I am about to do some load development on a .308. Give me some suggestions on what ya'll use.
150-165 grain
Med. sized game
Distant 500 yards or less
Thinking some gamekings or accubonds

Already run 22-250 w/55grain-vmax
243 w/95 grain-bttsx
270 w/130 grain-bttsx
300wm w/180 accubonds

About to do load development on my other .270 with 140 grain accubonds LR

Game kings are great, as well as the AB. Hornady SST or A-max, or even a Nosler Ballistic Tip, if you want. The higher the BC, the less velocity it bleeds off. But out to 400-500, it's not as critical.

I run the 165gr Accubonds in 308 and 30-06 with outstanding results on game and accuracy.

Chad- What powder do you suggest with the Sierra? What powder ranges? Don't want your recipe just a ballpark idea

Barnes is by far the best made for hunting see the videos on UTube Federal Cartridge and others did. I shot a young doe today with my M14 at a little under 300 yds in the shoulders and running in the lungs. Both solid hits with 165 gr Sierra Game Kings. Blood trailed over 200 yds into cedar thicket and lost it. Only one in ten yrs. but the animals I cull shot with 22-250 thru 338 Win mag all with Barnes. I was careful to utilize the GK as it opens fast so a small doe in shoulders should go down, then thru the lungs. Lots of blood, no deer & it ran uphill, which is really unusual for a wounded animal. 150 gr TTSX with about 45.5 grains of Varget will get around 2800 FPS and penetrate completely thru a whitetail, nose to tail

Yeah that is why I switched to Barnes in my .270. Never could get a Nosler BT to get a exit so I went to Barnes and it has worked lights out. Just wasn't sure it would work as well with lower velocities.

Right now, whatever you can find. Anything in burn rate from about H335 to a Winchester 760. And it depends on which bullet weight you are shooting. The lighter the bullet, the faster burning powder. Heavier bullet = slower burning powder. It's hard to beat Varget with a 165, 168, and 175 grain weight. But Varget doesn't meter very well. So, if you plan to load it on a progressive press, I'd recommend a good ball powder, like TAC, 748, or 760.

http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html

Ok cool. I got 10lbs of varget

43.5 gr. to 45.0 gr. Varget, and a 178 A-max. My 24" barrel made 2700 fps at 44.2 gr. Killin machine! And I shot steel to 1100 yards with it.

Seat it even with the lands or one thousandth in the lands.

Amax's work great.

I like Game Kings,Pro Hunters (flat base),Nosler BT, and A-Max.
But my .308s like all of them in the 165-180 range.
BUT now i'm shooting mostly my cast 245 Grain (Bison Bullets mold)
at 1000-1050 fps. Good Luck!

I'm with chad Varget doesn't meter very well. For 500 yards and under I would go with a bullet that stays together, barnes can be difficult to figure out where to seat off the lands it doesn't like to be close to the lands in any of my guns plus the copper fouls the barrel pretty quick. Hornady Interbonds are cheap and hold together pretty good which would be my choice in your application.

Varget doesn't meter worth a crap. But I measure each drop. I am ocd about my powder weight.

Hunting big game I use Partions w weight appropriate to caliber and game. Plinking, early load development, varmints etc - cheapest I can find
TC

I've never had a problem with Varget, but I use an elec Lyman 1200 or throw manually if a short lot and set my powder thrower short and trickle the last few .10ths. My .308's shoot IMR 4064,4895,Varget and RL15 all under 1 MOA with multiple wgt and types of projectiles. With a clean bore on a good bbl I get about 75-85 rounds before having to clean. Barnes isn't any worse than Sierra. I use foam, nylon brush with Bore Tech Eliminator and cotton Patches. Recheck again the next day. On weapons I've cleaned for others I sometimes use 70 patches til the are clean. Most hunters do only a fair job on their bores.

165 Accubonds work fantastic in mine.

178 amax over varget for me and I have dropped LOTS of hogs with this combo. My kids have also killed a couple deer with this combo and it's deadly.

+1 - 165 gr. Game Kings, over Varget.

+2 - 165 gr. Game Kings, over Varget. [/quote]

THIS!

165 accubonds or Siroccos over Varget have worked very well for me.

165 Accubonds, 165 SGKs, 178 AMAX
all work extremely well for me..

my current 308 (LTR) didn't like 150g bullets

I like the SGK 165 and Varget, but I also like Speer Spitzer Soft Point Boat Tails in 150, 165 and 180 gr. As well as any Nosler Partition.

165 Accubonds. Generally very accurate and forgiving on load varaition, great performance on game.

try a few different ones, and find the one that shoots best out of your gun. I tried all the fancy bullets first and different weights. Come to find out MY gun shoots Corelokt bullets in 165gr the best. as in all touching at a 100 yards. but I would agree to start with a 165 gr bullet first. I would also reccomend Trying Varget.