Reloading advice

[xsn10s]

I just looked for PM status and I dont think i can yet. Ed has my information i send sent via work email and im gonna try and sneak out for a second on Monday to sit down with him. With him being so well known and being on the same base divine intervention.

Hodgdon back only but have no H4895 for 125gr BT. You can call Nosler and they should have the load data. If not in the old days we used IMR 4895 load data, but the burn rates are close, but not the same. I wouldn't advise it until after you gain some experience with reloading, and how your rifle responds to your loads.

 

[J.Hamb]

Hodgdon back only but have no H4895 for 125gr BT. You can call Nosler and they should have the load data. If not in the old days we used IMR 4895 load data, but the burn rates are close, but not the same. I wouldn't advise it until after you gain some experience with reloading, and how your rifle responds to your loads.

I call both Nosler and Hodgen and reference both of them. Plus I just bought the digital Hornady so I can reference it for the 178gr ELD-X and the 168gr ELD match that still want to load.

 

[J.Hamb]

When i loaded those 178grs I didnt have the hornady book and my speer only had 168 and 180gr so I split the difference and im glad I did. According to Hornady with accurate 2460 max is 42.5 and I loaded them with 41gr. I feel better about those rounds in particular now. I shot some the other day and was surprised how much of a thump it was giving me on the shoulder. I just pulled some apart randomly eariler today to check measurements and verify everything.

 

[Turpentine21]

When i loaded those 178grs I didnt have the hornady book and my speer only had 168 and 180gr so I split the difference and im glad I did. According to Hornady with accurate 2460 max is 42.5 and I loaded them with 41gr. I feel better about those rounds in particular now. I shot some the other day and was surprised how much of a thump it was giving me on the shoulder. I just pulled some apart randomly eariler today to check measurements and verify everything.

What brand of case are you using? 308 cases vary quite a bit with internal volume. Winchester cases will generally hold the most powder. Military cases generally take 1 to 2 grains less.

 

[J.Hamb]

What brand of case are you using? 308 cases vary quite a bit with internal volume. Winchester cases will generally hold the most powder. Military cases generally take 1 to 2 grains less.

I had a bunch of guys from my shop at work bring me their brass. I sorted it all via brand. All Hornady together, all Federal together etc etc. Those cases in particular are Hornady and were only shot once. I discovered what I did wrong, I had the wrong manual and didnt cross reference properly I was about 2grs over max for that specific powder , I separated the 5 rounds I loaded and resized them and put the proper powder weight in and had zero issue.

 

[Turpentine21]

Gotcha, I load for a couple of 308s. 1 Bolt gun and an AR10. I thought 46 seemed a bit high for H4895. Both of my 308s do quite well with 43 grains of H 4895 and 150 grain bullets. The bolt gun with 26" barrel gives me right at 2910fps with a 150 Nosler Accubond.. 20" barreled gas gun does around 2750-2775 with a 150 SST
If you find some Varget give 46.5-46.6 a try with the Nosler 150

 

[quandary]

Could you detail the case on the left a little more clearly? Is that how it looks after firing or loaded and bullet pulled? That case doesn't look like it would chamber. What brand of brass is it? Was it FL resized or just neck sized? Was the brass chamfered and deburred? All the brass looks to be a different length. Do you trim it all to a consistent length?

 

[AD5GB]

So I'm doing my absolute best try and get match grade ammunition for the first time. Ive reloading a plethora of target ammo nothing super fine tuned or high quality. Ive ran into an issue. From right to left is 1. (Lead tip) factory 180gr cor-lok 2.(red tip) Hornady 178gr ELD-X I reloaded with 41gr of accurate 2468 here where the issue starts 3-5 (green tips) are 150gr nosler BT with 46gr of H4895 I read both my manuals multiple times to make sure I was reading it properly. All rounds are 2.81 overall length. But with 46 grs im seeing the neck angle change. And all the way to the left was my very first attempt at this new 150gr nos BT. Should I drop a grain of powder and leave it at 2.81 overall length? Im measured and remeasured over and over again as well as looked at the manual 15-100000 times. Am I paranoid or does the neck angle look off now? Almost bulging?
View attachment 685106

Load and shoot more. Worry less. Seriously though. If you're loading your own, your rifle will dictate what's best. Been there with the 270 and 300 Winnie myself. Listen to your rifle and avoid billet drag racing

 

[SCVOJTA]

Possibly this....

The die has crushed the case. Look and see it's shorter than the others now. i'd guess a die is set too far in.

 

[Warrenoliver]

Could you detail the case on the left a little more clearly? Is that how it looks after firing or loaded and bullet pulled? That case doesn't look like it would chamber. What brand of brass is it? Was it FL resized or just neck sized? Was the brass chamfered and deburred? All the brass looks to be a different length. Do you trim it all to a consistent length?

Quandary, I agree with you that something is off with the case on the left. The neck/shoulder junction looks "funky" and the shoulder angle doesn't look like the loaded ones. Has the neck been turned?

 

[xsn10s]

There seems to be an issue with the three on the left imo. Shoulders don't align well with the two on the far right. Hard to tell from this picture which is why I asked him to let Ed see the rounds. Easier for an experienced reload/ shooter like Ed to determine what's going on. Faster for a new reloader and shooter to gain knowledge that way also.

 

[Old Rooster]

I would NEVER use a Speer manual specs to load a Nosler bullet. Bearing surface could be a lot different.
Only use a Nosler manual to load a Nosler bullet!

 

[Horse1]

Possibly this....

The die has crushed the case. Look and see it's shorter than the others now. i'd guess a die is set too far in.

Agreed.

Do you have the BULLET SEATING die screwed into the press far enough that it touches and maybe a slight cam-over on the shell-holder @ the top of the ram-stroke?

 

[FEENIX]

Thank you, I think the website for Hodgdon is currently down. Im trying to get the same H4895 gr weight for a 125gr .308 (for coyotes)

I just checked, and their site is working. If you have a VPN, you may need to disable it to gain access to some websites (i.e., Midway, sites with videos or movies).