Lighter bullets in 308

[Tomjoad]

Seconding several recommendations for Hammer Hunters. I'm running the 137gr in 308 with a 1-12 barrel. Very forgiving and fast with 4064 around 2950fps, also didn't mind 8208xbr or RL15. A few notes on loading these:
- I did have to dedicate and bed a seating die for them, otherwise they tend to grab the bullets.
- they tend to show pressure signs way late and off the charts.
- crimp dies helped tighten groups more than playing with coal. See the myriad posts on this from @ButterBean here as well as the hammer forum.

 

[mdmiller]

I also will shoot Hammers, but!
If you have 110 and 125 bullets you them up first then order hammer for when your out of the others.
110 HP Sierra load 40-41 @ IMR3031 and up to pressure.
125 TNT Speer load 40-41 @ IMR3031 and work up to pressure.
I built custom Mauser and Rem 700 1-10 twist.

 

[redneckdan]

I have had good results with the 125gr ballistic tip and the 125gr TNT on deer. The TNT especially needs to be kept off the shoulder. I've had a surprising amount of bang-flops with a heart/lung shot. 50-52gr of WIN 748 has worked well in a variety of rifles.

 

[ATLRoach]

I haven't tried the hammers yet but it looks like based off the answers here I need to give them a try.

 

[ButterBean]

I haven't tried the hammers yet but it looks like based off the answers here I need to give them a try.

Please don't take this wrong but you will find you don't try Hammers, You just start using them, 8-10 round load development, no adjusting your COAL, and they just flat out kill

 

[CONatureBoy]

Hey guys, I and trying to come up with a load for my 308 for my boys to shoot during deer season this year. The oldest is very recoil sensitive so I'm looking at some of the lighter weight stuff. I have 110 and 125's and a assortment of powders, I usually shoot the heavy for caliber stuff so don't really have any load data for the light weight stuff.
My questions:
1. My rifle is a 10 twist, do you think that will spin them too fast to stabilize or possible come apart in flight?
2. The lighter weight bullets are mainly varmint bullets, will they hold together well enough for MS white tail?
3. Any loads you guys have used in the past with good success?
Thanks
Matt

The idea that you might "spin a bullet too fast to stabilize it" is an old myth. Faster spin improves gyroscopic stability (up to the point that you spin the bullet to pieces, which is far less common now than in days of yore). If you want to dip your toe into the math, read pp. 157-166 (the first part of Chapter 10: "Bullet Stability") of Bryan Litz, Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting, 3rd ed. (2015). He concludes that "different levels of stability [do] not affect . . . drag in any significant way," and the "lift drift" of a "highly stabilized bullet" is "practically irrelevant," changing the height of impact by about 1/2 inch at 1,200 yards in the example he documents in the book. A bullet that exits the muzzle with a gyroscopic stability factor (SG) of 1.5 may end up with an SG of 5.0 at the point of impact, for a long-range shot, because (as the author explains at length) bullets become more stable in flight. Dynamic stability only becomes uncertain when a bullet travels far enough to reach transonic speeds (around 1,300 fps). Litz concludes, "Don't worry if SG is a little higher than 1.5, but don't choose rifling twist rates or bullets whose combination produces an SG below 1.5 in the conditions you expect to shoot in" (pp. 170-171). The real risk is not having enough twist--not having too much.

The main undesirable effect of over-spinning a bullet is that it magnifies dispersion due to bullet imperfections. To avoid this effect, Litz recommends (1) using high-quality bullets and (2) using a bullet-twist combination that produces a muzzle SG of under 2.0. So there's your rule of thumb: try for an SG of 1.5-2.0, under the conditions (altitude, temperature, etc.) you plan to shoot in.

I'd be very surprised if a novice shooter shot well enough to notice overstabilization effects from a hunting rifle. The math says it's improbable.

 

[ATLRoach]

Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered some 15rd demo packs in both 130s and 162 for my 308s.

 

[tiptanks]

Hey guys, I and trying to come up with a load for my 308 for my boys to shoot during deer season this year. The oldest is very recoil sensitive so I'm looking at some of the lighter weight stuff. I have 110 and 125's and a assortment of powders, I usually shoot the heavy for caliber stuff so don't really have any load data for the light weight stuff.
My questions:
1. My rifle is a 10 twist, do you think that will spin them too fast to stabilize or possible come apart in flight?
2. The lighter weight bullets are mainly varmint bullets, will they hold together well enough for MS white tail?
3. Any loads you guys have used in the past with good success?
Thanks
Matt

Sounds like clear justification for another bolt gun. Opportunity.
Good luck either way.

 

[Rich Coyle]

One hunting year I borrowed my son-in-law's control feed Kimber 84 .308 with an 18" barrel (I experience a "jam" with it.). Using Hammer 101 grain bullets at 3,386 feet per second I killed a buck and a doe with it. At least they were sorta accurate with five shots 7/8" groups at 100 yards with the first and only load I tried. The powder was H335 @ 54 grains sparked by CCIBR-2 primers.

 

[JAYgs8163]

X-3

X4

 

[Blangcfr]

I have had great luck with 125 Nosler BT and varget.

 

[robpiat]

I'm just here to escalate...Buy them a Howa Mini 6.5 Grendel.

 

[Ace Quackhunter]

I have used 125 Barnes over Red Dot powder, very effective out to 100 yards on whitetail deer. Very little recoil and a very low report, other manufactures in 125-130 grain should work as well. Years ago I hunted whitetail with a 22-250 using 64 grain core-lokt and they worked great

 

[cohunt]

I've used 125nbt, and 130 mk319 bullets--- the hammer would be good too. Light bullets shoot well with tac and varget for me