Powder advice for short barrel .308 load ???

[afsenior]

My reloading experience is limited so I would like some advice please. A grandson just bought a Remington 700 VTR .308 Winchester. This rifle has a 22 inch barrel with a 1:12 twist. I wish to use Nosler 165 grain BTs or ABs, Winchester cases and Winchester (non-magnum primers). I have looked on a few reloading and powder websites for this information and have not found what I am looking for.

Does the shorter, faster barrel cause any special requirements for powder which is different than a powder for 24” 1:10 twist barrels (the Nosler 6 Book states they used a barrel like that for their load testing)? Should the powder burn a bit faster for the shorter barrel? Is there a specific powder that is better for this barrel using the above components? Can someone recommend a starting load?

I realize I am asking for a lot and perhaps I could experiment on my own but my experience and expertise does not qualify me as someone who should be fooling around.

Thank you for your help,
Art
:?

 

[balew6254]

afsenior,
I am reloading for several 308s. My shortest is a Steyr Scout @ 19" with the longest a Blaser LR with a longer barrel, 24" or 26" (I haven't measured it in a while-CRS). The loads using Nosler 168 BT that have worked for me best use Varget or RL-15 in the Steyr with groups around 5/8" to 7/8". I have used H4895 to get 5/8" groups with sierra 175 Gr Matchkings in the Blaser. I haven't choronographed my loads, but RL-15, Varget and H4895 have worked well for me in the 308 providing both excellent accuracy. I used the 168 BT with 44 gr of RL-15 to take a nice doe antelope this season at around 225 yds with my Steyr Scout. Use starting loads found in the manuals and work up or start at 7% to 10% below the max load of that is all that is listed and watch for pressure signs.

Powder type does not need to change with different barrel lengths according to what I have read in Handloader and Rifle Magazines. The powder that gives the highest velocity in a long barrel will probably provide the highest velocity in a short barrel. There are no special requirements for faster burning powders in a shorter barrel.

Personally I load for a combination of accuracy with acceptable velocity for my specific applications.

YMMV

Bruce

Edited for spelling.

 

[DrMike]

Art,

Your grandson's 22 inch barrel is a pretty standard length for modern rifles. The powder chosen should be on the basis of burn rates (a somewhat technical concept generated from laboratory data). While the 1:12 twist barrel differs somewhat from the more common 1:10 in the .308, it should not have a significant effect on your loading when you are using the 165-168 grain bullets. It is meant to permit you to shoot bullets in the very weight range you are considering. Some excellent powders are those suggested in the Nosler Reloading Guide, Number 6 (BL-C(2), IMR4064, Varget, etc.).

 

[SJB358]

It is hard to beat Varget or RL15 for the 308. Gives excellent speeds in my 22" barreled 308, along with good accuracy. Scotty

 

[afsenior]

Gentlemen,

I thank you. Truly appreciated!!
Hopefully, I can repay the favor someday...

Art

 

[SJB358]

Art, welcome to the forum! Look forward to hearing more from you. Scotty

 

[chet]

I use varget, and my 308 is also 22"

 

[Woodycreek]

I use Varget with a 150 AB in my 20" 700 Tactical.

 

[FOTIS]

165 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H414 .308" 2.750" 48.0 2537 43,500 CUP 52.0 2704 49,200 CUP
165 GR. HDY SP Winchester 760 .308" 2.750" 48.0 2537 43,500 CUP 52.0 2704 49,200 CUP
165 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 4007 SSC .308" 2.750" 45.1 2539 45,500 PSI 48.0C 2656 51,100 PSI
165 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon Varget .308" 2.750" 42.0 2582 40,800 CUP 46.0C 2773 50,500 CUP
165 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 4320 .308" 2.750" 43.0 2536 46,900 PSI 46.5C 2730 58,400 PSI
165 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 4064 .308" 2.750" 42.0 2554 47,700 PSI 46.3C 2767 59,700 PSI
165 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon BL-C(2) .308" 2.750" 44.0 2528 37,700 CUP 47.5 2738 49,700 CUP
165 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 4895 .308" 2.750" 42.7 2584 49,200 PSI 45.5C 2745 58,800 PSI
165 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H335 .308" 2.750" 39.0 2432 44,500 CUP 42.0 2608 49,100 CUP
165 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H4895 .308" 2.750" 41.0 2525 38,600 CUP 43.5 2694 50,000 CUP
165 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 8208 XBR .308" 2.750" 38.5 2491 49,100 PSI 42.8 2691 60,200 PSI
165 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 3031 .308" 2.750" 39.1 2537 49,600 PSI 41.6 2697 59,800 PSI
165 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon Benchmark .308" 2.750" 38.5 2438 40,200 CUP 42.5 2647 50,500 CUP
168 GR. SIE HPBT IMR IMR 4007 SSC .308" 2.800" 43.2 2466 44,300 PSI 45.8C 2606 52,000 PSI
168 GR. SIE HPBT Hodgdon Varget .308" 2.800" 42.0 2520 41,200 CUP 46.0C 2731 50,600 CUP
168 GR. SIE HPBT IMR IMR 4320 .308" 2.800" 41.5 2463 43,800 PSI 46.0 2733 59,300 PSI
168 GR. SIE HPBT IMR IMR 4064 .308" 2.800" 41.5 2518 43,800 PSI 45.9C 2766 58,800 PSI
168 GR. SIE HPBT Hodgdon BL-C(2) .308" 2.800" 44.0 2569 39,400 CUP 47.0 2754 50,200 CUP
168 GR. SIE HPBT IMR IMR 4895 .308" 2.800" 41.0 2447 39,700 PSI 45.4C 2758 58,000 PSI
168 GR. SIE HPBT Hodgdon H335 .308" 2.800" 39.0 2451 37,700 CUP 42.0 2631 49,300 CUP
168 GR. SIE HPBT Hodgdon H4895 .308" 2.800" 41.0 2551 38,300 CUP 43.5 2703 49,500 CUP
168 GR. SIE HPBT IMR IMR 8208 XBR .308" 2.800" 39.0 2493 49,000 PSI 43.3 2707 61,500 PSI
168 GR. SIE HPBT IMR IMR 3031 .308" 2.800" 39.0 2507 43,900 PSI 42.0 2710 58,900 PSI

 

[Big Squeeze]

My reloading experience is limited so I would like some advice please. A grandson just bought a Remington 700 VTR .308 Winchester. This rifle has a 22 inch barrel with a 1:12 twist. I wish to use Nosler 165 grain BTs or ABs, Winchester cases and Winchester (non-magnum primers). I have looked on a few reloading and powder websites for this information and have not found what I am looking for.

Does the shorter, faster barrel cause any special requirements for powder which is different than a powder for 24” 1:10 twist barrels (the Nosler 6 Book states they used a barrel like that for their load testing)? Should the powder burn a bit faster for the shorter barrel? Is there a specific powder that is better for this barrel using the above components? Can someone recommend a starting load?

I realize I am asking for a lot and perhaps I could experiment on my own but my experience and expertise does not qualify me as someone who should be fooling around.

Thank you for your help,
Art
:?

........................................afsenior.....................Your grandson`s 22" barrel is about the normal length for a 308 anyway. You load this rifle as you would any 308, whether the barrel be 16, 18, 19 or 20" in length. There are no special requirements other than finding the best powder, charge and bullet weights that this particular rifle happens to prefer, which would need to be done anyway, even with a longer barrel.

You can take any load from here that is reco`d to you, but uiltimately, your rifle will make the decision for you.

Think a 22" barrel is short? Hows about a 16.5" tubed 300 WSM Ruger Frontier carbine? Regardless of the 300 WSM barrel lengths listed in the manuals, I simply take whichever new 300 WSM loading I`m in the mood to try, or I`ll repeat again any loads which have been already proven to be accurate in my carbine.

The only difference between loading for a shorter barrel vs a longer one, is the expectation, that a small percentage of overall velocity will be lost using a shorter barrel.

 

[Larry in SD]

I am loading 165gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips & Partitions in my Remington 20" .308 with Hodgdon's Varget. Muzzle velocity for the 20" Barrel is 2612 FPS for the 165gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips and 2620 FPS for the 165gr. Nosler Partitions. I use the same exact powder charge with both bullets (it just worked out that way). My Remington .308 is a Standard Barrel SPS that I had the barrel shortened to 20". It has a 1 in 10" Twist. My .308 just happens to shoot 165's better than it does 150's.

Larry

 

[Guy Miner]

Hodgdon has some .308 data published for a 15" pistol barrel too. Worth looking at for truly short barrels.

The 22" barrel in question here is as already stated, pretty much standard for a .308 Win rifle. Varget or RL-15 are my top picks.

Guy

 

[afsenior]

Thanks everyone. I will buy Varget and R15.
Art :grin:

 

[1Shot]

I always had good luck with IMR4895 in the 308. If you want a really good deer killing bullet get some 125 ballistic tips and use 46 grs IMR 4895. This bullet hammers deer.

 

[HTDUCK]

One of the most accurate 308s I have ever owned was a Remington 600 with an 18 inch barrel.
I've had very good success with H380 and 150-165 gr bullets.

 

[C Broad Arrow]

Anyone use N140 in combination with 150gn E-Tip? I am using a Model 7 Mountain Rifle.

Thanks!