308 168gr soft tip?

[dworth]

I'm looking to put together some .308 loads. price per shot is important, but so is accuracy. Happy medium is where i'm looking for.

Can someone give me some feedback on match grade long range shooting with soft tip vs Hollow point hpbt bullets? Sierra, hornady, speer, etc...?

[tonyjr]

A lot depends on you .
If you are one of the people that reloads and the rounds fall into a 5 gallon bucket , they can be misformed from falling into bucket and think about the ones on bottom with every round falling on top .
For me - one hand pulls handle and other takes cartridge and puts in it's plastic box .

[ditchdigger]

What is your definition of long range?

What rifle,barrel length, twist rate...?

[dworth]

I have 2 rifles that will be shooting with. my thoughts are somewhere 1k if possible. 800 probably more realistic, but i'm extremely new to these distances.

REPR 20in barrel 1/10 twist
and
REM 700 SPS TACTICAL AAC-SD 20in barrel 1/10 twist

[ditchdigger]

A 20" barrel is a little short for 1000 yard shooting but should be fine to 800 yards.

Use a match grade 175 grain boat tail bullet and work up your load.

For 1000 yard shooting you will want a barrel at least 24" long and 26" or longer is better.

[delta 1/7]

^^^^^ what he said.... for the most part.

But I prefer the 178gr Hornady.

What powder do you plan on using?

[dworth]

CFE223 and reloader15 are the powders I picked up.

I'm getting a lot of mixed reviews on 168gr vs 175gr etc... I want to work up as many as I can to test across the spectrum. My testing area is pretty far, and not quite 800+. I'm taking classes in April for long range, and want to find the right brew before then.

Thanks,

[tonyjr]

To me CFE 223 is a cleaner powder

[Scottie15]

IIRC, 168's won't make it to 1000 yard supersonic out of a 20" barrel with a reasonable load. My 308 with 168's will stay supersonic out to 1050 yards. I've had great luck with the 168 gr AMAX and IMR4064 out of my 20" 308 but have not shot it past 600 yards. I'm getting 2530 fps with my load.

If you are looking to get out to 1k, take a look at the 175 and 178 gr bullets ($0.30-$0.40/bullet), or 155 gr Lapua Scenars ($0.45+ per bullet). The Hornady ELD bullets might be a good pick. Here's load data from Hornady on the ELD-X.

As for your powder choices, I haven't used either for 308. the CFE 223 may be a little fast, and depending on the bullet weight, RL15 might be too slow.

If you are looking to save some money and can develop a load for the Nosler bullets, check this site out for deals on blems or factory seconds:

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosler-products/nosler-30-caliber-175-grain-rdf-hpbt-blem-100ct-13640.html

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosler-products/nosler-30cal-175gr-custom-competition-hpbt-blem-100ct.html

[waveslayer]

You will be fine with a 20" barrel, for your FYI, every 1" less in barrel is about 50 fps less, or more.

168 SMK will get you to a 1000 all day long. My load using FGMM is subsonic at 980 yards, push them so more and you will be fine. The 175 SMK is superior though.

Powders: Varget is what I love, then XBR. Then 4064.

RL 15 is not temp stable.
You are using a gas gun so you will want to work up some loads with that.. you might need a faster burning powder for it.

A lot of guys like the new ELD line, I use them for hunting and my 6.5 Creedmoor and Grendel.

Look up Dan Newberry and he will have some good load info for you


My wife thinks I only have 3 guns

[dworth]

great info guys. I stopped by local today and picked some 168gr SMK's and 178 A-MAX Hornady's.

I am looking into the other powders too.

I have another question on grouping range for testing loads. How far out should you be to consider it a test and any recommendations on a chronograph, or would you go strictly on accuracy of shot?

[Scottie15]

Good choice on bullets. I was incorrect earlier regarding the 168's out of my rifle. they will stay supersonic to just under 1050 yards with a muzzle velocity of 2530 fps.

Now you are getting into rabbit hole territory with your question about chronographs and accuracy... read up on ladder tests and OCW (optimal charge weight) tests. I typically pick a middle weight charge for my chosen powder and load up 5 rounds each of increasing powder charges in 0.3 gr-0.4 gr increments for the 308, up to the book max load or just under.

[dworth]

My LGS was discussing the same with ladder testing. The obvious is tedious work, but results will be defined per weapon and worth it.

He recommended .5 increments. I'll assume since I'm fairly new to the game, that will keep me somewhat sane for a while.

[waveslayer]

great info guys. I stopped by local today and picked some 168gr SMK's and 178 A-MAX Hornady's.

I am looking into the other powders too.

I have another question on grouping range for testing loads. How far out should you be to consider it a test and any recommendations on a chronograph, or would you go strictly on accuracy of shot?

Do an OCW test by DAN Newberry. I have done all of them and it's the best. Why? You only need 100 yards to do all the testing, I then verify out to 200 or 300 yards.

Ladder test take too long and you need to start at 300, then round 2 is done at 400 and so on. Have fun spotting hits put to 600, you will need a good radio and a buddy to mark the hits.

My wife thinks I only have 3 guns

[tonyjr]

Scottie15
Thank you
OCW (optimal charge weight
I am sure I am not the only one that did not know what UCW
was / meant .
Too many people abbreviate things and assume everyone knows .