Best powder for .308 rds

[NJM15]

Just picked up an M&P 10 and will start reloading as soon as I get the dies. Going to a gun show next week and will pick up the lead and powder. I have been using H322 in my .223 with good results, any suggestion for the .308. bought 20 rounds to start with but $1 a piece isn't going to last too long.

 

[flintsghost]

Best powder for 308 is IMR4064

 

[MichiganScott]

I like IMR-4895, but that's only because I still have over 20lbs of pull down left over from when I ran a Garand competitively. Any mid-speed powder will work well, but which one will work best is dependant on bullet weight.

 

[muddocktor]

No personal experience loading for 308 Win, but looking at the Hodgdon reloading data they show that your H322 is also pretty flexible in loading 308 also for lighter bullets at least. They show load data for H322 for 110 to 155 grain bullets for H322. For heavier bullets, Win 748 and Win 760 look to be appropriate too. And if you don't mind using stick powder, there are a bunch of IMR powders listed too.

 

[waxman]

I load Varget or RL-15

 

[Just another 22 shooter]

I owned a 40X many moons ago that loved IMR 4895 with Sierra 168 MatchKings. IMR 4064 also worked well with mid range weight bullets. A friend tells me his 308 does quite well with Varget.

 

[RV4driver]

4895...Varget...good to go. There are numerous others, obviously, but these will get you there and are good for a lot of other calibers, too!

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

Varget,IMR4895 or IMR4064...Nuff said.

 

[Cdog]

For precision rounds I use Varget and RL 15. Both meter quite good. If loading in volume some of the spherical powders may have a bit more appeal than the extruded 4064 and 4895?

W748, Hodgdon BL-C2, and CFE 223 meter like water and deliver very good performance in the .308 Win. and .223/5.56

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have loaded a couple of thousand with Varget for my bolt gun. But I have to weigh each charge, for the semi-auto AR-10 I use a ball powder in the progressive. WW748 is the choice of Winchester. Their version is slightly different then what they sell us. 748 is a great powder for any powder drop, as it flows and meters well. Your H322 is a good powder for the same reasons.

Load up a magazine or two and see if they perform as expected, if not try some 748. Just a hint, if H322 isn't up to snuff, try a different brand of primer.

I found my AR-10 likes 155 A-Max but not 165/168 A-Max and only likes 150 FMJ/BT so-so, where as My bolt gun likes all three.

Have fun finding out!

Ivan

 

[serger]

BLC-2 is the best. If you could get WC846 that would work also. The big thing is they are both ball powders and meter very well.

 

[novalty]

I'm also working on 308 Win. loads--but my problem is too many powders to choose from since I've been stocking up. Not sure where to start: Rl15, Varget, Benchmark, BLC-2, W748, H4895, I4895, AA2230. According to my Nosler 6th Edition BLC-2, is supposed to be the most accurate of the powders they tested with 168gr. bullets.

 

[Steely85]

RL15 or TAC. Stay away from the Lincoln log powders.

 

[M1A]

For my M1A NM
Hornady 9th Ed. Manual
168 gr A-Max or SMK
Varget, IMR 4895, or H4895
My best sub MOA is Varget & the A-Max

 

[DWalt]

You cannot go wrong with 4064 or 4895. True, they may not meter through a powder measure consistently, but if you are really serious about shrinking group size, you will be weighing each and every charge anyway. However, do not neglect the importance of determining the optimum COAL to produce the smallest groups, no matter which propellant you decide to use.

 

[rockquarry]

Generally, and based only on my experience, I would rate H4895 best overall for accuracy and velocity with bullets in the 150 - 180 grain range. Varget and Reloder 15 come in as very close seconds.

My use of IMR4064 in the .308 has been quite limited, but some claim it to be the best .308 powder. Maybe there's something to that.

 

[Steely85]

You cannot go wrong with 4064 or 4895. True, they may not meter through a powder measure consistently, but if you are really serious about shrinking group size, you will be weighing each and every charge anyway. However, do not neglect the importance of determining the optimum COAL to produce the smallest groups, no matter which propellant you decide to use.

I'm 'really' serious and I haven't weighed each and every charge since Moses was in short pants. There is ZERO reason to do so.

 

[rwsmith]

The "Unique" of rifle powders....

Unique pistol powder is know for being EXTREMELY versatile. There are probably powders a little better suited for the .308 but IMR 4895 is so dang versatile that it's like Unique, only for rifles.
You can load it down about 30% and shoot bunny poot loads (fun to shoot) or crank it up to the max and get nearly the velocity of a more specialized powder.

That, and it works well in most all but the smallest and largest calibers. So if you get another rifle, you can be pretty sure it will do the job.

 

[alwslate]

Lots of good choices. My vote goes for Winchester 748.

 

[rwsmith]

I use a Lee scoop....

With 4895 I use a Lee scoop either directly or if I don't have the size that I want I throw a lesser amount right on the scale and trickle up.