Got some of these of the way to try in my .308 Win. This is my first time loading Hammers so I'm very interested to see how they work. I'm going to start with Varget on these since I have it on hand. Anyone have any experience with these and what kind of results are you getting? I'm thinking I'm going to start at 44gr. and work my way up from there.
Just ordered some 138gr. Hammer HHT for my .308 Win
- Thread starter jlarose85
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What twist barrel you running?
RockyMtnMT
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Hey @jlarose85, I'm not sure if you can get enough varget in the case to get to pressure. We just loaded one and we used Benchmark very nicely. I think it is readily available right now and one of the Hodgdon Extreme powders.
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How was your accuracy?
RockyMtnMT
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It was good! Load doesn't count if it doesn't shoot well! It was a Ruger American and shoots about .5 moa, like they always seem to do. Those rifles are just stupid.
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12 or 10 twist?
RockyMtnMT
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Ruger is 1-10"
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Just wondering if it will work in a 12. May give it a try.
Mine is a Bergara Approach. Barrel is cut down to about 17" and it's a 1:10 twist.
I'm definitely open to using a different powder. Is the Benchmark as temp stable as Varget? I think most of the Extreme li e of powders are but correct me if I'm wrong. These are going to be hunting loads so I want to be mindful of that. Down here in the south we can go from one weekend of hunting at 80 to the next at 30. It's one of the few reasons I haven't tried TAC yet. I know it gets good results but I've heard mixed reviews on temp stability.
Also, what velocity were you getting out of the Benchmark with what length barrel?
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FireFlyFishing
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Just tried Tac with the 154 HHT in my .308. Grouped well during the pressure test, but I had pressure signs just north of 2600 FPS. 2600 isn't enough for me with that weight bullet in a copper. I may try Benchmark as well.
RockyMtnMT
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It shouldn't be showing pressure signs at that low of vel. If you don't mind, what charge of Tac? 2900 fps should be comfortable on the table.
RockyMtnMT
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We ran it very comfortable at 3050fps. I believe the Rugers are 22" barrels. We kept this one on the mild side for hunting in TX heat.
Perfect! Would you be able to offer a starting charge weight on the Benchmark?
FireFlyFishing
Well-Known Member
43.0 grains yielded 2691 fps. 44.0 grains yielded 2741 with an ejector swipe and sticky bolt lift. This was out a 1:11 20" Tikka CTR. I was hoping for something North of 2800 with that barrel. I did use a Lee factory crimp die. Wondering if I should try it without, but I always read on here how folks like to crimp their Hammer loads…
Sorry OP, not trying to hijack. Perhaps some good information you could use here.
