Rem 700 vs load dev .308

[benchracer]

CFE 223 is what I was using with 155 Palmas in my initial load. I really like it in .223/5.56mm. Not so much in .308. I couldn't quite get to the node I needed to reach to make the 155's really work @ 1000. Initial testing looked favorable, though. I settled on a near-book-max load that was giving me 2990ish and an SD of 12. The load seemed to work well the first couple times I used it, then it inexplicably started to behave erratically. I don't have enough faith in it to continue working with it in .308.

 

[benchracer]

The results are in for the next stage of the process:

Berger 185 Juggernaut
OAL 2.906
42.6 VARGET

AVG 2538
ES 5
SD 3

 

[benchracer]

175 tmk
oal 2.946
45.9 varget
avg 2760
es 19
sd 10

 

[benchracer]

155 smk palma
oal 2.890
46.4 varget

avg 2837
es 21
sd 11

 

[benchracer]

155 smk palma
oal 2.890
44.6 8208xbr

avg 2838
es 15
sd 8

 

[benchracer]

155 smk palma
oal 2.890
44.3 ar-comp

avg 2814
es 12
sd 6

 

[benchracer]

Next step is to test these loads in a 500 yard club match before taking them to 1000.

 

[Michael Eichele]

4064 has done well for me in many 308s. Can't seem to get the juggers to shoot well though in my current FTR set up. The 200 hybrids at 2648 group nice though (not with 4064).

 

[benchracer]

4064 has done well for me in many 308s. Can't seem to get the juggers to shoot well though in my current FTR set up. The 200 hybrids at 2648 group nice though (not with 4064).

The Juggs are shooting well for me, but they are pretty slow (which I expect to negate any wind drift advantage) and I don't have enough headroom to reach the next node. I'm not sure how well they are actually going to work. I really feel like these bullets would be an excellent candidate for RL-17, but I can't get it in quantity and I am not sure if it is stable enough to work in a match application.

Ballistically, the TMK's show the most promise. It remains to be seen what the real world accuracy with these is going to look like.

I am very pleased with the accuracy I am seeing with the 155 Palma bullets, especially with 8208. They will, however, be transonic before reaching the target @ 1000. I am not sure what kind of effect that will have on accuracy. I do expect these to perform very well @ 500 or 600 yards, though.

I am interested to see what I learn from real world shooting @ 500 and 1000 yards.

 

[Michael Eichele]

What is your barrel length and twist?

I can't imagine the Palma bullet going subsonic or transonic at 1000 yards in the warm ben Avery air. Even at the 2850'sec mark.

The 175 TMK would easily make it to a grand at 2600'sec which in my opinion is the bottom end of the velocity scale for a modern 308 using modern powders.

 

[benchracer]

What is your barrel length and twist?

I can't imagine the Palma bullet going subsonic or transonic at 1000 yards in the warm ben Avery air. Even at the 2850'sec mark.

The 175 TMK would easily make it to a grand at 2600'sec which in my opinion is the bottom end of the velocity scale for a modern 308 using modern powders.

Barrel is 26" 12 twist. JBM shows the Palma bullet falling below mach 1.2 after 900 yards, remaining just narrowly supersonic @ 1000 yards. I am using 1000 ft for elevation and 70* for temp (since we normally shoot in the early morning at Ben Avery).

Ballistically, the TMK looks to be the best of the bullets I am testing, staying above the transonic range all the way to 1000. The other bullets do seem to be a bit more accurate, though it remains to be seen whether or not I will be able to tell the difference.

 

[Michael Eichele]

I know I've shot the original 155 Palma (lower BC than the current) at 80' above sea level in -20 degrees F and they've punched perfect holes and grouped very nicely at 1000 yards. Right around 2950'sec from a 12x barrel. I had the same results from the 175 SMK at 2550'sec. Same elevation and 0 to -10 degrees out of an 11.25x barrel.

The best thing you can do is test them. Some very good 1000 yard loads of mine don't make sense on paper but do superb at a grand.

With that, the 175 TMK is an awesome LR bullet for me so far. Good BC and good accuracy.

 

[benchracer]

I tested the 185 Juggernaut/Varget, 175 TMK/Varget, and 155 SMK Palma/8208 loads, respectively, in a 500 yard club match at Phoenix Rod and Gun Club (PRGC) today.

The Juggs shot VERY well. Conditions were calm for most of the 20 round string, with the wind picking up right at the end (which accounts for the 8 on the last shot). After shooting it, I have a lot of confidence in this load and will be taking it to the 1000 yard line at Ben Avery next week.

The 175 TMK shows potential, but needs more work. The wind began to pick up during this relay. My struggle to find the ten ring can clearly be seen in the first half of the string. By the second half of the string, the wind condition stabilized and I was able to adjust for it, with very good results.

This load sits on a node that is just below max and was developed in 100* weather without issues. Today, though, I was getting ejector marks on nearly every shot. I loaded this ammo with a new can of Varget and strongly suspect that the notorious lot-to-lot variation of Varget is the culprit. At my next opportunity, I will put some of the rounds I had loaded across the chrono to take a look at what is happening. Once I have things sorted out, I will take this load to 1000. For now, though, it is not quite ready for prime time.

I was very happy with the 155/8208 load. The wind continued to pick up in the third relay and gave me a lot of trouble. Still, when I had it doped right, I was easily scoring 10's and X's. This load showed very little vertical, pretty much shooting a lateral waterline that moved across the target with changes in wind velocity. I like this load a lot and am confident enough in it to take it to the 1000 yard line.