.308 Win newbie

[mikeyr]

not a newbie to reloading, been reloading since the mid-1970's BUT this is my first rifle round, all I have done until now is handgun loading.

So, I have a rock chucker, a dillon square deal and a 650. The rock chucker is setup for 38spl since I hardly ever load that round. The square deal is 45LC and the 650 I use mostly for 9mm but also .357 with a quick change kit. I have plenty of Win231 and TrailBoss powder and primers for both, 9 and 45.

But all of that is useless for .308 Win.

I am using the search feature here and found lots of threads to read up on and I am going through my books and trying to find a good load with powder that my LGS has in stock. I will call Dillon and get a new quick change and whatever else they suggest for 308 (within reason anyway as I know the dillon rep will try and sell me something way cool that I really don't need). I also have a unused Lee press, a 0 frame press (the one with the quick change bushing), maybe that one is better for 308 since its one at a time.

So I am looking for any suggestions on loading my first rifle rounds. For the immediate future, paper punching...later more fun stuff but for now I am just interested in general target shooting and I will move on as I learn more.

I am thinking instead of buying brass at first, I will buy a few boxes of ammo and shoot that and reload that brass, that will give me a idea of what to expect from the rifle and try to match it with reloads. Or am I better off just buying a 100 (or more) cases and starting from scratch. Any powder that works best ? I am limited on powder by what my local LGS might have for now at least, I don't want to buy a lot of powder online and pay the hazmat fee since I may change powder a few times while experimenting. Heck, I don't even know what size primer the 308 takes and I just thought of that, guess I need new primers too. Looks like 150-165gr bullets are the most common so I will try and pick up some of those.

8 days until its out of Jail and I can shoot my new (to me) Ruger Gunsite Scout.

[LeadFarmer74]

Do you have a reloading manual? That will tell you starting loads and what size primer to use. I would recommend buying some factory ammo to break in the rifle then use that brass to load up. Two powders off the bat are Varget and BLC2.

[mikeyr]

Do you have a reloading manual? That will tell you starting loads and what size primer to use. I would recommend buying some factory ammo to break in the rifle then use that brass to load up. Two powders off the bat are Varget and BLC2.

Many manuals, going back to the 70's and a few recent ones as well.

[robert101]

My 308 experience is very similar to yours. I bought some +-100 rounds and about 500 once fired brass shells for reloading. I found my rifle performed much better with my reloads and the (although cheap) Hornady 150 BTFMJ bullets. I kept track of the reload times for each batch of cases and have so far gotten over 8 firings per case group.

[Metal God]

Primers = Large rifle primers

Powders IMR 4064 , 4320 , 4895 , 8208xbr all do well . Varget very good . Reloader 15 very good . Others that work = Power Pro 2000mr , H4895 , H 335 , IMR 3031 .

As you can see there is a bunch of powders the 308 can use . I use IMR 4064 and 4895 the most . Had good results with RL-15 and all the others did just fine for general target shooting/hunting loads .

I like to use a single stage when loading for rifle YMMV . It allows me to be more detailed at each stage which results in better ammo for me .

[Catalyst81]

I use IMR 4064 for my 308.

[liber]

I've used Varget and H335 in the past, but have been using 8208 XBR with good success the last couple months. Varget is always a safe bet if you can find it. I don't care for the H335 in 308 as much as I do in 223. I like 8208 XBR in both 223 and 308.

[LeadFarmer74]

I've used Varget and H335 in the past, but have been using 8208 XBR with good success the last couple months. Varget is always a safe bet if you can find it. I don't care for the H335 in 308 as much as I do in 223. I like 8208 XBR in both 223 and 308.

H335 is a slower burning powder. Blc2 is more recommended for .308 from what I understand. Atleast for hodgdon powders. I like h335 for .223.

[Divernhunter]

Add to the list Win 748 as it is excellent in the 308win. It has been my go-to powder since the 1970's.
I use mag primes with all my loads without trouble of needing to reduce powder charges.
If you use a ball powder then use a mag primer. That is a rule of thumb for any rifle cartridge. These would be BL-C2/H335/Win 748 among others. I only buy mag primers now for all my rifle loading.
I use 125/130/150gr bullets in my 308.

[JagerDog]

Load development is generally more extensive than pistol. For that reason i suggest using the single stage. You'll be making up ladder tests of various combinations.

If future volume dictates, then perhaps move to the progressive.

Be aware, rifle loading takes considerably more front end work in prepping cases.

[Rusty Scabbard]

I like W748 and BL-C2, with 168 gr SMK. I get 5 loadings with the brass. Watch for pressure. Mine shows signs well under published max loads. ..And get used to case trimming. I rarely ever need to trim 44 mag but my rifle cases stretch almost every time fired.

[ducky_0811]

My all time favorite .308 powder is still 4064, 4895 is a close second. The military uses it in their long range and match rounds, there might be something to it. .308 is a great rifle cartridge to load for due it's wide versatility and you can pretty much find a good load with just about any bullet from 125-175gr. Good luck and have fun with it!

[liber]

H335 is a slower burning powder. Blc2 is more recommended for .308 from what I understand. Atleast for hodgdon powders. I like h335 for .223.

BLC2 is a slower burn than H335 per the Hodgdon doc:

https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Burn%20Rates%20-%202015-2016.pdf

I don't know exactly why, but just don't like the way H335 feels in 308, and the burn rate is very close to 8208 XBR. Maybe I just need to soften the load a bit with H335, as with 8208 XBR I use a fairly light load.

[mikeyr]

thanks guys, my LGS has both 4064 and 4895 so I will be trying those 2 first since they seem to be most recommended, can't find Varget locally right now.

I think I will set up my Lee press for this, at least at first. Cheaper than setting up the Dillon 650 with quick-change etc. And once I get a load that works, maybe then move to the 650. I got the Lee press a year ago as a xmas present and by a well meaning relative but its still in the box, so might as well use it. Gotta buy some dies now

7 more long days and counting until its in my hands again...

[bazineta]

Die choices abound depending on your budget, but I'd strongly recommend adding the Redding Instant Indicator die to whatever you end up going with. That one die allows you to dispense with a lot of measurement devices, and it's very easy to set up and use.

As was stated above, there's a lot more to case prep in rifle, definitely a lot more measurement, and IMO that's one tool I wouldn't want to to be without to make that measurement as quick and easy as possible.