on the fence with reloading and where to go with my 308

Nobody's answered the question so I will: A 10 inch twist is usual for almost all military .30 calibers. It will stabilize even 220 grain bullets, but nobody uses them anymore. Target shooters seem to dwell on 12 inch twist for their specialty. I do not know of any .30 caliber rifle that uses a faster twist, but somebody will point one out if I mention it.

I reload about 20 different cartridges, over half of them obsolete. If all you do is hunt a few trips per year, it's very uneconomical. I don't hunt anymore, except for defending the kitchen garden, but I keep myself interested by trying new cartridges and new loads. After totting up the expenses of my typical hunting trip (gas, food, beer, clothing and accessories, etc.) I think I'm actually saving money.

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Originally Posted by m12lrs

For my hunting rifles I work up a load and stick with it.

Now my range rifles I am constantly trying new combinations of.powder, bullet and seating.depth. for me that constant search for.the perfect combination is as much fun as shooting. That said.I have.thousands.of.dollars.in reloading equipment. Not to mention powder, primers and bullets. Nothing about it will save you money. It is an addicting hobby that I enjoy immensely.

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Yep, same here. I usually have my pet load and then a back up powder for the same bullet in the event I cannot find my primary powder. Varget is hard to find so my backup is 4064 for my 308 Savage 10T.

1:10 twist is excellent for all bullet weights. It is a fast twist rate in .308 Winchester, but it is the standard rate in .300 Win Mag and most .30-'06 rifles, since they are more likely to shoot the heavier (over 180 gr) bullets. I like 1:10 twist for all .30 cal applications. For factory ammo, I really like the accuracy of the Barnes Vor-TX TTSX in 150-168 grain bullet weights or Federal Trophy Bonded Tip 165 gr. or similar weight. These also have awesome performance on deer and other game. 150 grain is enough for any animal smaller than an elk. If you use these bullets/loads, you will question why you would consider reloading. I just read the posts prior to mine, and I concur that Federal Premium 165 gr with the Sierra GameKing is a fine box of factory ammo.

I can only shoot on the weekends.....I can spend time on some aspect of the reloading process the other 5 days of the week and often do. For me, it is a relaxing hobby that supplements my shooting hobby.

Reloading is a great hobby and it will save you some money over the years.. I have been for rifles with 1/10 twist rate 30 cal. for quiet some time and they tend to like 165 and 168 grain much better than 150 grain. As far as powders go i will not even mention one cause there are so many that work well with the 308.. Good luck to you,..

In retrospect I can't imagine not reloading. You don't have to spend a bundle to get started, there is a lot of good used stuff for sale cheap locally. Find an old mentor and stick with him. Honestly anyone that doesn't reload is putting them self at a disadvantage.

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Originally Posted by The Old Coach

Nobody's answered the question so I will: A 10 inch twist is usual for almost all military .30 calibers. It will stabilize even 220 grain bullets, but nobody uses them anymore. Target shooters seem to dwell on 12 inch twist for their specialty. I do not know of any .30 caliber rifle that uses a faster twist, but somebody will point one out if I mention it.
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The Problem with this statement is it's too myopic in view. The 10 twist was common with heavy bullets fired much slower, true. But the weight is only correlated to the bullet length, and the length is what is the portion that requires stabilization. Today, with powders velocities possible are much faster, meaning a slower twist will still stabilize any given bullet. Companies stuck with the 10-twist because they had the tooling for them. As to what twist is in what, the 10 is still very common in 30-cal barrels from most factories. The standard 175gr SMK fired in sniper weapons(308 specifically) that bullet is long enough that one branch of the military won't stabilize much longer(heavier). The trick why many want a shall we call it slower twist, is that it causes less bullet upset, and potential core slippage; which is no bueno for accuracy. The side effect of a slow twist, EVEN IF the bullet is stable, is that you will lose some BC points, as the nutation will cause a "wagging" of the bullet and lose efficiency. So if you want to shoot a 178gr or the 208, you won't be happy with a 12-twist, at least in the 308.

168 grain fgm shoots extremely well for factory ammo in 308. But my reloads shoot considerably better by about 40 percent and my reloads are a lot cheaper if you don't count all the equipment needed. If you buy quality equipment it holds value pretty well if you don't like reloading, but I find it almost as enjoyable as the shooting. Reloading 223 and buying bulk at about 16.5 cents a round for accurate ammo. I watched a guy shoot up 500 rounds (federal) of 223 at the range was going to pitch it in the trash and I bought him and his sons 2 pepsis and they picked it up for me. At the state range I shoot at no one reloads 223 brass is everywhere.

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Originally Posted by darkker

So if you want to shoot a 178gr or the 208, you won't be happy with a 12-twist, at least in the 308.

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pretty much sums it up. As long as you shoot lighter bullets, a 1:12 will work for you. I prefer a 1:10 so I can shoot heavier bullets. 208 ELD-M shoots great for me.