308 Win loads and 20 inch barrel

[R James]

Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum . I also live in a shotgun state that is trying out a limited rifle season. I am also finding myself in some new territory. I have 2 ,308 cal rifles with 20 inch barrels. Both of them have unusual amounts of free bore. Neither one of them like 150 grain bullets likely because they both like to be seated tight to the rifling and 150,s are not long enough. I have settled on 165 gr SST, 168 gr Amax as my best loads. They both give me 2630 FPS on average with my loads. If I load hotter my groups start to open . I would prefer to shoot Noslers on game .
Getting to the point. Most load data I see requires a 165ish bullet to have 2400 FPS at impact to open . With my load starting at only 2630 I slip below that velocity pretty quickly. I also see conflicting post of how 165 grain bullets are destroying meat from excessive expansion, likely in longer barrels. So what should I expect from my 20 in barreled 308 Win ?

 

[Thebear_78]

Almost all game bullets will expand to impact velocities of 1800 or more, some down to 1300fps. You will be fine with your 308.

Don't overlook the excellent 125grbullets in the 308 for deer. The nosler 125 BT and AccuBond are great deer bullets. The 130 TTSX is another good one.

A lot of 165+ are pretty tough, the 165-8 BT is a good one, but some of the other premium bullets don't expand as well on smaller deer. The target style bullets like the amax and Berger tend to expand very violently, they should work but might not be best for angling shots. The SST would be better choice than the amax.

The 125 AccuBond @ 3000fps is a real hammer on whitetails. I load the 130 TTSX @ 3050fps out of my sons 308 for caribou, black bear, and moose. It's a tough little bullet. My buddy loads it in his 300 RUM at crazy velocity and hammers whitetails


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SJB358]

I'd try some 165 or 168 Ballistic Tips in your 308. 2600 at the muzzle will make you effective out to more than 300 yards without issue.

Welcome aboard.

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

The load that is a proven performer on here has consistently been 44-46 grs of Varget behind a 165-168 Nosler Ballistic Tip. Sub MOA, with top velocity!
As prescribed by Guy and Fotis!
That's what I'll be using to start out. Guaranteed!

HawkeyeSATX a.k.a. Bryce

 

[R James]

I am still developing my load but right now I am 43.5 Varget with the SST. I would like to try the 125 Accubonds but I would not be able to seat them out long enough. All 150 gr I have tried so far all bested at 1.3 moa. I have to seat bullets out to 2.204 to the ogive to get 1 MOA. At 300 yards looking at this chart I will have 1927 fps and only 569 ft lbs of energy left. So the consensus is that that is good for deer ?

Hey SJB358, Semper FI right back at ya Devil Dog.

 

[andrewctillman]

I vote for the 125 grain AccuBond. You can get 3100 fps from a 20 inch barrel with winchester 748. It is the accuracy load in the nosler manual and shoots clover leafs or even tighter in my 20 inch remington 40X. It shoots 2 inches higher with same windage from my 175 grain reloads.

Ive even shot it at 1000 yards for fun. 32 MOA elevation gets you on target! It will hold 50-60 percent weight even at point blank range. A dandy deer load for the 308.

BLC2 in the 165 nosler BT has been my deer and accuracy load for that caliber for many years, also from nosler manual.

Varget is useful to have on hand for the 168 and 175 target bullets if you ever want to go that way. I have got decent (under one inch and often 3/4 inch or clover leafs) in my 20 inch barrel and 175 grain BTHP's using all the medium burning powders; imr 4895, varget, rl15, win 748 and as slow as VV550 and CFE223.

the 308 has got to be the easiest ctg to reload for ever created.

BTW, OCL is not too critical in that 125 grain AccuBond load. I switched from a magazine receiver feed to Badger bottom metal using the AI 5 and 10 round magaziines and had to seat a bit shorter, no problem with accuracy.

 

[Gunner46]

I hunted over a decade with a Rem 600 308, 18 1/2" barrel. I wound up settling 180gr BT's and 4064. Velocity was a tad on the slow side , around 2450 fps, but it was an honest 3/4"-7/8" load. (out of a carbine!)

And just to show that it was plenty for whitetail, my largest buck to date fell to this load at about 125yds. He was chasing a doe and they were both coming in almost direct on. I hit him in front of the right shoulder, at the base of the neck. When we skinned him out I found the bullet just under the hide on the left butt cheek. A true stem to stern shot!

Meat damage was sufficient to get the job done, but nothing to write home about. I never measured it, but I'd say it opened up to about 1/2". Still, the penetration was Awesome !

 

[Nannyhammer]

Another vote for the 125 AccuBond. I load it to 2925fps in a couple of 20" Model Sevens. We have killed three deer so far with pass throughs on two of the three. The third one was a buck (est 180-185lbs live weight) that I shot twice at about 40yds when he didn't drop after the first shot. Both of those bullets were recovered under the off side after wrecking the lungs. Either shot would have been fatal but I hit him again just in case. Load also keeps recoil down for my 76 year old FIL.

 

[Gunner46]

Guys, guys, GUYS.....the OP has already said that he has long throat rifles that won't shoot 150's. Why the bandwagon for 125's?

I'll agree that the 125's are DRT in a 308, but I don't see that is what he's asking.

 

[bobnob]

Your 168g Amax load, if accurate, at 2600fps should be an excellent medium game load including large deer and pigs.

If you're happy with the way it shoots, you're set like a jelly mate!

Go forth and hunt...

 

[PJGunner]

Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum . I also live in a shotgun state that is trying out a limited rifle season. I am also finding myself in some new territory. I have 2 ,308 cal rifles with 20 inch barrels. Both of them have unusual amounts of free bore. Neither one of them like 150 grain bullets likely because they both like to be seated tight to the rifling and 150,s are not long enough. I have settled on 165 gr SST, 168 gr Amax as my best loads. They both give me 2630 FPS on average with my loads. If I load hotter my groups start to open . I would prefer to shoot Noslers on game .
Getting to the point. Most load data I see requires a 165ish bullet to have 2400 FPS at impact to open . With my load starting at only 2630 I slip below that velocity pretty quickly. I also see conflicting post of how 165 grain bullets are destroying meat from excessive expansion, likely in longer barrels. So what should I expect from my 20 in barreled 308 Win ?

Certainly not all that you have been told about 165/168 gr. bullets damaging meat.
. :lol: I've used the 308 for deer since 1973, the first a Remington M660 with 20" barrel. Mine did take to 150 gr. grain bullets and using 150 gr. Sierras took deer from up close and person to my longest ever shot on deer at 426 Paces.
A later .308 rifle was a Ruger M77 RSI with 18.5" barrel. I was a bit disgusted with the 150's tearing up too much meat so started plating with the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core. That transition took two years time while I tried to find a decent hunting load with consistent accuracy of 1.5" or less. I got into that rifle cheap because the previous owner said it wouldn't shoot. Well with load tinkering and the Speer bullet I finally got the 1.5" and some messing with the muzzle cap reduced groups to 1.25" Longest shot I've taken with that one is a Mule Deer at 250 yards, laser measured.
Muzzle velocity with the 165 gr. bullet is 2550 FPS average and I have taken deer here in Arizona from 35 feet to the 250 yards mentioned. I shot the load in a 22" Winchester M70 as well and velocity was 2610 FPS. Just comparing the two and a bit of extrapolation gave a velocity of 2580 FPS from a 20" barrel. Remember the load for the RSI was the result of a long search to find a load that would be usable for a hunt. There certainly are much better powders that should give better speed and accuracy for you.
Regarding meat damage, I thought the amount of damage was negligible and was much less that the 150 gr. bullets. I won't give the load as it was very close to max in my two rifles and could be over for your gun.
Paul B.

 

[Elkman]

40+ grains of either Varget or RL-15 will get the job done. Lots of quality 165 gr bullets out there.,

 

[1Shot]

I am still developing my load but right now I am 43.5 Varget with the SST. I would like to try the 125 Accubonds but I would not be able to seat them out long enough. All 150 gr I have tried so far all bested at 1.3 moa. I have to seat bullets out to 2.204 to the ogive to get 1 MOA. At 300 yards looking at this chart I will have 1927 fps and only 569 ft lbs of energy left. So the consensus is that that is good for deer ?

I think you need to go back and look at your chart again or another chart because your 1927 fps at 300 yards translates to around 1450 foot pounds of energy with a 165 gr bullet. 2600ish fps is the normal muzzle velocity for 165 gr bullets out of most 308 win rifles. At that muzzle velocity you will be good on deer out to 500 yards if you hold to a 1000 foot pound of energy figure.

 

[Guy Miner]

Guys, the original poster, posted twice in September, on this thread, and hasn't come back.

Kinda beating a dead horse here.

Guy

 

[hunting1]

The load that is a proven performer on here has consistently been 44-46 grs of Varget behind a 165-168 Nosler Ballistic Tip. Sub MOA, with top velocity!
As prescribed by Guy and Fotis!
That's what I'll be using to start out. Guaranteed!

HawkeyeSATX a.k.a. Bryce

What he said! I got around 2700 fps with this and a 20' barrel.

 

[mike06]

43.5 grains of Win 748 has always worked for me with the Nosler 150 gr BT in three different 308's

1 AR 10 26" Bull barrel 1-10 twist
2 Rem 700 VSSF 24" Barrel 1-12 twist
3 Mossberg ATR 22 barrel 1-10 twist

 

[Alaska]

The load that is a proven performer on here has consistently been 44-46 grs of Varget behind a 165-168 Nosler Ballistic Tip. Sub MOA, with top velocity!
As prescribed by Guy and Fotis!
That's what I'll be using to start out. Guaranteed!

HawkeyeSATX a.k.a. Bryce

45.0 of Varget with 165/168 gr is a winner !

 

[wbm43]

308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm NATO: Barrel Length versus Velocity (28″ to 16.5″)

308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm NATO: Barrel Length versus Velocity (28″ to 16.5″) Introduction Released by Winchester in 1952 (and adopted by NATO in 1954 as the 7.62x51mm NATO), the 308 Wi…

rifleshooter.com

 

[Alaska]

In my 20” with IMR 4064
168mK and 175 MK @ 44
WW brass and Fed 210M primers
For deer hunting the great 165gr Sierra GameKing has served me well in the 308 win
Along with 45.0 of Varget with WW brass and CCI BR2 primers …….harvested a lot deer and caribou with this load in my 18.5” and 20” in 308 Win

 

[Alaska]