.308 powder question

I’m ready to roll some .308’s for a semi, and have all the components, except a preferred powder. I have some H4350 and H4831SC, but seeing discouraging feedback online about these options...That they would have to be Stuffed!

I will work with what I have, however, I’d prefer to find a good powder set up exclusively for the .308....oh yeah, hoping it might be something in stock, somewhere....

TIA

George

What weight bullet? 168+ I’ve been very pleased with Varget.

Forgot to mention that, thanks!

I’ve got some Sierra 168 GR TMKs for this load.

H-Varget
H-4895
IMR-8208
H-335

Gas gun = slightly faster burn rate.

Yea those two are too slow burning for 308.

Lots of choices depending on your criteria.

A few best choices if your not throwing powder would be Varget/IMR 4064/XBR8208/H 4895/N140

ARComp can be thrown and is very temp stable and from there lots of Ball type powders such as W 748/TAC/
CFE223/2000MR/H335 and some I have probably missed.

So far everybody has been spot on on powder choices, of which there are lots of powder choices for the .308.

I get better results with H4895 than Varget. Varget is the stick powder velocity champ in the .308, but I personally get better accuracy with H4895.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Thanks! Hopefully I can find some of these to give it a go!

I did just find 1.5-2lbs of BLC2, so I might try that out tomorrow...

Imr4064, H4895 are both excellent in .308 with 168 grain bullets.

Just worked up some loads with 168gr SMK and Berger bullets using Ramshot TAC. Scored 5 pounds off the Hodgen website a few weeks ago, have seen it on MidSouth also but was never quick enough.

Was able to get very similar groups and velocities as the SMKs over Varget that I've been using for years and the TAC meters real well. Also loaded Grendel with it and will try .223 77gr SMKs next. Hoping to supplement my dwindling Varget and 4895 supply. Couldn't get CFE223 to work in the Grendel and hadn't thought about it in .308 but may get desperate enough to try it also.

CFE223 and 3000MR in that bullet weight range give top end speeds

And who doesn't like to go fast! Sounds like it's worth trying

IMR 3031 with a 168 SMK was a standard competition load for the M1A for many years. My recollection was 39.5 gr in an LC or similar case. 4895 was the other load used frequently. I have to check my notes but I recall somewhere around 41.5 gr was the standard 4895 load but I am uncertain if tit was H or IMR. The goal was 2550 FPS as I recall. In recent years 4064 became popular at 41.75 grains as it was supposed to duplicate FGMM 168gr. Its been said if your gun wont shoot FGMM get a new gun.

I use IMR3031 for the grandson’s 308 bolt gun. The bullet is a 150 gr SST. Very accurate. With 3031 being apparently not that popular these days, it might be something you could find.

My bud Austin was shooting his LR-308 and started blowing primers, in the summer. Another one of his friends loaded the ammo. I told him to ask what powder he was using, the answer IMR-3031. I then had him ask the charge, his bud replied, and it was published maximum. No testing, just went straight to max, for a gas gun.

That's probably why it isn't so popular, it is temperature sensitive. If the rifle is ever going to be shot in hot weather, the load needs to be developed in hot weather. A spring or fall load may be unsafe in the summer.

Varget, RL15, IMR4895, IMR4064 all excellent choices for 308.
I’ve shot some H4350 with a 150 gr stuffed full dropped powder through an 8” drop tube to get it all in there shot ok nothing to write home about..

Lots of the powders your looking for that’s been coming up daily, Do some digging and you can snag it pretty easily.

Not to mention a gas gun load can be way different than a bolt gun load. Fireman I know you know that but so many folks talk about a "Great .308 load" not realizing they are probably giving bad advice for a semi/gas gun load.

Going to run CFE223, H4895 and Varget for Hornady 168 BTHP and ELD's

Exactly right.

When I'm load developing for a gas gun versus a bolt action, both in .308 Win, they are two different processes. Different powders, different neck tensions, different maximum charges.

Aa2520 - Camp Perry powder for M1A. Meters great. Kinda equiv to IMR4895

No blown primers for the grandson. I loaded at midrange. He has the Ruger M77 Int’l, with the full length stock. A real light gun and I didn’t want to loosen his fillings with recoil. But, like I said, 3031 isn’t the powder folks fight over, so it might be readily available or perhaps a bit more available. And it’ll work just fine.

One other variable for gas guns is the use of Suppressor which will also cause pressure issues.
Yes AA2520 and also Shooters World Match powder which is same as D073-06

Yeah, it'll work. It will make ammo that goes bang, and hits somewhere inside deer vitals at 100 yards. If that's all someone needs it to do.

O.P. shoots far. There's other powders available that are better at that.

Pretty much all I use for .308

https://www.alliantpowder.com/products/powder/reloder15.aspx

George, let me know if you're having trouble finding viable powders. Maybe we can do some sort of trade as I got a bunch that might work for you; Benchmark, imr 4166, rl15, H322 (I don't think is that good for 308 but Hodgdon does list data), and WC 846s.

I'm actually about start testing WC846S that I got from Chad with LC brass and 168 hornady bthp that i got for $0.26 recently. On a bolt gun, btw. I stoked about this load as it may end up costing me about $0.40 in total cost. Heck my Berger bullet cost me $0.45 or more.
I too would like to develop a 308 exclusively for general purpose, including hunting, in a 16" barreled gas gun. I'm thinking a 150/155 bullet using a faster powder. In my bolt gun, I've been surprised how wellSpeer 150 soft points perform on paper and they're cheap.

Fireman, note that I didn’t say that imr3031 was the greatest powder ever for the 308. I suggested it BECAUSE it isn’t the favorite powder for most shooters, and therefore might be found more easily than today’s preferred powders. Telling someone what the absolute best powders for the OP’s needs isn’t going to help much if the powder can’t be obtained. If better powders are indeed available, that’s great.

My decision to use 3031 in the grandson’s 308 was based partly on the fact that I had a couple of pounds of it that I wasn’t going to use for anything else. Probably not much of a technical decision, but more a practical decision. And, of course, it works just fine for what we need it for, being a good old fashioned 308 powder.

Korean Redneck, I worked up a load for a suppressed AR-10 with 16 inch barrel, adjustable gas block using 41.3 grains of WC846S powder with CCI250's in Lake City cases with Sierra 150gr pro hunters. I went all the way up to 43.9 but the accuracy node started at 41.3 and went to 42.1 in this particular rifle. Since is was in the 50's when I worked the load up I went with the lowest powder charge to hopefully compensate for the hotter summer months of pig hunting.

No argument from me, at all, on using what you had.

Other powders can be obtained. Ole Thumper is doing a fine job of trying to keep is up to speed when some become available.

Cool, thx for the info. I got some of the aforementioned 150 speers but I also got 150 gamekings. I have no plans for them so I might give it whirl. I even ended up with really old cci 250's that I have no idea what to do with. Might just copy you.