.308 Bullet and powder selection for 18" barrel

[Garand 308]

I haven't reloaded .308 in a while and am needing to pick up some supplies. I know each gun is different and I'll have to find what works for my gun, I'm just trying to establish a starting point. I had a few questions about the 168gr vs 175/178gr and also about Varget vs IMR 4064.

I have always loaded heavy for caliber bullets -
In a shorter barrel will the speed of the 168s cancel out the bc of the 175s?

90% of my shooting will be under 800yrds
Are the 175s worth it or should I go with 168s?

Lastly I have a little Varget and a little 4064 but will need to get more of one. I've heard good things about both.
Any reason to pick one over the other with the short barrel?

[markm]

IMR and VARGET are pretty close in burn rate. They rank 117th and 124th respectively on a burn rate list I'm looking at.

The 175s are worth it all day long. The price diff is not that much. An even shooting only to 500 yards or so, I'd stick with the 175s.

Are you loading for Bolt gun or Gas gun?

[Garand 308]

Bolt gun with a 1:10 twist.

[markm]

I'd get some 175s and try a few loads with each powder. I prefer Varget for our bolt guns. I tried IMR 4064. It's good powder, but for whatever reason, we've stuck with a standard Varget load of 43.8 with Federal Match primers.

[Garand 308]

Thanks for the replies. I am leaning toward the 175s and Varget. I like the Varget because of its insensitivity to temp.

[markm]

Thanks for the replies. I am leaning toward the 175s and Varget. I like the Varget because of its insensitivity to temp.

Although Varget is temp stabile.... Barrel temp and atmoshperics still change your bullet flight. The last two summers our bullets are flying over the gongs at any distance beyond 500 yards with the same load we shoot all winter.

Even a moderately warm Saturday two weeks ago was a 3/10ths mil reduction at 1050 yards... and I'd shot that gong with 13 mils for several Saturday's before that. No other variables.... It's pretty interesting.

[Garand 308]

I know this is going to be a little different depending on the gun but, at what point do the 175s noticeably out preform the 168s. Is it right out of the muzzle or is it pretty close until a certain distance?

Also what kind of velocity numbers is everyone getting with the shorter barrels and the 168s or 175s?

[KUSA]

Compare these. I figured the 168 at 2600 and the 175 at 2500. You can play with the numbers yourself at jbm.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/ytuhy2e3.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/yzy6yvu8.jpg

[luvmy40]

I'm certainly not the most experienced shooter but;
Shooting for groups at 200yds, I get the best results from Varget with 168gr Custom Competition bullets through a Rem. 700 20" 1/10 bull barrel. I picked up some Lapua 185gr boat tails and have not been able to work up a load that groups decently. I haven't tried any 175 pills yet.

[markm]

Those 168 Custom competitions are scattergun sprayers at 1k.. No joke. Pappabear bought a box of them, and they struggle to land in a 5 yard radius at 1000 yards. They apparently do NOT go transonic worth a crap.

[luvmy40]

Good to know!

I rarely get to shoot past 300yds but I'd like to work up to real long range shooting.

Any ideas on the 185 Lapuas? Just too heavy for the .308?

Which 175 bullets are you loading?

[mic2377]

You could always try some of the Hornady stuff too - the 178 Amax is a decent bullet and fairly cheap to boot. I've had good luck with many Hornady bullets in 22 + 30 cal.

If you can get Varget, use it. IMR has worked well for me too and is a classic, but Varget is so popular and hard to get ahold of for a good reason.

[T2C]

When buying reloading components, the 175g bullets are not that much more expensive than the 168g. Out past 800 yards the 175g bullets really shine.

Varget is really good powder and Mark M's recommended charge weight will get you near the optimum load for your bolt gun. You will have to experiment to get the best load for your particular rifle. The ladder technique for load development works really well if you have access to a 300+ yard range.

[markm]

Good to know!

I rarely get to shoot past 300yds but I'd like to work up to real long range shooting.

Any ideas on the 185 Lapuas? Just too heavy for the .308?

Which 175 bullets are you loading?

We shoot 175 SMKs. I've shot as heavy as 220 gr out of my 20" Rem 700. But 175s do everything you want within the realistic .308 effective range.

The 178 AMAX are awesome too. But for simplicity and commonality, we just run all 175gr SMK.