.308 load data using varget.

[trophyhunter1000]

bought some varget powder today also bought some new hornady .308 brass and some hornady 168grn match bthp. Does anyone have any load data that they are willing to share? The gun that will be used is a CZ 550 varmint with a 26" barrel.

 

[Jud96]

bought some varget powder today also bought some new hornady .308 brass and some hornady 168grn match bthp. Does anyone have any load data that they are willing to share? The gun that will be used is a CZ 550 varmint with a 26" barrel.

Try 43.5gr of Varget

 

[valleyloader]

43.5 is a great place to start, I would work up in .5 grain increments checking for signs of pressure. You will most likely will find an accuracy node between 2700-2750 fps. The Hodgdon book lists 46.0 grains as max. and my Remington with a factory 26" bbl likes that powder charge with the 168 gr. bullets. I would however recommend trying some 175 grain bullets, reducing the charge of course. They have proven to be very accurate and better at the farther distances in my rifle and many others.

 

[Jud96]

43.5 is a great place to start, I would work up in .5 grain increments checking for signs of pressure. You will most likely will find an accuracy node between 2700-2750 fps. The Hodgdon book lists 46.0 grains as max. and my Remington with a factory 26" bbl likes that powder charge with the 168 gr. bullets. I would however recommend trying some 175 grain bullets, reducing the charge of course. They have proven to be very accurate and better at the farther distances in my rifle and many others.

Forgot to mention to work up.

 

[thatguyshm]

I shoot out of a rem700p. I have loaded this before, winchester brass though, not hornady. I used 44.3gr at mag length with the hornady 168 match, ~0.025" of lands. They shot very well. I can't find the chrono data right now, as I have since upgraded to lapua brass. I could easily get moa out to 900 yards though with the moly bthp's and normal.

 

[trophyhunter1000]

thanks for the info guys. One more question what head space gauge are y'all using to get your measurments for distance off the lands?

 

[valleyloader]

I use the Hornady Lock N Load Gauge in combination with the Wilson case gauge. This may not be the best system but it has worked well for me so far. The reason I use the Wilson gauge is to find the difference in length between the hornady modified case and the cases that are fire formed to my chamber, which in my case is .004". Therefore I add .004" to the measurement that I get with the Hornady gauge. I know there are simpler ways to accomplish this, however I bought the Hornady gauge several years ago and realized that if I am not using a fire formed case I am not getting an accurate measurement from bolt face to lands. I have also seen where some have made their own out of all thread and a fire case. You could also soft seat a bullet longer than you know the COAL would be and chamber it then measure it.

Also it is best to use a bullet comparator to take measurements to get the CBTO (cartridge base to ogive), it is more accurate than COAL.

 

[trophyhunter1000]

thanks valley. Its great to know that there is a wealth of knowledge a few clicks away. Much appreciated.