TAC vs Varget?

[Guy Miner]

My supply of Varget is dwindling and I'm considering a switch to TAC for the .308 Win.

Anyone here using TAC? Thoughts? Good? Bad?

Thanks, Guy

 

[DrMike]

Guy,

I haven't used TAC in the .308, but it is becoming a favourite in my .358, .356 and .350 RM. In these cartridges I am observing excellent velocities and low standard deviations on velocities. Accuracy is fair, but I can't really address the OAL in two of the loads because they represent a lever action rifle and restrictions imposed by magazine in a second rifle. On the whole, I like TAC and intend to continue using it.

 

[longwinters]

I have never had good luck with Varget, don't know why. But Tac has been very good in several of my rifles/calibers. The only reason I don't use it is that I always like to fill as much of my case as I can. So Reloader 15 is the winner in my 308. But Tac with a magnum primer has been very accurate.

Long

 

[HTDUCK]

Guy,I have also read/heard about 308s and Varget.Never had any kind of success with it.I have tried it in each of the three 308s I own.
Never tried TAC.
My go to powder in 308 has been and always will be H380.

I have had people tell me that H380 is "temperature sensitive" but I can say with all honesty,I've never seen it.

Now having said that,I live in Texas.I have shot H380 in 100 degree weather and on days that it was in the teens.Same point of impact,same little tiny groups.

I have a target on my wall that I shot at 100 yards off the bags with my 700 VSSF.
At the time it had a 3x9x 40 Burris Fullfield on it.
46 grains of H380 and a 175 SMK,I can cover 5 rounds with the end of a cigarette.

One of my other rifles is a Howa 1500 Varmit,it likes 150 Sierra BTSPs.

The third rifle is a Remington 600 Mohawk with an 18 inch barrel and damn if it won't shoot with the two bull barreled varmit guns out to 300 yards.

My hunting load is 48 grains and a 165 or 50 grains and a 150.

This is a ball powder and it meters so well that I can set my measure and
NEVER have to use a trickler,even though I weigh every charge.


Give it a try.
Howard :grin:

 

[Guy Miner]

Howard - good tip actually. Quite a few years ago a top-notch Hunter Benchrest competitor shared one of his loads with me: a 168 grain match bullet over H380... :grin:

I used that load for a couple of years. As you state, it can be incredibly accurate, and is of course very easy to work with as it flows so well through the powder measure.

I only abandoned it when I started doing more 600+ yard shooting and I couldn't get the velocity I wanted without pressure problems... That's when I switched to Varget. Gave up a bit of precision, but gained about 250 - 300 fps, which was significant. My 600 yard scores climbed.

Varget has treated me very well, taking me to some match wins, some good shows, and of course to some dismal results which were entirely my fault - not a fault of the ammo/powder. I am not eager to switch, but am having trouble locating a reasonable quantity of the stuff.

Yes, H380 can be very, very good in the .308, and of course it's truly excellent in a few other cartridges as well.

Regards, Guy

 

[Desert Fox]

Guy, you should try BLC-2. Being a ball powder, it meter's really well.

 

[Tiny]

I picked up a can of Tac to try in couple calibers while I still haven't fired the first round of it I let my uncle try it in his 308,Loves it ,hates Varget.

 

[Guy Miner]

Well, perhaps it is time for me to try something new...

Just last spring I loaded a batch of 110 gr Sierra varmint bullets with BL-C(2) and found it to be quite accurate.

RL-15 is a mighty fine choice by all accounts as well.

To further complicate things, I located a source of Varget, on hand and at a reasonable price... Decisions, decisions... :grin:

 

[Desert Fox]

Yep! I use BLC-2 on 223 and 222 Remington Magnum and yes the 308.
I have 10 lbs of Reloader 15 also. I haven't touch them yet. I'll try them on the 155 grain Scenar and if it shoot as well as Varget, I'll switch.

 

[6ppcar]

Guy, a lot of the target shooters tried Tac a few years back and soon discovered that it burned way too dirty for precision work. I'm a Varget man for the 308, nothing beats it in my guns. My Hart barreled 700 in 308 is a tack driver with Varget.

 

[DrMike]

The .308 tends to be an easy round to load for. Some classic powders have been named here (H380, BL-C(2), Varget, RL15). Each will undoubtedly work very well in the cartridge. TAC simply gives the hand loader another possibility to play with, which is a good thing. 6ppcar, I wasn't aware of the possibility that TAC burned dirty. I'll look for that. I appreciate the "heads up."

 

[YoteSmoker]

While I've never tried TAC, people I've talked to that have found good results with it. In the 308 Win, I've found really good shooting loads with both Varget and IMR4064. My rifle shoots the 155 matchking palma best with a mid range dose of Varget, where it shoots the 168 matchking best with a higher end load of IMR4064, so that may be another powder worth giving a try.

 

[Bob in TX]

Interesting. Just to muddy the water a bit.......

I switched from H-335 to TAC in my AR-15 .223 because it burned much cleaner. The Ramshot powders are ball but are not as temperature sensitive. While I used Varget for many years, it is harder to meter being an extruded powder, but it is also very prone to sudden pressure jumps. You can go from no pressure signs to "trouble" in a heart beat. I went from Varget to RL-15 to TAC or Big Game depending on the cartridge.

Your mileage may vary............

Bob

 

[Desert Fox]

I never have any issue with Varget. As a matter of fact, I found the powder to be very stable at any temperature. It is after all one of Hodgdon extreme line of powder. I used it when loading the excellent 155 grain Lapua Scenar because I can optimized the velocity without any pressure issue whatsoever. As a matter of fact I attained 2965 fps from a 25" barrel with only 44.8 grains of Varget. I know that the Pac-Nor Super-Match 3 grove barrel has a lot to do with it but, this is 2 to 3 grains less from what I heard others use.

 

[YoteSmoker]

Very interesting Desert Fox. My load is 44.6 Varget with 155 SMK Palma. There must be something to it, only .2 grains difference. My barrel is from a M82 Parker Hale British army sniper rifle and is 13.5 twist made to shoot the nato 147 grain military rounds,

 

[super-7]

Guy Ive been reading up on the latest from IMR 8208xbr might be worth a try in the .308.

 

[HTDUCK]

While I've never tried TAC, people I've talked to that have found good results with it. In the 308 Win, I've found really good shooting loads with both Varget and IMR4064. My rifle shoots the 155 matchking palma best with a mid range dose of Varget, where it shoots the 168 matchking best with a higher end load of IMR4064, so that may be another powder worth giving a try.

I have heard that IMR4064 is what Federal Gold Medal Match ammo is loaded with.I have never tried it.