Been trying to develop the best load possible with my CZ 600 Alpha in .308 WIN.

Brass: Hornady 3x fired / Trim:2.005-2.010” / Annealed / Headspace: -0.002”
Bullet: Barnes TSX 168 gr (actual weight 167.5 gr) / 1.313” avg
COAL: 2.810”
Primer: Fed GM210M
Powder: VARGET starting @ 42.3 gr.

Which would you go with?

43.5 gr

Based on personal experience with that bullet, in that particular weight and caliber, you will not be happy with the results on game. IMO, you need light for caliber with that bullet. Shot a big bodied panhandle buck with a 168gr, exit was not much bigger than entrance. Got lucky with the shot, and he ran smack into a tree after the shot. Walked up on that buck and immediately thought never again. They were accurate out of that rifle though.

Thanks J.G and 68A.

Here’s the Hornady 150 gr SST.

150gr SST has much better performance. I shoot them out of another .308 and have done the job well each time. Take the 44.6 gr load, go forth and conquer.

If I were you, I think I'd load up some more of the TSXs at 43.5 gr, using that same COAL, to verify that that 3 shot group wasn't a fluke (it happens, IME, surprisingly often!)

I might also try 43.5 gr at a COAL of 2.805" and at 2.800" to see how they group. Maybe even 2.815" if they will still fit in your magazine.

The same strategy could be used for the SST load at 44.6 gr.

My CZ barrel has a 0.125" jump with the 150 gr. SST.

I had to load it as close as possible - COAL: 2.800/OGIVE: 2.180" (0.065" longer) just to reduce so much jump.

Interesting bullet choices. I think 150 SST is a grenade and the 168 TTSX might be borderline tough especially on light game. There is a lot of bullet choices that have performance more in the middle. The sweet spot for inexpensive do all bullet for all but the toughest game for a 308 would be plain 165 soft point like a Sierra Game king, Speer Boat tail, Speer Hot Cor, Hornady Interlock.

165 gr SGK SPBT might as well be called "Ole Reliable" out of a .308 Win.

I'm getting great feedback on the new take on it. The Tipped Game King, "Game Changer".

The 64gr variety out of the AR has been money, on pigs at least.

From my experience with the Barnes bullets in 308 is they want a bunch of jump. I shoot the 150 ttsx out of a couple of my 308’s. One gun likes a COL of 2.720 and the other doesn’t really care as long as it’s not over 2.800. I fought them for a while trying to get them to group and I finally just started seating them deeper and got as deep as could go with 46-46.5 grains of VARGET. Now it shoots bug holes at 200 yards.

Concur, drop down in bullet weight to the 150 or even better the 130 TTSX. I worked up the 130 TTSX in .308 Win for kids and my wife about 15 years ago. After giving them a test run, I was so impressed with the terminal effects it all I have used for years now. We are well into the hundreds of animals with them and only recovered a couple of bullets, all others have exited.

While every rifle is different, in my .308's, 45.5 - 47.5 of Varget is the sweet spot. So, I settled on 45.5 grains as that works in every single .308 we have. They are running 3000 - 3100+ fps depending on which rifle it is.

Put it in the shoulder on deer and they will drop where they stand. For pigs, put it at the base of the ear if it can be put there reliably, otherwise, put it the shoulder.

Here are some with my wife shooting and I am recording.

Apologies for the low res. youtube downgraded the resolution for some unknown reason on a couple of these.







Here is one of the few recovered. This was a mature South Texas buck, over 200 pounds on the scale.

The buck was quartering at us. The entry point was the forward edge of the near side shoulder. The 130 TTSX was recovered from the inside of the rear offside leg. So about 4' of penetration.

Thanks jeffbird.

You’re welcome.

Edit - for clarification. On deer, the 130 TTSX has exited on all deer, except for two or three. On larger pigs, there is a higher rate of not exiting, but they all drop when shot in the shoulder or brain. My comments and very positive experience is specific to the TTSX. The TSX is a very different story, and I definitely do not recommend the TSX for deer or pigs due to very inconsistent terminal performance. The TTSX however has delivered better results, more consistently, on more animals, than all other bullets I have tried. Put it in the shoulder and it will deliver.

Good hunting.