Tired of messing with Varget need another .308 powder

[karnaaj]

Varget is a great powder but the fact that it meters so horribly is really turning me off. I've tried 3 different measures including the Lee PPM. The Lee was the best of the 3 but still unacceptable. What are some suggestions for a good .308 powder that meters well? Thanks

 

[uneasy_rider]

Winchester 748 was made for 308. It works good. I also works great in 223, so its nice to kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

[taliv]

r15 rocks with 168g SMK

 

[sublimaze41]

I absolutely LOVE Varget, but I have the same troubles. It doesn't really bother me as I weigh each rifle load with an automatic powder dispenser. That being said, I had to go with AA2230 for the progressive when I was batch loading for thr AR. Metering is the big problem with Varget.

Hodgdon needs to refine Varget. Swarms of people love it, but hate the way it meters. They just came out with a new powder, Hodgdon Hybrid 100v. The powder has the chemistry of a spherical and the consistency of an spherical/semiextruded (shape). They did this so the powder would flow better through powder dispensers. I think the powder was designed for calibers that use H4350.

 

[Galil5.56]

Winchester 748 was made for 308. It works good. I also works great in 223, so its nice to kill 2 birds with one stone.

Fully agree about WW 748, and AA 2460 has worked A-OK for me in both rounds too (308 and .223), meters extremely well, and gives nice consistent velocities.

 

[jaholder1971]

I've never had any trouble with Varget through a Lee PPM. If your throw technique is correct every time you'll never get any more than a .2 grain difference in your charges, and in .308 Win that's squat.

 

[USSR]

karnaaj,

What bullet are you using, and what rifle are you loading the ammo for?

Don

 

[John4me05]

My buddy uses H4895 in his 308

 

[karnaaj]

What bullet are you using, and what rifle are you loading the ammo for?

150gr Hornady's in a Savage 10FCP

 

[fastbike]

Lee Autodisk Pro

FWIW, Varget measured very consistently for me in the Autodisk Pro (at Leaset as well as H-335).

 

[MarshallDodge]

Have you tried Hodgdon Benchmark? It has shorter grains.

I loaded 50 rounds of 308 and it seemed to meter much better than Varget.

I trickled the Varget but tried Benchmark straight out of the powder measure. My time at the range has been limited but so far it seems consistent on paper.

I'm using the cheapo Lee powder measure that came with the anniversary kit. It seems to do very well. I have a few loads that I use it on and the guns shoot sub MOA with them.

 

[jonnyc]

I've been happy with 4895.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I throw charges of Varget through my uniflow like it's going out of style. Now if I were still using my infernal lee PPM I would have given up reloading all together and tried fishing instead!

If you can't throw Varget constantly then you shouldn't metering your charges regardless of the powder. What powder measures have you tried?

heres a pic of some 300meter groups shot with a THROWN not weighed at all charge of Varget

 

[Grandpa Shooter]

I am using Varget in .223, 30-30,308, and 30.06. I also use the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. I checked the throw and it was very consistent. By eyeballing it, it appeared to throw some larger loads by volume, but the weight was right on the money. I even tried putting some of the extruded and chopped bits on my scale and weigh them only to discover that it took so many to move the scale (not a cheap one) that it obviously doesn't matter. The Varget I have is the short cut variety. In the past I have used some of the pencil lead stuff and could only get a decent measure by throwing short and trickling the rest.

The convenience of using down the 14 different powders I have on hand in order to use 1 far outweighs the slight and apparently insignificant difference in metering the Varget.

Just one man's opinion.

 

[dakotasin]

ramshot tac, win 748, and h-380 should work. try tac first.

 

[Vic303]

Blc-2

 

[USSR]

150gr Hornady's in a Savage 10FCP

IMR4895 works really well with the light bullets. Although the ball powders will flow thru a powder measure better, the extruded powders will offer the kind of accuracy that your boltgun is capable of.

Don

 

[Dave R]

I use H335 for .308. Meters like a dream, because its a small semi-spherical powder. I compared it head-to-head with Varget, once, and got slightly smaller groups with the H335. Could be because of better metering. Its also one of the less expensive powders.

 

[jerkface11]

I use a Frankfort Arsenal powder measure and it throws Varget consistently.

 

[stubbicatt]

Ramshot TAC is a good choice for this application.

I wonder though, through my PPM I get really consistent throws of Varget, and H4895.

Hm.?

 

[mule157]

no problems here with a uniflow and varget works well i think.

 

[Doug b]

My Hornady measure throws Varget well enough to use it in .223 / 22-250 and 30-06. Technique is the secret.I remember reading awhile back were a Hodgdon tech said to think of Varget as 4064 short cut.

 

[BsChoy]

i got rid of my Uniflow cause I use nothing but extruded powder....varget was one I was using alot of when I had the uniflow. I got a Pact electronic dispenser and scale and haven't looked back.

 

[jeepmor]

Yep, Varget is a bit crunchy isn't it.

I second the BLC-2 recommendation for metering, but have only used it in 223. Shoots fine, don't recall it being more accurate though.

BTW - nice groups krochus.

 

[dmftoy1]

I use H335 for .308. Meters like a dream, because its a small semi-spherical powder. I compared it head-to-head with Varget, once, and got slightly smaller groups with the H335. Could be because of better metering. Its also one of the less expensive powders.

+1