The little 308 amazed me

[OU812]

So my son asked me to work up a deer load in one of his 308's. I said I would be more than happy to do so and since I had not done any shooting or load work in a while so I was excited to get started. He brings the rifle by and at first glance I thought he brought me his chipmunk 22 as a joke, it was indeed not his chipmunk 22 but a Ruger compact 308, never seen such a thing. This rifle is tiny and with a 18 inch barrel. I put together some 165 hornady BTSP , Varget and Fed 210 primers and head for the range this morning. This is what it did at 100 yards with the second charge weight I tried. I was amazed with it's accuracy.

 

[DrMike]

The 308 is a great cartridge (says the man who never owned one). I've done load workup on quite a few, and all shot exceptionally well. The compacts (at least Ruger and Winchester) do deliver the goods.

 

[OU812]

The 308 is a great cartridge (says the man who never owned one). I've done load workup on quite a few, and all shot exceptionally well. The compacts (at least Ruger and Winchester) do deliver the goods.

I'm right with you Mike, I've never owned one myself but may fix that issue after I get my 264 win mag.

 

[bobnob]

I have two 308s at present and have loose plans to add at least one more.

It punches so far above its weight, and with such little fuss or hassle, that I would recommend it to anyone at and stage of their big game hunting career.

Great shooting with that little Ruger.

 

[JD338]

Nice work Bill.
You are there.

JD338

 

[HTDUCK]

I've had at least one 308 in the safe since 1984.
At one point I had three, now I'm down to two.

A buddy and I were talking over the weekend about loading for and shooting the 308.
We both said " If it won't shoot 175 Sierra MatchKings and 44-45 grs of Varget there is something wrong with the rifle "

Great shooting BTW !

 

[Guy Miner]

Great work at the loading bench, and at the range!

Yes, big fan of the .308 Win here, though normally in a heavier package. That is EXCEPTIONAL accuracy for such a light, compact rifle. Your son has a keeper there!

If he ever wants to sell it, let me know.

Regards, Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

A buddy and I were talking over the weekend about loading for and shooting the 308.
We both said " If it won't shoot 175 Sierra MatchKings and 44-45 grs of Varget there is something wrong with the rifle "

That's a pretty good quote. There are several well-known "match" loads for the .308 that are pretty much standard, and yes, it's a rare rifle that won't shoot those loads well. Even works out with factory ammo. Most .308's that I've seen used in Precision Shooting classes shot very well with Federal, Hornady or Black Hills match ammo. HSM too, come to think of it.

Guy

 

[OU812]

Great work at the loading bench, and at the range!

Yes, big fan of the .308 Win here, though normally in a heavier package. That is EXCEPTIONAL accuracy for such a light, compact rifle. Your son has a keeper there!

If he ever wants to sell it, let me know.

Regards, Guy

Thanks Guy, I don't know if the rifle/me would shoot a group like that every time out but I was amazed at what I saw that's for sure. Just judging the rifle it's self I was expecting something larger for a 3 shot group. The barrel is short and thin and with the butt on the ground the crown does not even hit my waist. It's a nice looking rifle, really like the wood on the stock. I'm quite sure he will not ever sell it but if he does you'll be the first to know.

He also has an older Model 70 in a 308 which shoots very well also.

 

[Guy Miner]

Really impresses me that you got such a tiny group from the lightweight rifle - that's not an easy task.

Guy

 

[FOTIS]

My buddy's 243 shot like that with my loads. I believe it is a 16.5" bbl

 

[Horsethief]

That is a great shot group for hunting. Your son will need a good skinning knife to go with that accurate rifle. The 18" barrel is a factor in this accuracy, but so is a steady trigger finger. Well done.

 

[snoodcrusher]

Great group and fine riflery.


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[OU812]

Really impresses me that you got such a tiny group from the lightweight rifle - that's not an easy task.

Guy

That is why I was so pleasantly surprised at the group size. I have heard many times about light weight rifle not shooting very well. I think it weighs 6 lbs or so. I did notice the barrel did not heat up very much and this may be due to it's short length and lack of velocity. I've had several rifle shoot groups like this but not from any thing this small or light.

Here is a picture of the rifle next to my remington 300 rum.

 

[JD338]

All bases covered there.

JD338

 

[OU812]

All bases covered there.

JD338

I think a 35 Whelen in that rifle would be cool for elk in the timber.

Most defiantly Bill!
The 35 Whelen is a hammer and loaded up, is right on the heels of the 338 Win Mag. The 35 Whelen make a big hole in game so they can leak a lot of blood.

JD338

 

[cloverleaf]

Guy (or others) may be able to speak to this better than me, but there is a school of thought that says "if everything else is equal (it never is but....)a rifle with a shorter barrel is more accurate because the barrel vibrates in a smaller arc when fired." Glad it worked out for you. CL

 

[preacher]

Great load and rifle! I always preferred the 165gr in the 308. I've used 150 factory corlokts and then handloaded the 165 NBT ( old style) it worked much better. I like the 110 Speer for coyotes. Your son will do well!

 

[snoodcrusher]

Guy (or others) may be able to speak to this better than me, but there is a school of thought that says "if everything else is equal (it never is but....)a rifle with a shorter barrel is more accurate because the barrel vibrates in a smaller arc when fired." Glad it worked out for you. CL

My brother is a serious long range shooter of targets and big game and he uses .308 Win. chambered guns primarily. He prefers a 20" heavy barrel (tactical style). He's even had some barrels shortened to 18.5". I have asked him why he prefers the short barrels instead of the longer ones that develop more velocity and seem to be the desired length of long range competitive shooters. He says that in his experience, the shorter, stiffer barrels are more consistent. Maybe not always more accurate, though they seem to be equally so, but more consistent which helps eliminate added variables when judging wind, calculating drop and drift, and other factors. I've come to realize that a rifle that interests my brother is short barreled, heavy in mass weight, sports Picatinney angle compensated rail and all steel tactical rings, and is always topped with a high end 30 mm optic with target turrets, usually a Leupold or Nightforce. He is an amazing long range shot though his equipment is not exactly the same as many of the competitive guys'.


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[Alderman]

I just ordered a Ruger Hawkeye 308 yesterday. Looking at your group makes me anxious the take delivery so I can get to work on a good hunt my load.


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