bergers 185gr juggernauts and 200.20x as well since the 200.20x have the highest BC I can find

Currently using IMR 4895 since varget is non existent anywhere

Just looking for general input thanks all

 

[OREGUN]

My 22” .308 shoots 185 Juggs better than anything else (I’ve tried various 168 and 175 SMK, Hornady and VLD offerings). Just as a data point.

that’s over varget though so…ymmv

 

[b6graham]

the BC of 200gr is cool but can you actually overcome the massive speed lost? unless we're talking 30" FTR barrels with 3"+ single fed rounds

185 juggs are good
176 ATip

 

[OREGUN]

That big BC looks cool until you realize you can’t get the bullet going fast enough to capitalize on it.

 

[Islandactual]

the BC of 200gr is cool but can you actually overcome the massive speed lost? unless we're talking 30" FTR barrels with 3"+ single fed rounds

185 juggs are good
176 ATip

Exactly what I was thinking

 

[hafejd30]

My AI loves 178 ELDX

They shoot great in several savages as well. 143 ELDX in 6.5 and 260. 200 ELDX in 300 WM

The match would likely be a great bullet for what you want. In the past I’ve seen issues with hornady bullets consistency but the eld line has impressed me thus far

 

[KZP]

Berger 185 juggernaut is my favorite so far.

 

[jLorenzo]

From what Ive seen looking into this some, unless you are shooting past 800y or so 175s offer little over a good 155 unless they are driving fast. The increased recoil is also noticeable especially if your shooting a lot. YMMV.

 

[TF160 Guy]

Distance is key. Since I can acess a 1000 yard range, I go with Berger 185 VLD with 41.3 H-4895 out of a 24" Krieger barrel going 2,620. Does sub MOA at temperatures ranging from 40 to 90 degres

 

[supercorndogs]

"One was more consistent, but the other grouped better." {to paraphrase} Could you elaborate on that statement?

 

[Northman623]

, Winchester brass, Varget 42.5 gr, Berger 175gr Match BTT, BC .515, CCI primer, right at 2660 out of my AR10 26" barrel. COLA 2.82. You can take it way out for a 308. Best part no problems finding components and easy on the rifle.

 

[GONE BAD]

No one shooting 175 RDF?
For me this is what I've settled on
Published bc .536 but I haven't shot it to distance to confirm

 

[smoothy8500]

For me this is what I've settled on.

So, you never tried them but "settled on them" based on your brother's girlfriend has a hairdresser that said they might be good....Which they are but I find them finicky with jump distance.

 

[b6graham]

No one shooting 175 RDF?
For me this is what I've settled on
Published bc .536 but I haven't shot it to distance to confirm

I prefer not to have Random Damn Flyers. Ever.

 

[Shoots 700's]

185 juggernauts for me 2000mr will get the speed you need

 

[GONE BAD]

So, you never tried them but "settled on them" based on your brother's girlfriend has a hairdresser that said they might be good....Which they are but I find them finicky with jump distance.

Sorry about the confusion.
I haven't shot to distance 'to confirm BC'
Shooting out to 300yds and getting less than 1 moa.
308 gas gun
42.7 gns 8208
LC/LR 1x brass
BTO 2.196 +/-
2670 fps.
Works for me
Evidently everyone else's mileage has varied.
Carry on

 

[Darkside-Six]

Berger 168 Hybrids.

 

[brianf]

Frank did a video with flatline 198’s I think.

he was making a plate dance at 1400

 

[granite wagon]

Shorter barrel 308 155.5 Berger.
Longer barrel 308. 185 juggernaut

Both bullets handle transitional flight well & both tune pretty easy.

 

[Dogtown]

Yeah, don't discount the 155s (Scenar, SMK, etc). I still think the 175s are the gold standard for .308WIN, but the 155s are a close second, especially if you're running a shorter barrel (<24").

 

[flintcreek6412]

Unless you have a very long throat(custom chamber) 200-20x won't work. It's hard to beat the Berger 185s. Eithers Jugs or Hybrids. Anything from 155-185 should work, just depends on the distance. 168 SMKs does have a bad reputation at 1000 though. If going for 1000 I'd opt for the 185s to buck the wind. Stay away from VLDs. Very sensitive to seating depth but that's just my experience. Hybrids are the easiest Bergers to shoot. I also had luck with 178 ELDs at 600 and in but Bergers are much better overall.

Do you need to mag feed or single feed? That can make a huge difference.

If single feeding I almost always ran into issues with Hornady because their ogive needed to seat deeper and I could feel the donut at the shoulder when seating. Berger Hybrids were always able to be seated pretty long avoiding the donut. That's based upon a factory .308 chamber.

 

[Eeegadd]

Looking for opinions on everyone's favorite bullet for 308

I used to run berger VLD and hornady ELD 168s in my old savage 110, hornady was slightly more consistent while berger grouped tighter.

Currently developing 168 berger VLDs for my new rifle (pgw action IBI barrel 22" 1-10 twist) from the research I've done the favorites across the board seem to be
175/178gr hornady ELD or Sierra match kings

Can't find any SMK locally so I bought some 178 hornady ELDs to play with, curious about bergers 185gr juggernauts and 200.20x as well since the 200.20x have the highest BC I can find

Currently using IMR 4895 since varget is non existent anywhere

Just looking for general input thanks all

The juggernauts served me well!

 

[big eddie]

Looking for opinions on everyone's favorite bullet for 308

I used to run berger VLD and hornady ELD 168s in my old savage 110, hornady was slightly more consistent while berger grouped tighter.

Currently developing 168 berger VLDs for my new rifle (pgw action IBI barrel 22" 1-10 twist) from the research I've done the favorites across the board seem to be
175/178gr hornady ELD or Sierra match kings

Can't find any SMK locally so I bought some 178 hornady ELDs to play with, curious about bergers 185gr juggernauts and 200.20x as well since the 200.20x have the highest BC I can find

Currently using IMR 4895 since varget is non existent anywhere

Just looking for general input thanks all

I shoot 175 SMK with Reloader 15, 24 inch barrel, custom rifle. Yes after a day of shooting I can definitely feel it.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Tag for later

 

[4thandbleek]

I have used the 168 Gold Medal Match for 20 years on Whitetails and never had to chase one yet.....no issues as far as 300 yards, only had to shoot one twice.

 

[Heffo]

My 16” loves the 175 Berger OTM at 2600fps. I play at F class for fun out to 800m. As stated above the 185 Berger the go in longer barrel. Cheers!

 

[338dude]

Looking for opinions on everyone's favorite bullet for 308

I used to run berger VLD and hornady ELD 168s in my old savage 110, hornady was slightly more consistent while berger grouped tighter.

Currently developing 168 berger VLDs for my new rifle (pgw action IBI barrel 22" 1-10 twist) from the research I've done the favorites across the board seem to be
175/178gr hornady ELD or Sierra match kings

Can't find any SMK locally so I bought some 178 hornady ELDs to play with, curious about bergers 185gr juggernauts and 200.20x as well since the 200.20x have the highest BC I can find

Currently using IMR 4895 since varget is non existent anywhere

Just looking for general input thanks all

The 185 juggernaut is definitely worth a look

 

[sheepdog697]

Can you define “long range”? How far do you plan on taking them? How far can you shoot at a range that you have access to?

 

[Islandactual]

"One was more consistent, but the other grouped better." {to paraphrase} Could you elaborate on that statement?

Sorry I was a bit unclear there, I found the hornady to be slightly more consistent groups, while the bergers had tighter groups overall but only 1 out of 3 or so groups. Chalked it up to user error

 

[Islandactual]

Can you define “long range”? How far do you plan on taking them? How far can you shoot at a range that you have access to?

Range access is 200y but I'd like to get my rifle out to 1000 eventually

 

[Shoots 700's]

what type of targets are you shooting...200 yards is not long range

 

[Bluepsylo]

I've had great luck with Lapua Scenar 185gr with Varget 43- 46gr. Bug holes @ 100, proved to 1000yds. All 3 of my 308's, like to off the lands also. Worked better than the 185 Juggs

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

I've had great luck with Lapua Scenar 185gr with Varget 43- 46gr. Bug holes @ 100, proved to 1000yds. All 3 of my 308's, like to off the lands also. Worked better than the 185 Juggs

Do you know what speed they run at? What length barrel are you shooting?

 

[st1650]

I use 175 TMKs in my 16” DTA 1/8 twist. Easy 1/2 moa load.
2.880” coal 44.0gr varget - 2450FPS no issues hitting 1000 yards at 3000-4000’ DA and for some reason the advertised g7 BC is way too conservative. I was high 0.8 mil at 1000 yards from the predicted 0.267 BC. Never really figured out why, all my other loads on my Kestrel are very close to published BC and I verified the chrono multiple times with my MS3 so I just run with the modified curve.

On paper the Berger 185s would probably perform better but they’re way more expensive and hard to find up here and I can find 175 TMKs at my LGS for pretty cheap: 55$ per 100ct as opposed to the Berger which is almost be 80-90$ per 100.

Also the TMKs are apparently better on game than the SMKs. The FGMM 175 SMK also shoots 1/2” but doesn’t have as good ballistics of course but is much more forgiving for seating depth. I also shot the 175 SMK at 2450 FPS and had no issues at 1000 yards but it was a light wind day.

 

[st1650]

Not gonna lie though .. those Berger elite hunter 180 @ .295BC looks pretty sweet on paper, especially with the DTA mag where you're not really coal limited.

 

[Bluepsylo]

All of these are from my factory CZ 750 S1 which has 26" barrel.

Do you know what speed they run at? What length barrel are you shooting?

 

[Bluepsylo]

All of these are from my factory CZ 750 S1 which has 26" barrel.

All of these are from my factory CZ 750 S1 which has 26" barrel.

 

[Bluepsylo]

All of these are from my factory CZ 750 S1 which has 26" barrel.

 

[st1650]

Isn’t 46gr varget a wee bit on the hot side for a 185gr projectile?

 

[AZgeek]

My AI loves 178 ELDX

They shoot great in several savages as well. 143 ELDX in 6.5 and 260. 200 ELDX in 300 WM

The match would likely be a great bullet for what you want. In the past I’ve seen issues with hornady bullets consistency but the eld line has impressed me thus far

The 178 ELDX is pretty much all I shoot any more. Tack driver out of my Remington R5 Milspec.

 

[Bluepsylo]

Isn’t 46gr varget a wee bit on the hot side for a 185gr projectile?

It is a HOT load forsure but runs in MY rifle with no pressure signs.

 

[Bluepsylo]

I'm trying to load pictures but it's not working. I have super slow internet...

 

[Geaux tigers]

155smk or 185 juggernaut I’ve used both with good results

 

[TheNatural21]

I shoot a short (18") barreled 308 more than anything else. At 200 yards darn near anything will work, and if you don't have access to a longer range regularly you probably don't want to deal with the drawbacks of the heavy bullets. Those big heavy high BC bullets the F Class guys talk about are not very magazine friendly, more expensive (in my area if not everywhere), they recoil more, and some don't work well with a standard throat.

I use 2 loads. 185 juggs do well at longer distances ("long" for a short barrel 308). Then I have a load for a Hornady 155 BTHP I use most often at short distances including the 300m range 5 min from my house. I tuned the velocity of the 155 load so the drop matches the 185's to 400m. That 155 load ends up being cheap, low recoil, and accurate enough.

The 178 ELDX works pretty good too.

 

[st1650]

It is a HOT load forsure but runs in MY rifle with no pressure signs.

I’ve read also that the SRP Palma Lapua brass you can increase the load a little bit as opposed to the standard large rifle primer brass.

 

[Luka]

308 Win. Federal 175 Sierra match kings
100 m
Stiller's Actions SPECTRE
.308 Win
Vortex Optics Razor HD AMG 6-24x50
EBR-7B FFP MRAD Reticle | 30mm Tube
Bartlein Barrels, Inc HV Modified, 28 inch, 5R , Twist 1-10
Timney Triggers 2-STAGE CALVIN ELITE
Accuracy International Ltd AICS AX 2014 Rem 700 SA Stock
Spuhr AB MOUNT 30MM 0 MOA
20MOA Rail
Vortex Optics RIFLESCOPE LO PRO BUBBLEVEL 30MM
Vortex Optics Switchview Throw Lever
Vortex Optics Flip Cap Optic Cover
B&T Industries BT65-LW17 Gen. 2 CAL Atlas Bipod
Really Right Stuff SOAR SOAR AIAX/AX AICS ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL AUXILIARY PLATE
HOPTIC USA SADDLE BLANKET

 

[10X Rifles]

42.0 of IMR 4064. which I've gotten a couple of pounds lately. 168-178 bullet. 2625fps out of a 20" Krieger barrel. (175 MKs)

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

42.0 of IMR 4064. which I've gotten a couple of pounds lately. 168-178 bullet. 2625fps out of a 20" Krieger barrel. (175 MKs)

I got to 44.1 of imr4064 and was seeing pressure signs and had to back off. Not sure how fast that was running them.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

I've been able to get over 2920FPS with IMR 4895 out of a 22" 308 barrel and 155 TMK's with no signs of pressure or heavy bolt lift.

Definitely better velocity than Varget and IMR 4166. Don't think I could fit enough IMR4895 to see excessive pressure in this setup. Hodgdon book max is 47.5 grains for IMR4895 which is definitely a very compressed load. I only went up to about 46.5 grains which was too compressed for my liking without using a long drop tube or some type of vibration action lol

I'm trying to get a 1000 yd load that groups well at 100. Have you shot those 155tmk's out that far?

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

No, just to 600 yards. They did better in the wind and definitely elevation than the 175 SMK's I was comparing that day.

Like them enough to order enough to shoot this barrel out.

What's the BC on those?