Varget in 20" .308?

[davkrat]

Tried a search on here but did not find anything. Plenty of noninformative posts on other forums without any specifics.

I'm considering trimming down my 24" barrel to 20" for a handier brush gun. Currently with 44.5 gr Varget and 150 E-Tips I am getting right at 2700 fps. Not a screaming fast load by any means. I e read suggestions that in the shorter 20" tubes you should use a faster burning powder. Always considered Varget medium slow in a .308. Curious if anyone has real world experience with Varget and 150-168 grainers out of a 20" tube. With the copper bullets I've come to believe speed is imperative to get them to open up. At 2700 fps and sea level I can maintain 2000 fps out to almost 400 yards, 2600 would keep me under 350 yards. Might not be a huge loss at most of the pig hunting areas I have access to.

 

[TJAY]

The powder that gives the best velocity is the same no matter the length of the barrel. You will loose a little velocity with a shorter barrel as you know but switching to a faster powder will not change that. I have proven that for myself with a 20" barrel on a 243.

 

[deadidarren]

if it were me i would go with H4895 for the same reason as when i had a 742
woodsmaster in 30-06 varget was a better powder than H4350 for speed.

it was a good flame thrower but

 

[MudRunner2005]

If you're shooting a .308 or 7mm-08 or anything based on the 08 case, Varget is my powder or choice. I use it for my .308 and 7mm-08.

 

[davkrat]

Agreed. That's why I snagged an 8 lbs keg of Varget like a crack head needing a fix last month! I'll probably chop it to 20" just to see how it performs. Was planning on getting a PacNor for it anyways. May as well snip the factory barrel and see what happens.

 

[lamiglas]

I have a rem 308 with a 20 inch barrel and I am using varget to push the 168 smk. My gun likes 43 grains the best and the velocity is 2509 fps. (Validated). The gun shoots amazing but doesn't do so great in the wind due to the slow velocity. I love how handy the gun is, but For my use of this rifle i would like to see a higher velocity. For this reason I am strongly considering rebarreling in a 260 at 24 inches. If I do , this barrel will be for sale.