Reloading rifle rounds

[Rastoff]

I've been reloading pistol and shotgun rounds for a while now. I want to add rifle to the mix so, I'm seeking a little help.

I have a .308Win rifle. I think reloading for this cartridge would be beneficial to its accuracy. However, I've never loaded for this round before.

What kind of powder do y'all use for a cartridge like this?

 

[MN2944]

Varget and IMR 4064 are popular choices.

 

[drummer007]

IMR4895, Varget, IMR4064 and W748 are classics for the 308/7.62. Whichever one you happen to have on the shelf

 

[505Gibbs]

Part of the answer is not unlike loading a pistol/revolver i.e. higher velocity or more consistent velocity lower deviation for target shooting.
I've had good luck with 3031 for target 308 loads.

 

[ChiefStealth]

Also H4895, and Reloader 15, and BL-C(2)

 

[snowman.45]

I use a load I developed with IMR 3031, match grade brass, and Sierra 168 gr. BTHP. I've been able to duplicate the Federal Gold Match in accuracy, point of impact and velocity.

 

[36general]

Varget, RL 15, IMR 4895 all work wonderfully in .308. My rifle loves 175 gr SMK with varget.

 

[gregintenn]

Pretty much all my favorites have been listed above.

Don't forget you'll need to trim, chamfer, and deburr the cases, as well as lube them before resizing. These are things you may or may not be accustomed to with handgun cartridges.

 

[phonejack]

I use Varget. Once, testing for velocity I learned I could get 3000 fps with 155 SMK's using my 40X without pressure problems. And that folks, is approaching real world 300 win mag. speed.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Just remember with the shorter case, the 308 will loose case
volume a lot quicker than the longer 30-06 case.
The 150gr bullets did well in my Winchester model 100 auto
but the larger bullets begged for "More Powder" back when I
loaded for this cartridge.
With todays "New" powders you may be able to get respectable
fps in the larger bullets if you want to try them out.

One must remember that SPEED is not always the best for ACCURACY.

Good loading.

 

[Rastoff]

Thanks for the help gents. I haven't bought the reloading dies yet, but I want to do all the research prior to jumping in.

Yes, I know I'll need to add a case trimmer to the list of equipment.

 

[4barrel]

I stay away from the military cases. A 125 Sierra spritzer is a good bullet and not a lot of recoil. You can always punish yourself with a heavy bullet. I liked my 308 so much I bought a Dillon power trimmer that resizes & trims at the same time.--748 is a very forgiving powder. Lots of powders work in the 308. I shot an M1A1 for a few years but it got to heavy to lug around. Now I am down to a Ruger 77 all weather hunting rifle.

 

[TenTea]

If Sierra Match Kings are too rich for your blood (like me) you might consider Nosler Custom Competition projectiles in 168 or 175 grain flavor.

I also do very well with ~41 grains of Accurate Arms 2520 which meters like water.

Best to you in your new endeavors.

 

[Twoboxer]

Federal Gold Medal Match 168 and 175 usually shoot extremely well out of most 308s. They use Federal brass and primers, Sierra MK bullets, and IMR4064 (~43.7gr and ~42.7gr respectively).

I bought a box of 168gr SMKs and they shot very well. Since I don't like Federal brass and don't have Federal primers, I worked up a load using Lapua brass, Winchester primers, the 168 SMKs, and 4064 . . . and got it to shoot even better than the factory version.

Also found that N140 is an excellent powder, and with slightly different charges performs similar to and shoots just as well from my rifle as IMR4064.

As always, YMMV.

ETA: FYI When testing factory match ammo in my then-new 308, I compared FGMM 168 to Nosler 168 and Lapua 167. For me, the FGMM and Lapua shot similarly and both were noticeably better than the Nosler.

 

[rwsmith]

4895

4895 is an old but very reliable choice. It could almost be considered to be the Unique of rifle powder. It was designed specifically for the military 30-06 which is very close to the .308. Another benefit is that it can be reduced a lot more than many powders for light loads, which I really like. It can be reduced 40% from max load.

 

[44R]

Reloder 15 and Vihtavuori n140 or n540 are excellent for accuracy in .308 using a 168 grain Sierra Match King. Varget is another standard. The Improved Military Rifle powders are great too, though IMR4895 might be a bit to hot for filing the case - though the best powder for M1 Garand.

Redding competition micrometer dies are worth the 150.00 if you're going to work for tight groups at longer ranges. There are a lot of on-line resources for 308. You might want to poke around the 6mmBr site.

Have you considered reloading for .223? With the 77 and 80 grain Sierras and the right powders it's an excellent medium range cartridge. I shoot 80 grain SMK's over 25 grains of RL15 at the 600 yard line all the time. It's a very versatile cartridge and hard to screw up. The components are very inexpensive and high quality. You can get processed Lake City brass for about 12 cents a piece and match grade bullets aren't expensive either (Nosler 77's for example). Uses half the powder of 308 and equally capable of punching holes in paper.

Of course if you want to hunt anything larger than a wood chuck, you might stick to 308.

Either of these cartridges are fine.

 

[GypsmJim]

I'll vote for 3031 as well. Chamfer and debur is only needed the first time. I reload quite a few times before I need to case trim, but then again I don't use near maximum loads.

 

[Rastoff]

Have you considered reloading for .223?

Of course I have. Eventually I want to reload for every caliber of gun I own. Alas, it's an incremental process. I'm just thinking .308 is next on the list.

Of course if you want to hunt anything larger than a wood chuck, you might stick to 308.

This is one reason I'm thinking toward .308 right now. I'm not a hunter, yet.

 

[ScottZ]

308 Match Loads

The AMU & MCRT match load for 7.62 (308) was
Serria match 168gr hpbt
41.5 grains of IMR 4895, for 2550 fps
Set numerous national records in both match gun and M14
Preformed great out to 600 yards

 

[brucev]

The .308 Winchester is a very easy round to handload. Personally I think it is at it's best for medium game using 150 to 165 gr. bullets. For anything inside of 200 yds. shooting deer, hogs, etc., you just don't need a cannon. I've used .308 Winchester (aka 7.62mm NATO) in a couple of bolt action rifles as well as several M-1 Garand's. I've had extremely good results using Winchester 748 ball powder. It is very consistent. If you want to load for match use, you'll want to look at the various 168 BTHP's. Winchester 748 will be a good choice, but there are others from Accurate Arms, etc., that you will want to consider. Sincerely. bruce.