Lapua .308 155 Scenar

[Len Backus]

I just bought a bunch of these after giving them an initial try in my rifle.
I'm using these bullets in my 308 Win bolt rifle. It's a 24 inch polygonal rifled barrel. I'm using virgin Lapua cases and Fed 210M primers.

I've tried Varget and Re15 to near compressed load levels and can't seem to get much over 2900 fps before things get sticky, varget being the slower of the two powders I've tried.

Is there another powder that in the opinions of the learned might prove better?

posted April 12, 2001 11:53 AM

Fergus Bailey
Member

From: Australia
Registered: April 12, 2001
Posts: 11
Dave
This is not my strong suit, but most of the fullbore shooters I know down here used faster powders for the 155gn bullets in the .308. You might want to try Hodgdon Benchmark, I can give you starting loads if you want.

BTY, don't you mean Varget being the FASTER of the two powders you've tried?

Fergus
http://www.angelfire.com/ab/fergus

posted April 12, 2001 09:15 PM

Dave King
Moderator

From: Damascus, MD
Registered: April 11, 2001
Posts: 17
Just back in from a Long Range rifle class. I was an assistant instructor but got some time to test the 155's out to 710 yards.
I changed the load a bit and used 45.0 gr of Reloader 15 in Lapua cases and Fed 210M primers with an OAL of 2.875. Average velocity is near 2875 and the primers a little flattened.

Accuracy was very good and the elevation is several minutes less at longer ranges than the 175 Sierra's I've used in the past. As an example, at 710 yards I had 16MOA elevation and 8 minutes wind (windy day). At 670 yards I used 15MOA elevation, 580 yards was 12MOA and 440 yards was 7MOA. I use a Leupold Vari-X III M3 Long Range and am limited to 1 MOA elevation adjustments. (The 710 yard elevation of 16MOA is about 3MOA less than I've used for the 175 Sierra, this is about 21 inches less drop.)

The actual data tracks very well with the predicted data for a .506BC at 2875 fps, temp at 60(f) and altitude at 2620 ASL.

There's not much savings in the wind department over the 175 as they both 'buck' wind pretty well.

Fergus

Sorry to offer confusion, I was talking only about the velocity of the bullet based on the two powders used not the powder burn rate. I may switch to VARGET for another test but the RE15 is doing very well with accuracy in the sub .5MOA area with these bullets and once fired cases.

posted April 30, 2001 07:57 AM

 

[Guest]

Fergus, the Lapua 155 Scenars and Sierra 155 Match kings were originally intended for Palma competition, where the rules stipualte bullets will not exceed 155 grains (I believe the rules now specifically mandate use of the 155 Sierra, but I don't know for sure). This means to get the velocity and accuracy you want from the 155 you will need to duplicate what the commonwealth and Palma shooters do -- start with a 1-13 twist .308, with .298 bore (Boots Obermyer barrels), finished between 28 and 30 inches long. You can't get there with a short 24-inch tube, partner.

 

[usmc1986]

Fergus, the Lapua 155 Scenars and Sierra 155 Match kings were originally intended for Palma competition, where the rules stipualte bullets will not exceed 155 grains (I believe the rules now specifically mandate use of the 155 Sierra, but I don't know for sure). This means to get the velocity and accuracy you want from the 155 you will need to duplicate what the commonwealth and Palma shooters do -- start with a 1-13 twist .308, with .298 bore (Boots Obermyer barrels), finished between 28 and 30 inches long. You can't get there with a short 24-inch tube, partner.

WHAT????? Can't get there with a .308 155 bullet with a 24" barrel. I know folks reaching out to 1k with 22" - 18.5" barrels on steel with almost boring regularity. Although with 18.5" barrel it was the 175's. Not optimal but it will get hits on target.

A 24" barrel will be fine for 155's. The general rule is that you'll need to be in the 2900 fps range to keep especially the 155 Scenars happy,-they like to be pushed really hard.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some barrels are faster than others, even the same manufacturer with the same reamer, it just happens.

The key to safety is going to be your chamber and how much leade you have to keep pressures down. With a factory Rem 700 26" 1:12 barrel I was able to safely push 155 Scenars and 155 AMAX to 2950fps @ 1400 ASL with Varget. Remington is known to have loooong throats/leade and mine is no exception. It took to over max published loads with Win brass and Wolf LR primers to get me there. Lapua brass will take a few less grains than with Winchester and you probably have less leade in your barrel. If you can safely get an accurate node above 2850-2875 without primer flattening, I'd stick with that and shoot it. Much less than that speed and you won't compete with the ballistics to shooting 175's at longer ranges.

Hitting steel at long range doesn't require benchrest length barrels with benchrest level of accuracy. But it will require a high level of consistency and a firm grounding in fundamental marksmanship skills to consistently hit the target.

 

[Buffalobob]

Talk about jarheads being slow, I believe nine years late is some sort of a record.

05-08-2001 02:05 PM

 

[usmc1986]

LOL.....I knew it was an old post.....but jeez I didn't realize it was that old.

 

[Buffalobob]

Its all right!

If a person cannot laugh at themselves they have no right to laugh at someone else.

 

[Djmhunting]

Anyone have experience using the 155 scenar's for hunting mule deer?

 

[WAMBO]

From experience and info from others the Scenars do NOT expand, they just pencil right thru without much damage unless you hit the spine or heart.
A friend's whitetail was hit 3 times with a 155 Scenar from a 300 RUM before it went down, bullet started from the muzzle at 3500+fps, will never use them again.

 

[Hondo64d]

From experience and info from others the Scenars do NOT expand, they just pencil right thru without much damage unless you hit the spine or heart.
A friend's whitetail was hit 3 times with a 155 Scenar from a 300 RUM before it went down, bullet started from the muzzle at 3500+fps, will never use them again.

Plenty of results out there that don't agree with yours…


Expansion Characteristics of Lapua Scenar, 155gr .308

Deceased via Scenar Pics

John

 

[Djmhunting]

Thanks for the input! They shoot to good out of my savage 10 fcp-sr 308 to not try them.