308 groups

[DCGS]

What can a shooter expect from a 308 22inch barrel as far as groups at 500 yds? I would like the norm not the exception. Do you think barrrel length plays a part in the group size at longer distances ? Dan

 

[BountyHunter]

Factory or custom barrel?

sporter or heavy barrel?

Factory heavy on average 1-1.5 MOA. Some much better and some worse.

Factory sporter- 2-3 MOA at 500,

Custom heavy expect 3-6" under normal conditions.

All will require loads developed for that gun.

BH

 

[rscott5028]

I concur with BountyHunter and would add that for 308 @ 500yds or less, a shorter 22" factory barrel may actually be advantageous as it would be stiffer and possibly more accurate than a longer barrel of the same weight.

Also, I don't think you can count on better than MOA @ 500yds if there's very much wind at all for the average factory rifle/shooter.

 

[DCGS]

15 palma contour custon barrel trued Remington action.

 

[texan79]

I would expect a custom to shoot 1 MOA at a minimum.

 

[long450]

In no wind, with a good rest,MOA.

 

[liltank]

I just remembered that I had shot a 3.5" group at 580 yards with an 18" barreled 308. I was using 41.0grn IMR4895, F210M, shooting prone out of the bed of my truck. Velocity was right around 2450fps.

Tank

 

[rscott5028]

I just remembered that I had shot a 3.5" group at 580 yards with an 18" barreled 308.

Tank,

Nice shooting. How many shots?

regarding the OP...

Is that the "norm" for you with any 308?

Is that the "norm" for that particular rifle?

Or, was it just an example of a group that you were pleased/displeased with?

thanks,
richard

 

[liltank]

Answers to questions in bold!

Tank,

Nice shooting. How many shots? Took me a few to figure out my mil-dots. First time taking it that long w/ the new load. It is a consistent .5MOA rifle with my hand loads.

regarding the OP...

Is that the "norm" for you with any 308? At that distance and to about 700yds I have been able to keep a .308 at .75MOA or less. I do all hand loading. My current loads off of my front rest on a bench has been able to pull .189" (3shot), .205 (4 shots w/foul), and .218 (3shots)" groups. My best prone was from a factory Savage 26" barrel with 110 V-max measuring .233 (5shots prone). All these were shot at 100yd.

Is that the "norm" for that particular rifle? It has been since I found that it likes 175 to 180grn bullets with IMR4895. 173FMJ, 175SMK's, and 208's well with RL17. The 173 and 175 SMK's come in at about 2550fps.

Or, was it just an example of a group that you were pleased/displeased with? Not tooting my own horn, but the .308 caliber has been good to especially when I start hand loading. I did shoot some RWS Match w/190grn SMK's that always shot .5MOA when I did my part.

thanks,
richard

Tank

 

[rscott5028]

Tank,

Thanks for the update. Very nice shooting! My son's not quite there yet. But, we're working on it.

Thanks!
Richard

 

[Yoshie]

I have a 308 remington VTR 22" barrel (24" with the muzzle break). After working up a load for it, i am able to shoot a consistant MOA at 550 yards. I feel that the shorter barrels are ideal if you are only looking for short distances. as long as thickness/contour stays the same; the shorter the barrel the more stiff it is(stiff usually = accuracy).

In short, the short barrel is quite capable of acceptable accuracy.

I would tend to look at other factors with greater importance. if you cannot read the wind or hold your gun steady, then that should be fixed first!

a 15 palma contour custom barrel on a trued Remington action should be able to shoot half minute at 500 yards, now if the shooter is capable(or if the wind is bad) that would be another story.

 

[rscott5028]

It might also depend on whether you're talking about the classic 3 shot group that people often go by for hunting rifles or 20 shot strings as in F-Class.

I'm thinking the X ring is ~.5 MOA and I don't hear about that many perfect scores.

As others have stated, wind becomes a significant factor at 500yds+ and the more shooting you do, the more you have to contend with wind. So, competetive shooters with custom guns probably have the worst averages since they shoot in all conditions.

-- richard

 

[jflester]

Nothing fancy here, just a simple Marlin xL 7 over the counter 308. No alterations, all factory. Using RL15/45gr and 165 SST. 0.75 at 100yds.

For what I do, its all I need. And I feel comfortable with it out to 600 yds, no sweat!