Getting ready to start loading for my 12FV .308. 26" barrel, 1:10 twist. I was going to start with 168 gr but with the 1:10 twist I'm thinking of going heavier. It's my first time loading .308. Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.
Getting ready to start loading for my 12FV .308. 26" barrel, 1:10 twist. I was going to start with 168 gr but with the 1:10 twist I'm thinking of going heavier. It's my first time loading .308. Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.
I would go with 175 or 178.. that's what I have found to be the most accurate in all my 1/10 .308 and I dont really have science to back it up but it sure seemed easier to find my work up on heavier pills.. again, that just could be a perception thing but getting same hole results from 175 and 178 is not a perception lolOriginally Posted by JohnRS
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This has been my experience also with the 10 twist savage barrel. The 185 bergers and the 190 SMKs for long range. The 10 twist really starts to match the 175 SMK length. This has been true with 95 percent of the 308's Ive seen. The ones that wee not were very light rifles causing shooter glitch from recoil. I have had success with 155's(150 class) but they perform much better with a 12 (FTR) or 13 twist(palma) and the ultralight hunters. 168's shoot good for up to to 300 yards as do 165 SGK's.
In the odd case you cant get the heavies to shoot go with a 150 class. My experience for what its worth..
The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.
Yeah I found it strange that I also was able to get a 147 and a 150 grain military surplus ammo to shoot well out of my one and tens but I have not been able to get 168 to do very well. Admittedly though I never really searched for and accurate load with 168 grain bullets of any type
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178gr Amax have been my go to for .308, 4064 at 2690fps
I agree with above. My BVSS liked the heavier bullets too. But, if I download a bit the 155's are good at shorter ranges.
I shoot cast bullets in it now and turns out the heavier bullets are still better. It shoots MOA with 175gn and a bit better with 200gn. Next mold will be a 230gn.
Performance of any particular rifle is subject to the rifle's barrel so 'favorite loads' sometimes don't really mean all that much.
I have two Savage .308 and one prefers bullets from 150 to 168 grains and the other prefers bullets from 168 to 200 grains.
That said, most of my five .308s shoot 168 Federal Premium Gold Medal Match 168 grain SMKs factory ammo really well. I tend to think of it at the gold standard for .308 factory ammo.
My reloads with 168 SMKs actually shoot better than the factory ammo with the same bullets, but I always start with factory Federal GMM 168s with a new .308 rifle.
You'll really should be prepared to check weights from 150 and 155 grains all the way up to 195 to 200 grains to see what your new rifle really shoots best.
I was surprised at the difference in the preferences between my two bolt action Savages. I expected them to shoot the same loads with the same accuracy.
Both rifles have over 3,700 rounds down their barrels and I have measured just about every group that I shot with them.
The data on bullet performance and powder performance is statistically sound and there is a definite preference for particular weights in each barrel.
I would be interested in hearing what your barrel prefers.
I was refering to the comment about competition. That's what I meant by "serious shooting". I probably won't be doing any hunting with this rifle, but I do want do some long range shooting.
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Yep, if you are competing in precision rifle against those with jacketed bullets you need to follow suit. Cast won't get there.
In some venues even buying the normal bullets won't get you there either. Have to go to the custom makers or at least 'point' your own. Just depends on the level you are competing at.
A 168gr AMAX over 44.2gr Varget gives me around 2650fps in my 12FV. Very low ES and has put up some pretty good 600yd scores at Talladega.
I hardly shoot factory ammo, but the 175gr Federal Gold Medal Match also shoots very well in the rifle out to 600. Velocity was about 2575fps IIRC.
FTR in 223, BA LE Tactical in 308, 110 Flatback in CBI 6mmBR Norma, Others
I've found its pretty much not bergers and losing to those using bergers are the 2 main categories I've noticed
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Ted, I thought that was a joke until I started focusing on F-Class. Turns out that at any match above club level it is pretty much the rule.
FTR in 223, BA LE Tactical in 308, 110 Flatback in CBI 6mmBR Norma, Others
Lol yep
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