help 308 reloading info

[cdwyke]

I was wondering what the best powder is for reloading a rem 700 varmit 26 in barrel
175 grain mk
retumbo is supposed to be consistent temp wise
I cant afford to experiment with a lot of different powders
I have been told to use reloader 15,imr 4064
I have been told to use 47 grains of any of the above powders

HELP
Thanks

 

[MudRunner2005]

Varget is hands-down the best .308 case powder available, IMO. Temp stable, meters nice, very good lot consistency, and clean burning.

I use it in my .308 and 7mm-08. If I had any other .308-based calibers, I'd be using it in them, as well.

Retumbo is REALLY slow magnum powder. I don't think I'd use it in a .308 Win... But that's just me.

 

[MTBULLET]

The bench rest guys at our range convinced me to try imr8208xbr in my .308'S.
GLAD THEY DID !

 

[AZShooter]

I second the IMR 8208 XBR for a 308. Note their claim of no change in velocity with change in temperatures.

As for loading 47 gr of those other powders. Probably best to work up to those loads seeking a load that suits your needs. There are so many variables, 47 gr could be too hot for your rifle. .

From IMR:



"There's no Target too small for IMR 8208 XBR

IMR's 8208 XBR is a rifle powder based on an old favorite among the benchrest community, real sticklers for accuracy, with a distinct difference. There is virtually no change in velocity with modest or extreme change in temperatures. The ballistics group at IMR has tested this powder from -40 to +165 degrees Fahrenheit with virtually no performance variation.

In the field Mr. Jim Carmichael tested the new powder in a practical way; he won the 2009 Heavy Varmint Aggregate at the International Benchrest Shooters National Championship.

Pleasant weather, cold or hot IMR 8208 fills the bill with championship performance in many cartridges from .223 Remington to .458 Winchester. Whatever you are aiming at it's no match for new IMR 8208 XBR. The legend is back"

 

[RHC]

3rd the 8208. Hell of a powder in a .308. Try Hodgdon Varget or IMR 8208 XBR and see which one shoots the best for you. Then work up a load with that powder from there.

 

[WVGuns]

I shoot 168gr Amax and RL-15 is the ticket for me.I tried varget and 4064 but they didnt perform as well for me. I can shoot 1inch groups at 100 yards all day long with a factory remington sps with 20 inch barrel

 

[Canadian Bushman]

Ive used 8208, varget, and 4064 in the 308.
All are excellent powders. 4064 is probably the most sensitive to temp, but still behaves well. Varget will probably give you the most speed with a 175 smk.
Though you really cant go wrong with any of them, i was able to get good speed and accuracy out of all of them.

I wouldnt try retumbo, thats a very slow magnum powder, probably wouldnt do well in the 308.

 

[Sargesniper]

I was wondering what the best powder is for reloading a rem 700 varmit 26 in barrel
175 grain mk
retumbo is supposed to be consistent temp wise
I cant afford to experiment with a lot of different powders
I have been told to use reloader 15,imr 4064
I have been told to use 47 grains of any of the above powders

HELP
Thanks

You may be 4-5 gr. over max with those two powders. I suggest you refer to a reloading manual rather than take the word of another person. ......SEMPER FI .......SARGESNIPER

 

[MudRunner2005]

You may be 4-5 gr. over max with those two powders. I suggest you refer to a reloading manual rather than take the word of another person. ......SEMPER FI .......SARGESNIPER

I'll never understand some people being too **** cheap to buy a reloading manual, and too dumb to take some random person's word for it. That's how guns get blown up, and people get hurt.

 

[roninflag]

did you adjust the trigger? what scope? the 308 is a very forgiving round to load for .

 

[Mateo]

I've used imr 4064 with great results in a stock remington 700. It's very similar to Varget. 4064 is my favourite powder with the 168 gr Amax. With a 26" bull barrel I found nodes at 42.0 and 43.7 grains of powder. 43.7 was getting a bit hot. But check the imr website for safe powder charges before you go shooting some random load found on a forum. There's a lot of Gus who just want to shoot unsafe hot loads for bragging rights on how fast they could get their gun to shoot. Shoot safe! And keep your groups small. Peace.

 

[USCGLongBow]

I was wondering what the best powder is for reloading a rem 700 varmit 26 in barrel
175 grain mk

+1 on the no Retumbo.

You can try it and see, but looking at that rifle/bullet combo you may have trouble stabilizing the 175, you may wanna pick up a box of 168 and compare. You should be able to use a pretty slow powder with a 26" .308, so I would look at the three slowest powders in your Sierra reloading Manual and start there.

 

[Gray R]

I had really good luck in my sps varmint 308 with rl-17 shooting the 175 SMK and the 178 amax. Start at about 47 and work up. It got me to 2860 in my 26 inch barrel with about half inch accuracy. I worked it up in 90 degrees at sea level too so it shouldn't be a problem. Good luck!

 

[Michael Eichele]

Which powder is best? Whichever one your rifle likes the best. 47 grains of RL15, 4064 or varget will be too hot for the 175 unless you have a very sloppy chamber and miles of freebore.

BENCHMARK
VARGET
4064
4320
RL15
H4895
N135
N140
H4350 (heavies)

For blistering speed try:

N540
N550
RL17


RETUMBO will do you zero good in a 308. None at all.

M