Since winter is approaching I plan to finally do some load developement on my wifes .308 with it's 22 inch barrel. Am trying to find a load for the 180 grain Partition as I really stocked up with seconds when they were only $10 a bag.
What are the two best powders to start with?

VARGET, VARGET, AND VARGET. And give BLC-2 a shot.

I moved toward the 180gr Accubonds. Cheaper, deadly, and much more accurate. Also allows easy use of 180ge Nosler BT's. POI is very close to eachother when using same components.

Happy shootin.

I don't think there is such a powder, every rifle is diff. I tried Varget, it didn't give me the best accuracy. I would go VV150, VV540 very uniform, a bit slower than Varget for 180gr bullets.

I had a very accurate load using Varget but switched to Ramshot powders because I could duplicate the results, find it, and buy it cheaper than Varget. Black Hills uses Ramshot TAC is several loads. Oh, it meaters like salt as well.

i have not loaded for anything above a 168 grain yet but for the 165 i used rg4895 and really like it throws great cheap from wideners and very accurate

RL-15

RL-15

Maybe RL17 as well.

quote:

Snowwolfe

go to the [your favorite loads - share them with us] and go to page 2 and read some of those loads..

The 7.62x51 and 5.65x45 thrive on the same mid burn level powders. Plants all over the free world have been trying every possible trick in the book (and a few out of it as well) to send mid weight bullets out of these cases at appropriate velocities, and with no pressure variations despite large ambient temperature excursions for 50 years now.

Pick a couple of appropriate powders for your projectile and experiment just a tiny bit.

Varget 45.5,168grain HPBT, Well prepped brass.
TAC 43.5 grains, 175 grain HPBT, Well prepped brass.
RL-15 44.0 -44.2 grains, 175 grain Sierra HPBT = M118LR
Varget 45.0 grain, Nosler 165 Grain Accubond = dead elk a long way away

You get the picture...

IMR 4895 get a vote.
although Varget, RL15,17 are also good choices too.

i read that RL-17 is like IMR4350.. 4350 is to slow for a .308

Snowie,

Hey Bud, have fun loading.....

My preferences are the lower & mid-weight bullets (150's 6 165's) in the .308 Win. I've purchased some of the Nosler Factory 2nds in the past and in every instance they've assembled into premium ammunition, so WTFO?

Overall, though in the .308 Win. I've experienced best results with Varget, VVN-140 (I like the reco above for VVN-540; never tried it but the entire VVN-500 series are spendy!) & H-4895, all superbly accurate.

You might want to give IMR 4064 a try, it works well and RL15 does also. Several of us shoot the 190's for long range and these two particular powders are popular for these heavier bullets. Believe the 4064 a bit easier to find/purchase than the RE15 or Varget.

I've had best results with Re-15 and Varget.

44gr of reloader 15

quote:

You might want to give IMR 4064 a try,

This performs best in my .308! A little compression is necessary but it provides great performance.

Thanks for the tips. I think I'll give Varget, 4064, and RL15, and maybe RL 17 a go to start.I like Varget but so does everyone else and it is hard to find right now.

Gerry, not interested in the lighter bullets as this is primary a moose rifle and I learned my lesson with light bullets and moose on this years hunt.

My son shoots an 06 and he was loaded up with Barnes XXX 150's. I suggested to him we should change to 180's for the moose but since he had a sheep hunt planned the day after we returned from moose camp he didnt want to resight in the rifle. To make a long story short he hit a nice bull 100 yards away with a broadside shot and that 150 XXX bullet penetrated one lung and not the other! Shocked the hell out of me to be honest. Fortunately the moose stood there and we finished him off but I never would of thought that 150 wouldnt of penetrated both lungs.

If I had one Yankee Dollar for every target fired at 100 yards in HBR matches with 150gr MKs and 4895 that would measure 3/8ths or an inch or smaller I'd sponsor a URL like this one. Or just buy a small country in Africa.

Rich

Shot 6, 3 shot groups today with 4064 starting at 41 grains and ending at 44.
Accuracy just wasnt there. One group went into an inch but the others averaged just under 2. This is on a MRC trued action with a Lilja barrel.
Next trip will try either RL or Varget.

I have had really good results with Lap Brass, CCI BR primers Lap bullets 167gr, 44.6gr Varget.
The COL was important.

quote:

Snowwolfe
one of us

sorry about that.. THE hunting load I load for my soninlaws savage 110 .308 is 45.0 grs of RL-15 with a 150 nosler bil. tip. shoots .750" groups at 100 yrds

For MANY YEARS IMR-4064 was THE powder for the 308 Win, prior to Varget. Varget certainly does like the 308 and to a lesser degree R-15. Any of the three will do fine but you will fine, I'm sure, IMR-4064 and Varget will serve you best if available to you.

4064 is great but a bit hard to meter.

On the other hand, the government has loaded roughly one-billion (yes BILLION!) rounds at least of 308 using WCC846. That powder is available in 8lb kegs from Pat's Reloading for under a hundred bucks.

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Indy:
4064 is great but a bit hard to meter.

Yep, the powder for 308

Reloder® 15
Smokeless medium rifle powder

The best all-around medium speed rifle powder. It provides excellent .223 and .308 caliber performance. Selected as the powder for U.S. Military's M118 special ball long range sniper round.

* Broad caliber range
* Consistent in all temperatures
* High velocity varmint loads

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
On the other hand, the government has loaded roughly one-billion (yes BILLION!) rounds at least of 308 using WCC846. That powder is available in 8lb kegs from Pat's Reloading for under a hundred bucks.

Rich

Rich,
Where could one find info on these mil powders? And thanks for the Pat's Reloading reference. They have some good deals.