Best bullet weight in .308?

[lpspinner]

So for my Christmas present, I ordered a Remington Model 700 SPS Tactical AAC with threaded muzzle in .308 Winchester.

Since I don't live in a free state, I just plan to attach a muzzle brake. Haven't decide which one yet.

My question is what bullets weights would give the best performance for a 20" barrel with a 1:10 twist?

[o0RedEyE0o]

I have a Winchester Model 88 with a 1:10 twist rate and so far I've found the Sierra Matchking 168 hpbt be very accurate

[JTROKS]

155 gr hpbt and up to 175/178 hpbt natch. Try all sorts of loads you'll never know which one will be the most accurate.

[LRShooter]

Just about any .308 bullet would work, but what's the intended purpose? Pig hunting at less than 100 yards or strictly target stuff out 600 or ?

For target stuff, Sierra, Hornady, Nosler, as well as a few other all make "match" bullets. Buy a box of Sierra 175gr SMKs and go from there.

[FMJBT]

In terms of cost vs performance, the Hornady 178 BTHP bullets are hard to beat for long range work. You can load them to similar velocities as the 175 grain Nosler and Sierra BTHP bullets, but the Hornady bullets have a significantly better BC.

[Rbutler]

In terms of cost vs performance, the Hornady 178 BTHP bullets are hard to beat for long range work. You can load them to similar velocities as the 175 grain Nosler and Sierra BTHP bullets, but the Hornady bullets have a significantly better BC.

step up to the 185 berger for an even higher BC and better transonic stability.

OP: the 168s are a great round the issue is some rifles have issues past 7-800 yards with them so its a debate on their reliability.

155's are a laser and great round if theres light wind, wind is where their downfall is.

175/185 range are a bit slower then the 155s BUT the BC helps when there is wind around.

so tell us what your looking to do and we can find a projectile to suit your needs.

[Justintoxicated]

Although my R700 has a 24" barrel and 5R rifling, it should be pretty similar to yours. I would grab some 175 SMKs and call it a day. I can't even afford to develop a load with bergers VLD's let alone shoot them all the time. haha

155gr palmas should do well too (still need to develop a load for my bolt gun), but given the choice for all around performance I'll stick with 175gr smks. 155 gr palama smk might even shoot better than 175's at ranges under 700 years if you load them hot, but the whole wind thing is their downfall.

I have not tried the Hornady 178's.

[tamalpias]

I tend to stick with 150 for most applications because I bought a Leopold scope that has the BDC reticle that is calibrated for 150 grain bullet drop. The 2 most common bullet weights I see are 150 and 180. For match then 168.

[FMJBT]

step up to the 185 berger for an even higher BC and better transonic stability.

Berger does have a better BC @ .560 vs the .530 for the Hornady 178 BTHP. The Bergers are also quite a bit more expensive though, at around 50 cents per projectile if you get the 100 count box. Hornady 178 BTHP typically runs around 35-40 cents per round in 100 count.

[highpower790]

155 gr hpbt and up to 175/178 hpbt natch. Try all sorts of loads you'll never know which one will be the most accurate.

All of these have worked great for me from my M14(1:12)I would add one more that being the Speer 125tnt

[Nate the Great]

OP- my brother has that same rifle and he primarily shoots 150 grain FMJ from Federal with good results. They're cheaper, easier to buy and he hits our steel plate just as consistently as I do. I reload 168 grain SMK rounds that shot very well out of his rifle as well. Like others have mentioned- different bullets for different applications.

[castgold]

I have a similar barrel profile. 155 Palma, 168 HPBT, and 175 HPBT are what I'm trying right now.

Weight of the bullet is important, but finding other useful info for your rifle will be a fun endeavor, like jump distance for the various projectiles at different seating depths, nodes, does it snore when you sleep with it, etc.

Congrats and Merry Christmas!

[lpspinner]

Thanks all for the information. A lot to take in. Since I started shooting 300 AAC Blackout, I do have bullets in the 150's on hand.

I will look into the heavier bullets as I want to get into 600+ yards.

Another thing about my barrel is that my buddy at Remington is going to flute the barrel, re-bed and re-crown it. Don't know what other surprises he's going to do.

Since I can't have a can on it here, I have to find a muzzle brake.

[ptmn]

Since you have a shorter barrel, I'm wondering if the original Federal Gold Medal Match load of 39gr IMR3031 with a 168gr SMK would work out.

3031 is faster burning 308 powder, so with the shorter barrel, you might end up with better ballistics.

Of course, Federal was using Bulk IMR3031, which could have a lot of variance, so I wouldn't assume that 39gr is safe without working it up.

[lpspinner]

Now that I actually have the rifle in hand. I decided not to flute the barrel.

Just curious what powders have been good for you?