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Win 748 Loads in the .308 & .223

S&W HE

S&W HE

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What's your most accurate .308 / 7.62 x 51 load using Winchester 748?

How about your most accurate Winchester 748 load in the .223 / 5.56 x 45?

Please include the rifle action type and barrel length with your data.
 
DISCLAIMER:

This load was in my rifle, and yours may vary - start with 10% reduction and work up.

With that said, the most accurate load in my Colt AR-15 with a 1:7 twist barrel of 20" was an 80 gr. Sierra Match HP in front of 23.7 grains of WW748 (seated to OAL of 2.550, exceeds magazine length - for single loading). Produced a 10 shot group of .665 inches at 100 yards, and the group measurement included a flyer. While useable at 1000 yards in matches as well, wind is tough on the bullet.

This load is .1 under max in the Sierra 4th edition manual, but .2 over max in the 5th edition.

WW748 can be temperature sensitive, especially in hot weather - watch storage conditions and sun heating.

YMMV

RWJ
 
WW cases, WSR primers, 69 gr Sierra BTHPM, 24.0 gr. W748.

In my Kel-Tec SU16C, I get 1.1" 10 shot groups at 100 yards.
 
I used it in the larger case 22-250 with a 55gr bullet.
Maximum loads were not as accurate as a 98% loading
and it did well with the cci 200 primer. The WSRM primer
did not improve my groups with the w748 powder.

BLC-2 also worked well with std and mag primers but as
mentioned, it is touchy in 85 degree or higher temperatures, for me.

Both worked better with 55gr or lighter bullets for the higher fps.
 


Here's an el cheapo AR I helped my son piece together. This is one of the first 3 shot, 100 yard groups fired; before the scope was adjusted. These were Sierra 60 grain hollow points on top of Win 748 powder, cci 400 primers, and random brass. The Sierra 60 grainers seem to be lights out accurate in everything I've tried them in, as well as affordable.
 
I've loaded 25.0 of WW748 under the Sierra 69 grain MK in WW cases and WW SR primers for my old Colt HBar with the 1/7 20" barrel. Works well on the short ranges we have here in New England.
 
S&W HE said:
What's your most accurate .308 / 7.62 x 51 load using Winchester 748?

How about your most accurate Winchester 748 load in the .223 / 5.56 x 45?

Please include the rifle action type and barrel length with your data.
Click to expand...

And remember just because this is my most accurate load also means it could shoot like total poop out your barrel....

R700 Varmint 26" 1-12" twist:
168 SMK , 41.9 W748 (warmer summer temps) .020" jump, avg FPS = 2548
I load 42.2 in the colder months for the 168's, my barrel has a nice accuracy node at around 2550 fps.

155 SMK , 42.9 W748 .020" jump , avg fps=2590


.223/5.56 Bushmaster Varmint AR-15 24" barrel, 1-9" twist:
52gr SMK , 25.9 W748 , 2.240 oal , avg fps=3212
69gr SMK , 25.1 W748 , 2.240 oal , avg fps=2921
 
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WW748, 26.0 grains; CCI Sm. rifle Mag primer; 55 grain Win. FMJBT; Mixed military brass.

The above load was loaded in the Spring of 1985, on a Dillon 450 (push bar priming and powder drop), in a batch of 20,000 rounds. I still have about 6500 of them left and they shoot fine, despite being stored in the barn for the last 30 years!

Accuracy is as follows:
1983 Stainless Mimi-14, 4.5-14x40 Veri-X III Leopould: 2" at best/100 yards, 3 shot group
1995 Bushmaster AR-15 A4 (20" chrome lined), 6.5-20x40 Veri-X III Leopould: .5"/200 yards 5 shot group off a rest.
1999 Cooper 21 (24" stainless single shot), 6.5-20x40 Veri- III Leopould:.26"/200 yard 5 shot group, off a rest.
2012 Stag AR-15 (M-4) 16": 2"/100 yards Iron sights 10 shot group PRONE. (This is my left handed son's rifle, and being a former Marine he insists on battle field test conditions).

The primers all were changed in 1998 by the EPA ban on lead, so today I would use CCI BR-4 or Federal 205 Match along with .2 grains of powder. There are more accurate loadings with H335 and Varget, but you wanted WW748 loads.

Ivan
 
I know you're primarily interested in using W748 and I do have one .223 that likes it but I recently had a great experience with a new powder, IMR4451.

It might be a little too slow-burning for the .223 but it should be perfect for medium-size cases like the .308. I have been working with a Savage 12BVSS in 6.5-284 Norma and while I found lots of "accurate-enough" recipes for it, I couldn't get that elusive one-hole group I sought. When I tried 4451, I got that and very precise metering from my RCBS ChargeMaster as well.

DSC_0974_zpshnpjxfib.jpg


That's a three-shot, 100-yard group and as you can see from the data, the velocity variations were quite small. None of the other powders I tried, and there were a lot of them, produced numbers like that. When something shoots that well and offers copper-fouling control to boot, it's worth a try.

Ed
 
55 grain Hornaday FMJ with cannalure, 27.9g of W748, CCI 450 primers.
Average 3010 fps from a 16" AR barrel and very accurate. This is a compressed load.

 
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Rifle: M1A NM
Bullet: 168 gr Sierra MK
Primer: Remington 9 1/2
Powder: 44.5 gr Win 748

I don't recall what case I was using @ the time, but that put five into .413" for me

-Klaus
 
This is the load I developed in my 1982 SP1 (back in '82 as well) and luckily my 2013 M&P 15 Magpul edition likes it as well:

26.2 W-748
LC 88 brass
CCI-41
Hornady 55 FMJBT
2.220 OAL

Just a nice, accurate load (1" @ 100 all day with 3X multiplier) that achieves 2,778 FPS in the M&P15. Haven't checked speed in the 20" SP1. Almost identical to Ivan the Butcher's load. Works in 1 in 12 and 1 in 8 twist rates (very lucky). Good luck!
 
.223 in different AR's: 1/9 and 1/7 twists
25.9 gr. up to 26.4 grains. 25.9 is a mild but accurate load using Win 748 and Hornady 55 Spire Points or Hornady 55 FMJ's. 26.4 is my favorite load with no issues.
I would be very careful going higher than 26.5 grains with 55 grain bullets. Some data maximums are too "hot" in hot summertime temperatures. I've found 26.4 grains with 55 gr. bullets to be safe in different brass, bolt action and AR's, hot temps, and with different primers. While it's a very good powder and I've loaded a lot of it in AR's it is mildly temperature sensitive.
 
308win. Ruger stainless compact rifle 16"bbl, 130gr. Hornady SP, neck sized Rem. brass, 51gr W-748 2835fps, shoots 3 shots @ 100 yds under 1/2" all day. (best group .325" @ 100 yards) I dont remember if this is a max load, but always safely work up to loads.
 
I had time the other day to try another of IMR's new Enduron powders in one of my .223s. I'm pretty happy with this three-shot 100-yard group.

DSC_0986_zpsfnqbytwf.jpg


The only drawback I've found with these powder so far is that they don't produce as much muzzle velocity as the powders I used to use in the guns in which I've tried them but paper targets don't need lots of knock-down power.

I also shot some test loads with IMR4451 in my .260REM Model 700 and while the groups weren't of the one-hole variety, they were among the best that rifle has ever produced. Velocity was down about 100fps and frankly, the very slightly-improved accuracy isn't worth the downrange energy loss in a hunting rifle. If the accuracy improvement was a lot greater, I probably would use it.

The stuff sure is worth a try!

Ed
 
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Nice shooting with the Rem 700 you got to love those guns. makes me wonder why I think I want a AR 15 to target shoot with. Don
 
You know, I've been having that same thought. I have been thinking about an AR strictly because some of them are cool looking and because the day might come when we might not be able to buy or own one without some sort of special (and expensive) license.

I narrowed my choice to a Rock River Arms LAR-15 X-1 in tan but even with my media discount, it's over a grand - before optics - for a gun that is only legal for target shooting here in Pennsylvania. Then there's the challenge of handloading the quantity of ammo you go through with something like that. I have a Dillon 650 progressive loader with complete tool heads for five handgun cartridges but I'd be looking at buying another tool head and dies for that caliber and having to fool around with lubing cases, something I don't have to do much of as I neck-size all my current rifle brass. The more I thought about it, the less attractive the idea became.

My wife of 43 years recently became interested in shooting, so I bought her a bolt-action 22. She's left-handed and had eye lens replacement that gives her distance vision through her left eye and close-up through her right, so she has to shoot a left-handed gun and if ever there was something hard to find, it's a quality left-handed bolt-action 22! The CZ 452 was my first choice but when I inquired with CZ regarding availability, I learned that the 452 is their only LH 22 rifle and production is back-ordered to November. I wound up getting her a Savage Mark II in stainless steel with a left-hand laminated thumbhole stock.

Shooting anything with my wife seems more attractive a plan than owning an AR, so that went to the far back burner for now.

Ed
 
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