Any or all replies for the following:

1. Just got a Chargemaster. Heard something about spherical works better for the mechanism. What r good examples good powders for 308? I'm new so Varget is all i know and going to use it but wouldn't mind trying something else.

2. Seating depth: did the whole measure the lands thing by seating a bullet 0.005 short every time. Got right at 2.100" with my bullet comparator zeroed out w/hornady 168 bthp. Same measurement of chad's amax bulk was 2.134". Is seating mine that deep any issues?

3. My brother has a 6.5cm gas gun that I want to reload for him. What do I look out for when it comes to choosing amongst what powder I have available in stores near me? The bullet will be that 140 eld.

Thanks as always.

All powders work well in the Chargemaster.

There are a couple of tricks that will improve the performance if desired.

I use the "Straw Trick". It is now very rare that I throw an over charge.

As long as it's not a compressed load or abnormally short, that depth shouldn't give you any issues. Are Chad's loads running into the lands when you chamber them?

Check your manual for what powders you have data for, then look up those powders online and see what the general consensus is there. I bet Varget will be in your manual, so depending on whether you want to dip into your stock or not, you can use that one easily.

You need to look at the tip to ogive measurements. A polymer tip bullet will seat different than a BTHP bullet will in the distance to the lands. A Hornady 168 BTHP has a .635" length from the tip to ogive. A 168 A-max, has a .660" length tip to ogive. So, if both bullets are seated to 2.800" COAL, then the BTHP bullet will be .025" closer to the lands. Sometimes this will help you seat the bullet closer to the lands. I try to seat my rounds using the ogive as my main measurement, but also have to stay within max COAL, especially with the 308. I can't go over the 2.800", unless I'm loading to a specific rifle and I have the rifle on hand to measure the chamber. Sometimes with a BTHP bullet, you will have to be less than 2.800", because of the shorter tip to ogive length, and may jam into the rifling. This is why I mainly load to the ogive. I have checked multiple chambers and dimensions and try to seat the bullet to a certain ogive with certain calibers. The issue with the 308 is (and other rounds, also) a SAAMI chamber has a much longer throat than a match chamber with a short throat (which match chambers are often used by gun smiths), so you have to seat the bullet to the minimum length match chamber dimensions, unless you risk jamming bullets into the rifling.

My personal 308 has a match chamber, and I chamber check all my ammo in it so it doesn't jam, or may be slightly touching the rifling (not jamming).

All measurements above are with the hornady bullet comparator. Unless I've missed something, they should all be the bottom of case to ogive length.

I assumed the chad amax would be longer than what my chamber is. I just wanted know by how much. It was the only other loaded round of 308 I had. I guess it's not bad. And yes, both the Chad amax and federal gm 168 smk ammo was touching the lands in my rifle.

What rifle do you have? I forget?

I have a factory savage 12 with a prefit shilen 308. I have an rcbs competition bullet seater so it was easy for me to seat the bullet in 0.005" increments.
Would it matter if I used another case than what I intend to reload? I used one the Chad amax cases for this fit up.