The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Reloading Suggested 308 loads in a Remington 700Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Suggested 308 loads in a Remington 700 | Login/Join |
| one of us |
I just picked up a Remington 700 in 308 winchester. I am quite excited-very nice gun, great price, in a lefty no less. I was going to purchase some factory loads and take it to the range-was shocked at new ammo prices so now I figure Ill just start reloading. I have never reloaded for 308, matter of fact I have only loaded 2 calibers, and have never owned a 308 rifle until now. I am looking for good whitetail loads out to 200 yards. Info I am reading on the caliber says that up to 180 grains, it will do what a 3006 does. Then I read that bullets UNDER 180 grains will be comprable to 06 performance. I have a 3006 that I hunt regularly with, whitetails under 200 yards(more often under 75 yards), and use Remington Cor Lok in 180 grain (factory ammo). I have been very pleased with the results of this load. With the info I am reading, I am wondering if a bullet less than 180 grain is better suited for the 308, or would a 180 grain be a good choice for my purposes? Thanks for any help and suggestions. | ||
|
one of us |
I've shot the 165 grain Hornady BTSP with 44 grains of IMR 4064 since 1981 or so and have been perfectly happy with it. Work up slowly. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
|
| One of Us |
Couple of loads that work really well in my Remmy 308 150gr Nosler Partition 46gr of IMR-4064 165gr Nosler Accubond 43.5gr of IMR-4064 Mine actually shoots these loads better after about 10 rounds down the tube after a good cleaning. Free men should not be subjected to permits, paperwork and taxation in order to carry any firearm. NRA Benefactor | |||
|
one of us |
My Classic stocked, stainless barreled Remington likes 45.5grs RE15, 9 1/2 primers, Rem. brass and 150 SBTs. Also likes 42grs RE15 with 168MKs. Stick with powders like IMR4064, Varget, RE15 and you should do well with yours. Jay | |||
|
| one of us |
CC - i am of the long-held belief that there is no necessity for 165- or 180-grain bullets for .308 (or .30/06 for that matter) when hunting deer, especially at the distances you are mentioning. penetration with 150-grain pills is completely adequate and expansion is bound to be better. the heavier bullets provide little (if any) measurable advantage while adding more recoil and rainbow to the trajectory. my experience in the field has reinforced this belief and unless i am going to be in bear country or hunting elk, i see absolutely no reason for anything heavier than 150-grain bullets. unless the heavier bullets are providing remarkably better accuracy, give the 150s a try. i recommend PSPs a'la remchesterspirekingcore, but once again, find what works best in your rifle. as for powder, i hear great praise for IMR 4895 and varget. i consider 2700 fps to be nearly ideal, but there is some room to play with velocity. as for brass, i only use winchester, but use what works best for you; same with primers. good luck! | |||
|
| one of us |
Thanksfor all of the replies. Tasukunwinko- This is kind of what I am wondering about. "penetration with 150-grain pills is completely adequate and expansion is bound to be better. the heavier bullets provide little (if any) measurable advantage while adding more recoil and rainbow to the trajectory." I started using 180 grain corelokts about 8 years ago, because I read somewhere for close cover shooting, you want to use the heavier bullet. I dont remember why it was mentioned to use heavier bullets up close. I have read others say to use lighter bullets. All I know is that I have used the 180 grain, and it has been working so I do not think I am going to change on the 3006. But since I am loading the 308, I figure to see what would be best for my situation. In the above quote you mentioned that expansion is bound to be better on the 150 grain bullet-why do you think it would be better? This is the kind of stuff I do not see written about. I see much about long range bullets-but very little about the "ideal" bullet weight for the close stuff. I wonder if it might be "at close ranges, anything is going to work", or is there a theory of "bullet weights for close cover". | |||
|
| one of us |
if it works, then by all means, stick with it. my own preference is for less recoil, flatter shooting and more expansion while inside the deer. for me, 150s have provided that in both .30/06 and .308 (keep in mind that the only difference between the two is about 100 fps). everyone's mileage varies.
in my experience, i've found that the lighter the bullet (and the closer the distance between rifle and deer), the better the expansion. i've also found that a 150-grain bullet is going to go through a deer, so the more energy spent inside the heart and lungs, the better. in the rare event that a bullet strikes somewhere besides the boiler room, penetration has still been more than adequate, but the expansion has been helpful in anchoring/downing the deer.
it's always important to try to match the bullet to the conditions and the game; i've simply found 150s to be the best balance. people have touted heavier bullets as "brush busters" in the event that a twig or stick suddenly jumps into the bullet's flight path, but the reading i've done seems to indicate that when shooting into brush, you might as well be rolling dice in vegas, so it's best not to shoot into it. | |||
|
| One of Us |
if your hunting is for whitetail deer the heavier bullets are unnecessary. here in florida where deer tend to be smaller i use 125gr bal tips over 49.5gr of varget. the last deer i shot with this load was a 129lb 3yr old 8pt. i got 100% penetration and he went about 20 steps and piled up. when you consider how many deer are killed with 243's and 6mm's it hardly makes sense to punish yourself with the recoil of 180 and 165 bullets in a 308. just my 2 cents. IF YOU'RE GONNA GET OLD,YOU BETTER BE TOUGH!! GETTIN' OLD AIN'T FOR SISSIES!! | |||
|
| One of Us |
I recently loaded some 125 gr.Rem. PSP atop 20-22 grs. of Blue Dot powder. They seemed to shoot real well out of my older 700 BDL. I need to load some more to shoot for groups. Recoil and blast was about 1/2 my normal load which is 44gr. IMR. 4064 w/ 150 Nos. B.T. or 41gr. IMR 3031 w/ Sie. 150. Both these loads shoot real well. But I like shooting the Blue Dot loads for paper punching and silhouette work .I haven't tried the 125s on coyotes but I hope to in the very near future.. | |||
|
One of Us |
I have always liked 46.3 grns of varget behind a hornady 165 grn interlok,,,gets me right to 2700 fps Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
|
| One of Us |
or 44 gr. of varget or my favorite... 41.5 gr. H4895 | |||
|
| One of Us |
My Rem 700 likes 150 gr over either 3031 or 4320 | |||
|
| One of Us |
I like 44.5 grains of Reloader 15 Sieera 165 grain Gameking Fed GM210M in my 700VS. Under .75 MOA, no pressure signs, and has been very effective on game. I wanted to shoot 125 grain and 150 grain bullets with this rifle, but it has so much freebore that the bullets fall out of the case by the time the are anywhere near the lands. And if they are not within about .010 groups go to 1.5 to 2 MOA. I know thats not terrible but I can't stand shooting an average load when I know another shoots better. | |||
|
| one of us |
45 grs RL-15. 150 SPEER BTSP WLR PRIMER, 22 IN. SAVAGE. SHOT OVER CRONEY 2840 FPS. MY 30-06 IS ONLY 2920. | |||
|
| one of us |
I like RL-15 w 165 gr bullets. I use the heavier bullet not because it is needed to kill deer ... it is not. I use them because they produce less meat damage than the lighter bullet. Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
|
| one of us |
I appreciate all the info everyone is throwing at me. Still havent figured on what i am going to start with, but I am working on it. Thanks again. | |||
|
one of us |
Max load of Varget with a 165 grner of your choice on top works like a champ in most 308s. Good Luck Reloader | |||
|
One of Us |
42.3 to 43.1 of IMR 4064 and the 165/168's  Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
|
| new member |
I wont give you a load but I like the sierra gameking 165 gr bthp bullet and the hogdon 4831sc powder. In my rifles this combo will shoot less than a 1/2 inch groups and does a number on deer. In the last 10 years I have only had 1 deer take a step. I use this combo in all my 30 cal rifles 308 through 300 ulti mag. I like this bullet. | |||
|
One of Us |
I'm with Jay, mine shot best with RL-15. Lapaua brass - CCI BR2 primers - 45.8grs of RL15 - and 150gr Nosler AB's. IMR4064 was also very good, Varget and IMR4895 just didn't seem to like my rifle. Dave If Accurate Rifles are Interesting.........I've Got Some Savage Rifles That Are Getting Mighty Interesting..... | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Reloading Suggested 308 loads in a Remington 700
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia