Any reloading tips for my new Savage 11 in .308?

[Leverboy]

Picked up a pre accuetrigger Savage 11. Slapped on a paint job and some Talley Lightweight mounts and just need too start the reloading process and load development. Previous owner said it shines with 150's. I have H4350 and IMR 3031 at my disposal. Hope I get the same season this year as I did last year with my Savage 111 in .30-06 which I posted here last year. Thought it would be fun to try a .308 and see what I can do with it. Any reloading tips for a Model 11 I look forward to.

[Hotolds442]

42.5gr of 3031 under a 150 Sierra SBT is my go to round in .308, it's accurate in my model 7, Model 600, and Hog Hunter as well as my son's Axis. Deadly on blacktails out to about 350.

[darkker]

The powder you bought, the powder someone used when they tell you a load, and the powder tested in your manuals are not the same lot... Keep that in mind.
Hodgdon absolutely will not give you nominal burn rate variation, and don't list lot numbers tested; yer print a warning of "Drop 10% when switching lots". There is a very good reason for that. Don't listen to anyone who tells you to look for pressure in the brass or primers either.
Velocity is your best indicator, short of a pressure measurement system. But you have to start low and work up through the chrono. You will run some amount slower than book data, when suddenly you catch-up, or pass book velocity; it's because you passed book pressures.

For Painless, (my 308) the accuracy nodes with any bullet tend to be widest with mid range loads. That isn't the case with some of my other rifles, save the fastest speed very rarely gives the best accuracy.
Start loading and testing, I think you'll find the 308 to be rather pain free to find an accurate node.

[Dennis]

It should be a 10 twist and shoot just about anything. 168's, 175's, and 185's all should shoot less than .500 moa groups at 100. I have had 5 308 and the were all different. Don't forget to try different seating depths. I had two that liked being .050 off the lands.

Dennis

[JMG1894]

I used BLC -2 with a 168gr bullet(Hornady Match ). Start was 44.0grs to 47.0grs. My rifle found that it liked 45.9 grs. But it took range and reloading time to get there. I did start, mid, max. Then found accuracy best between mid/max. So I broke it down to .1 of a grain.
Rifle is my model 10 FCP.
For example. .1gr difference;




Now I have to do the same steps with my model 11 308 same as yours and find what it likes with Nosler 168gr Ballistic Tip's.
Good Luck!!

[Leverboy]

I used BLC -2 with a 168gr bullet(Hornady Match ). Start was 44.0grs to 47.0grs. My rifle found that it liked 45.9 grs. But it took range and reloading time to get there. I did start, mid, max. Then found accuracy best between mid/max. So I broke it down to .1 of a grain.
Rifle is my model 10 FCP.
For example. .1gr difference;




Now I have to do the same steps with my model 11 308 same as yours and find what it likes with Nosler 168gr Ballistic Tip's.
Good Luck!!

Nice! A fellow Canadian to boot!! Thank you all for the input so far...

[JCalhoun]

The Savage .308's usually do very well with 168-175gr bullets. My most successful deer load is 44.5gr Varget with a 168gr BTSP Sierra GameKing. You should have some luck with the 4350.

[jerry shaw]

The good news is that it's relatively easy to get good results with .308s with 155 to 175 bullets and Varget or VV N150. The bad news is that so many combinations shoot so well that you might worry yourself to death settling on a specific one. I have kind of come up with the rule that once a load shoots a half minute in just about anything, I quit experimenting and start having fun with it.

[bloodstone]

Jerry is correct. You can drive yourself buggy if your not careful. My pet hunting load is 44 gr. Barger under a 168 gr Barns sxt. Be safe, blood