Favorite Load

[alloutsmith3]

What is your favorite 308 load, both factory and reload, for shooting game and paper?

[liltank]

Right now I have a load of IMR 4895 41.0grn, Hornady BTHP 178grn shooting .5" to .75" at 100yds. I used the same load to w/ 175SMK to 580yds holding .6MOA. Primer is a Wolf primer.

I have a new rifle I am still proving the loads with (due to weather) but so far w/ 178 Hornady BTHP just touching the lands, I am getting between .2 and .3" at 100yrd with 42.8grn Ramshot TAC, and 44.5gns Varget, and 44.0 RL15. The Varget and RL15 are w/ F210M, and the TAC load with Wolf primer. My comparator OAL is 2.286" with the 178's.

Tank

[frequent misser]

You will probably get a bunch of replies for the heavy bullets so I will give you a 155gr load. My favorite is a 155 amax in a lapua case with 46.9 gr of varget and a fed 210m primer, .005 off the lands. That has accounted for several truckloads of deer out to 750 yds and an 1159yd coyote. The wind does play with that lighter bullet but it does 1/2 moa to a 1/2 mile all day.

[alloutsmith3]

Thanks for the input guys. Lets hear some more.

[Michael Eichele]

It is hard for me to nail down one favorate 308 load. I have had so many of them over the years.

That said, there has definately been a pattern of some loads that have worked very well in multiple 308's. Probably my best rifle to rifle load has been 43-44 grains of RL15 under the 190 SMK. This has been a SOLID 1/2 to sometimes sub 1/2 MOA performer from 100-1000 yards.

42 grains of RL15 under the 178 AMAX was about the most surgical load I have ever shot. My best 100 yard, 300 yard and 800 yard groups in ANY rifle/load combo were all fired with that load.

My best 1000 yard groups have been fired with the 155 AMAX. I forget the powder and charge. 3.5" with a consistent 4.5-5 MOA 1000 yard performance.

The 178 AMAX over 45.0 of N540, the 168 AMAX with 46.0 of N540, and the 175 SMK over 43.9 N540 (BR2 Primers) have all been scarey accurate.

My current 'pet' load is 46 grains of N550 under the 208 AMAX with CCI250 mag primers. 2600'/sec with nearly 1000'# at 1000 yards in standard air density.

One other sweet all around load that comes to mind was 42.0 of BENCHMARK under the 155 AMAX. Only 2750ish FPS but 1/2 to sub 1/2 all day, any day every day literally. That was my one and only 308 load for nearly 2 years and I NEVER had one bad day at the range or field with it. Those bullets just always seemed to hit their mark. Never had to make sighting adjustments etc....Just an all around sweet load. My only complaint was construction and energy, or lack therof.

As far as factory, I hqave not shot much of it but the Federal GMM 168 SMK have always shot bug holes at 100 yards and 1/2 to sub 1/2 MOA to 600. I am of the opinion that if your 308 wont shoot GMM 168's well, there is something wrong with your 308.

M

[MudRunner2005]

Hornady TAP red box (Law Enforcement) .308 Win 168gr BTJHP. One scarily accurate load.

[Varmint Hunter]

Lapua case - Fed 210 match primer - 155gr A-Max, .015 off lands - 43.0gr Benchmark. Velocity 2,800 ft/sec. Under .5moa @ 300yds.

Killed this buck with a single round to the brisket at 200yds. I leap and it was all over.