Powder choice when several are available.

[Bayourambler]

Im about to start work up on 168 amax load for some mid range target shooting. It’s for rem. 700 sps 20” barrel , 308. I usually load up 1 at a time and chronograph them until I reach max , or pressure signs show or spike. Back off .2 grains, Load 5 , check group, and start backing down .3 or .4 at a time till satisfied. Now that I have a few powders in my cabinet I’m a little lost which powder to start with. Is it viable to use this method with every powder available that I have suitable for first test? In other words 5 of each powder at my set max load and go shoot groups with all different powders at first? Or, start stick with one powder first and rule it out completely? I have varget ,h4895,Imr 4064, win 748 and reloader 15. It was easier at first , I didn’t have so many combos running through my head! The gun likes win 748 with 125 grain bullets and varget with 178 grain. It’s a 1:12 twist. I struggle with velocity with varget and 178’s. Only get 2500 on a hot day, but they group well. I haven’t opened the H4895 can yet. I know it’s all personal preference, but I haven’t been doing it long enough to have a preference!

 

[Big7]

BL-C(2) is your friend in that size case.

It (or a precursor) was the powder for the N.A.T.O. round.
Works well in 7.62X54 good too. Same thing as .308 with a rim.
I know you are shooting heavier boolits so just work up a load.
Ball powder is the shizz on that size case.

Until you get into ought 6 size cases, that's your best starting point.

Just sayin'

 

[Walkalong]

I have varget ,h4895,Imr 4064, win 748 and reloader 15.

IMR 4064, Varget, and RL-15 are all popular choices for accurate .308 loads with 168 Gr bullets, so you are set. Pick one and work up a load.

 

[jmr40]

Chances are very good you'll find a load that is more accurate than you can shoot with any of those. You'll find a lot of guys who will swear 4064 is THE most accurate 308 powder. And I won't argue with them. It has done very good for me. But I've sorta settled on Varget as my go-to powder for 308 with bullet weights as low as 130 gr Barnes TTSX's and as heavy as 178 gr Hornady ELDX bullets. I've done just as well with RL-15, but I have hit a spot where I'm happy with the results I'm getting with Varget and see no need to experiment further. Not saying other powders aren't as good or maybe even better.

To me the nod goes to Varget or RL-15 because both of those are far less sensitive to temperature changes than other powders. That may or may not ever be a factor. If I were getting significantly better accuracy with 4895 or 4064 I'd use it and just deal with the velocity changes as temperature changed. But I'm happy with the accuracy I'm getting and the temperature resistance is just a bonus.

 

[Kaldor]

Id do a down and dirty load tests with Varget, H4895, and 4064. 3 shot groups, .5 grain jumps. Start in the upper half of the load range. Take the best group of them, +/- .2gr and test another 3 shot group. This is only way you will know for sure what works best and will remove all doubt.

For what its worth, Ive had the best luck with H4895 with 168s. Also have gotten excellent accuracy with 8208. Varget works great for me with 178s. My rifle has a 26" 10 twist Criterion barrel.

I dont consider 748 to be a powder for anything where you are chasing accuracy. Way too temp sensitive.

 

[dgod]

I'd start with 4064, I have had good luck with it. It is sometimes a little hard to meter, but if you can get past that, maybe scale each load with a powder trickle, I think you'll like the outcome.

dg

 

[Ironicaintit]

If you aren't chasing velocity, you could try IMR3031.

My model 88 isn't exactly a tack driver, but it's best groups were with 3031.

 

[dgod]

In my experience, the loads for IMR-4064 volume can be reduced by roughly 10%, and that data can be applied as a starting point with IMR-3031.

Just my $0.02
dg

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

4064 is what I use the most in 308. Varget, RL-15, 4895, and others all work very well.
My thought is find a powder that works and use it, there are plenty of other load variables to keep me occupied.

 

[Charlie98]

I've gone from IMR4895 to IMR4064 in my 24" Savage shooting 168grn Nosler and Sierra comp bullets... the IMR4064 gave better velocity and accuracy. I don't fool with any of the other powders the OP mentioned.

 

[Bayourambler]

Shot 5 today with 43.4 grains of varget . .7 moa. The primers were really flattened out and I had vertical string (which in my limited experience means Its a lil hot?). Going to back off .3 and try again. I'm guessing there is no need to fool with another powder, unless 300 yd test is no good.

 

[Walkalong]

The primers were really flattened out and I had vertical string (which in my limited experience means Its a lil hot?)

Differing shoulder pressures more likely the answer to the vertical stringing.

How flat?

Any round left on the edges?

Edges mashed into and filling the edges of the primer pocket from pressure?.

 

[Bayourambler]

Differing shoulder pressures more likely the answer to the vertical stringing.

How flat?

Any round left on the edges?

Edges mashed into and filling the edges of the primer pocket from pressure?.

Yes , looks pretty flat to me. Tryed a bunch of pics, couldn’t get a good focus. What is “shoulder pressure”? The shoulder was set back .003” when I loaded them.

 

[Walkalong]

Yea, that's pretty flat.

What is “shoulder pressure”?

Answered in other thread, sorry for the poor wording here.

 

[Jim Watson]

I could tell little difference between the extruded powders. So I stocked up on Varget.
Ball process powders 748 and 2520 were not quite as accurate. In MY rifles.

 

[MtnCreek]

Primer pockets on that fc brass are not going to last long unless you tone it down a good bit. If you want to load to high pressure, Lapua or LC.

 

[Blue68f100]

What brand primers? I've noticed that S&B primers start out a different shape than CCI or WW. They are more square and not near as rounded on the edge.

 

[Bayourambler]

What brand primers? I've noticed that S&B primers start out a different shape than CCI or WW. They are more square and not near as rounded on the edge.

Win. LRP

 

[Bayourambler]

Primer pockets on that fc brass are not going to last long unless you tone it down a good bit. If you want to load to high pressure, Lapua or LC.

Yep, I'm about to order lapua. Gonna let the credit card smoke clear from Christmas! Lol. I never used lapua, I have some Nosler brass for my 300 wm and have to say it's worth the money.

 

[Driftertank]

I like Hodgdon extreme line powders, personally, H4895 and Varget generally get the nod for .308-class cases.

For my .308, i generally like to stay in the 150-168gr bullet range. Over 168s, and the loss of velocity tends to outweigh the extra BC in my book, while under 150, i find they shed velocity and blow around more than i like. But to each his own.

My .308 is a semiauto, and my pet load is a 165 SST over 42.0 of Varget. Shoots well from my PTR as well as my buddy's M1A. We started with a ladder from 40gr-44gr in 1/2gr increments. Over 42.5, both rifles felt like they were beating up the actions a bit. So we didn't pursue hotter loads.

 

[greyling22]

Interesting load development process. Personally i'd begin with a starting load and load 3, then move up a grain or 2 and repeat until I got close to max, then see how they grouped and refine from there. I don't know why you would want to seek out a max load for target shooting. Often the most accurate load is in the bottom middle area of the load range.
Unless I have just completely missed what you were trying to say in your originl post.

 

[hdwhit]

When I started reloading, I chased velocity rather than accuracy. It took me a while to realize the futility of this.

Unless someone is just going to settle on a particular powder and decide to "make it work", the only practical advice that can be given for 1) your particular set of powders and 2) your particular set of bullets to 3) be fired out of your gun, is to begin with a particular powder and bullet and the starting load per the published data and work up.

 

[Reloadron]

While I do chronograph some loads my concerns were never velocity but rather accuracy. It isn't unusual for me to load ten with a single charge and shoot two five shot groups. Using my bolt gun .308 Remington I get my best accuracy using Sierra 168 grain match kings and 175 grain match kings over the classic IMR 4064 and I also like AA 2495. Anyway I try to work within good published load data and my concern is not velocity.

Ron

 

[Bayourambler]

I want the very best velocity I can get good accuracy as possible, that why I start high and work down. You never know , you might get lucky enough to hit an accurate load at the upper velocity range. Faster is better for shooting long, and in the wind.

 

[Driftertank]

Be careful about starting high and working down. Especially if you get data from someone other than the maker or a professional data book.

Always best to start low and work up, in my experience, watching for pressure signs when approaching max. Often in my guns i find i can work up over max, but only if my loads show no signs of pressure and there's evidence of another accuracy node I'm approaching.

Velocity is nice, but accuracy is better. Couple of key points i've learned:
50fps won't feel any different to your target.
50fps wont make much difference in trajectory.
You can't miss hard enough to kill what you don't hit.

To be fair though, i do prefer a load near max for a particular gun, IF the accuracy node is as good as any other. I usually find 2-3 accuracy nodes when doing ladders, depending on charge spread. If the groups are almost the same, I'll take the hotter one. But i always value accuracy over velocity. Sometimes 2 nodes will be very similar, at which point i will typically load 3-4 strings for each, then clean my rifle meticulously and shoot both loads in alternating sets to see if one is more consistent.