My First .308 Reloads *Range Report*

[jimster716]

After recently clogging up the Ammo and Reloading forum with questions about reloading and my new RCBS Rock Chucker, I finally made my first batch of handloaded .308 Winchester ammo.

Rifle: Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD (Harris bipod and Caldwell rear bag)
Reloading Press: RCBS Rock Chucker
Brass: Once fired American Eagle .308 - Resized, untrimmed (like my women)
Bullets: Hornady Match 168gr HPBT
Powder: Varget
Powder Charge: 42.0gr, 42.5gr, 43.0gr, 43.5gr, 44.0gr, 44.5gr, 45.0gr all within the min and max per Hodgdon's data for Varget
Target Distance: 100 yards

As mentioned in other threads, I'm new to rifles having bought the Remy and an AR-15 in November and October so I'm still practicing the fundamentals. But I am really happy with the results for a. not blowing up my rifle or myself and b. not spraying the bullets everywhere on the target and c. my first handloads still being a helluva lot better than the American Eagle 150gr HPBT that I was previously using and similar to the expensive FGMM 168gr I used before.

The once fired casings were left untrimmed at about 2.014-2.018 with 80% at 2.016.
Cartridge OAL was set at 3.005" for A, B, C (per other people's experience at 3.10 on the R700)...groups D and E OAL were set to 2.775" (per some of the books).

Because of my relative inexperience, I couldn't really find any real winner imo but I found this to be an excellent exploratory exercise.

My first reloads. Yay!


I first started with the big squares (top and bottom) aiming for the corner diamonds. I then added the 3" circles for the second half of my session. I wrote down the charge with a Sharpie next to the targets.




Thanks to all those here on Calguns.net who provided useful information and personal responses. Now it's time clean my brass from today. Next up will be the 175gr Sierra Matchkings for my next range day.

[BAGunner]

What die did you use?

[jimster716]

What die did you use?

RCBS Competition Die Set.

[Pete1979]

My SPS Tactical 1-12 likes 168 match kings or Hornady's seated out a little further with:
42.5gr of Varget or 4895
42gr of RL-15
39.5gr 3031
44.5gr BLC2 (newest attempt, outstanding results)

It loves 175gr match kings on top of the same loads as well. It does not like 155gr bullets much but I haven't really experimented with powder charges enough yet.

Are you shooting from bags or off of a bipod?

[bruceflinch]

Nice test loads! Seating your bullets to match the barrel should tighten up those groups even better.

What die do you use to resize your Women, Jimster?

[damndave]

You should get a comparator set and measure them from base to ogive. Find the right powder charge and seating depth and you have yourself a sub .5 moa load forsure.

I shoot Hornady 178gr A-max & 168gr SMK rounds through my varmint and it loves around 44-44.4gr Varget seated 0.020 off the lands.

[jimster716]

Are you shooting from bags or off of a bipod?

Bipod in the front, bag in the rear. My plan is to try other powders in the future as well. Thanks for the info.

Nice test loads! Seating your bullets to match the barrel should tighten up those groups even better.

What die do you use to resize your Women, Jimster?

Thanks. I'm just learning to figure out the seating to match my barrel. I got the RCBS Precision Mic but I don't think it's very accurate and a hokey solution.

I use my guiderod to resize my women. Hahaha, I kid, I kid. Sort of.

You should get a comparator set and measure them from base to ogive. Find the right powder charge and seating depth and you have yourself a sub .5 moa load forsure.

I shoot Hornady 178gr A-max & 168gr SMK rounds through my varmint and it loves around 44-44.4gr Varget seated 0.020 off the lands.

Thanks for the recommendation. The thing is, right now I'm not a sub .5 moa shooter. Not yet at least. But this whole custom handloading for my rifle thing is fascinating so I look forward to learning more including the comparator and also a concentricity gauge for runout.

[Pete1979]

Fold up the bipod next time and shoot from a good bag or a rest, you should get a better idea of what your rounds are capable of.

[BAGunner]

Fold up the bipod next time and shoot from a good bag or a rest, you should get a better idea of what your rounds are capable of.

^This. Be aware that the Hogue stock is rather flexible, use the rest closer to the action will give you a better support.

This guy (from the hides) experimented changes to R700 AAC-SD's stock.

[damndave]

The problem with measuring from the COAL is that the tip of the bullets aren't uniform from bullet to bullet. I use the Hornady comparator set to measure from the ogive and gives a consistent measurement. COAL will vary some, but will give you consistent distance from when the bullet hits the lands of the rifle.

The RCBS Precision Mic will tell you how much you should bump the shoulders back. Just use a fired brass (from your rifle) and measure it in the gauge, then FL resize it -2 from your fired brass measurement.

I trim my brass after every single shooting to keep everything uniform. Get some type of electric trimmer to help this out. I went with the "World Finest Trimmer" and it works great. I had a Forster trimmer with 3-way cutter and power adapter & RCBS trimmer with power adapter...The WFT works best for me.

Consistency is the key to precision shooting.

[bubbapug1]

So how do you guys get the dimension off the lands? I have a hornandy gauge (the old sinclair units) with a threaded case for my calibers and the extended lockable rod. While it seems good on paper, I find its not too repeatable. There is just too mcuh variable when it comes to resistance at the lands it seems

What I have been doing which seems to work is loading an empty brass with a loose neck tension and chambering it slowly. I also smoke or use a sharpie on the bullet to give me some idea if its engaging the lands. I have found the best dimension comes when I chamber the same empty round twice. Than I carefully take that dimension with the hornady OAL gage with the proper caliber insert and record it.

Bullets are all over the map if you try to use basic calipers. U really need the hornady OAL gage if you want repeatability!!

[thevic]

I run a dowel or cleaning rod down the muzzle to the until you are against the bolt face and mark the dowel at the muzzle. Then take a bullet and tape it on another small dowel and insert it from the breech side so it is up against the rifling. Then take the long dowel that you marked and reinsert through the muzzle until it touches the bullet and mark again.

Measure the distance of the marks. Take the SAME bullet and seat it into a case until you get that OAL from the dowel marks. You can then use the comparator to get ogive measurement.

Re check about every 500rds so you can chase the eroding lands.

With stock remington chambers & 175 smk your COAL will be around 2.930 to touch lands.

[damndave]

This is what I did to get the distance from the lands.

I took a resized case and cut a slit on either side of the neck (do not cut into the shoulder). Lightly place a bullet in the case and push it into the chamber with a wood dowel or cleaning rod snugly. Gently put a cleaning rod inside the barrel and push out the round. Last I measure it from base to ogive with a Hornady comparator. Write down your measurement. Repeat 5 or so times and get the avg found. That will give you your distance from the lands.

This number will vary from box to box of the same bullets and will also need to be done with every single different bullet used.

Hope that helps.

[jimster716]

^This. Be aware that the Hogue stock is rather flexible, use the rest closer to the action will give you a better support.

I should've mentioned that I already have a B&C tactical medalist stock.
Would a bag rest still be better since I can place it closer to the action? In some ways I prefer the bipod because it's more about me but maybe the bag will better identify differences in the test loads. :dunno:

[bruceflinch]

If the stock is flexible, then the bipod attached to it may affect the barrel harmonics. A bag rest under the action would give you some truer results, IMO.