140gr. copper .308

[John@redmt]

I picked up a couple hundred copper 140.gr. .308 bullets. If I was to bet, I would say they are GMX. I'm having trouble finding any 140gr. .308 load in any .30 caliber. I would like to find something for the .308 Winchester and the .300 Weatherby mag. Here's a funky picture. The tip is a light red polymer.

 

[John@redmt]

Nobody? All I'm looking for is a safe starting load.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Due to a lack of more accurate reloading info I would simply start by using Barnes 150gr TSX data. A moderate charge for their 150gr mono should be a light starting charge for your 140gr mono.

 

[John@redmt]

Thanks! I can go from there. My loading experience hasn't included load development from scratch. The last thing I want to do is make too big a noise!

 

[Calvin45]

The bullet in the picture is a hornady monoflex. They are indeed 140 grain. The steep ogive and long bearing surface indicate that this one is meant for 30-30 win. They have 2 30 cal 140 grain mfx, the other is sleeker and designed for the 308 marlin express. To verify,
Push down on the tip real hard with your thumbnail (push the bullet tip down hard against a flat surface) - it gives a little, its pliable enough to not detonate a primer in front of it in a tube magazine during recoil. The 308 marlin express is slightly less capacity and lower pressure rated than the 308 Winchester. You could use load data for that cartridge as a starting point.

 

[Poppadoer]

I think varmint hunter gave you a good place to start.

 

[John@redmt]

I DO think I have a great place to start. Thanks! What I originally intended to do was to have a somewhat lighter load for pigs and coastal deer. I've been very successful with one shot kills at 150-175 yards with a 5.56 Loaded with the Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets. There's been a few I've let pass at longer ranges. I'm hoping that I can come up with something that my Ruger Predator likes that will reach out to 300 and not destroy the meat. The 168 and 180 grains just seem to do far too much damage. Being a meat hunter I want to do as little damage as possible yet have a solid one shot kill.

 

[John@redmt]

A question?? If I take a standard 30.30 load for the 140gr. will it be safe to load in the .308 case, seeing how the case design is so much different? I guess I need to look up all the loads and compare them powder to powder , weight for weight, and see if there's an equal load.

 

[Poppadoer]

Call the manufacturer of the bullets and get them to give you the load data for the caliber.I'd do that before I spend money on the bullets.

 

[John@redmt]

In my first post I said I picked up a couple hundred factory seconds. Midway only has them listed as .308 140 gr. I've gotten the 180's from them before. I incorrectly figured that they would be a standard profile bullet. They don't/won't provide any other info on them.

 

[Poppadoer]

I see.Well,I found data in my Lee manual for 140gr.copper solid bullets for the .308.Also in my Nosler manual I found data for 140gr.but that was for competition.I seen those bullets you have at midwayusa also.Didn't buy any though.I'd call a tech from ,Barnes,Leigh,or Berger,hammer and pic of bullets and I'm sure someone has data or they wouldn't have made them.Good luck

 

[John@redmt]

Thanks. The really good part is that the description count is wrong. They are not a box of 50 but of 100. I wanted 100 and got 200. Way cool. Midway has gotten over a couple times so getting a 100 bullet bonus was great. The 180's are not flat base but boat tail. Another pleasant surprise.

 

[Poppadoer]

I have no doubt that you will find the data.happy reloading

 

[Calvin45]

I see.Well,I found data in my Lee manual for 140gr.copper solid bullets for the .308.Also in my Nosler manual I found data for 140gr.but that was for competition.I seen those bullets you have at midwayusa also.Didn't buy any though.I'd call a tech from ,Barnes,Leigh,or Berger,hammer and pic of bullets and I'm sure someone has data or they wouldn't have made them.Good luck

Hornady should. It's a hornady bullet. I'll email them and see what they can come up with.