308 Load - Starting Point?

[dog guy]

I plan to start reloading .308, and I'm looking for a starting point. The goal is better-than-blaster ammo without paying factory prices, and working up a load that my rifle shoots well so that I can build my skills. This is not a fighting or hunting rifle; I shoot it because I love to shoot. The rifle is a DPMS LR-308 with the 24" stainless barrel, 1 in 10 twist. I know, DPMS, but I didn't know that when I bought it years ago and I'm going to run with what I have for a while. It seems to like the Federal A76251M1A load with the 168 grain OTM, but isn't so good with lighter bullets (although the lighter bullets have been "blaster quality", not match loadings.) The Federal load claims 2650 fps MV out of a 24" test barrel, BC of .46. I'm not trying to exactly duplicate this load. The info is provided as a reference. I know there are a ton of .308 recipes out there but rather than pick one out of a hat, I want to see if any of you have good intel on a reasonable starting point to work from given the information I could provide. I shoot in northern Nevada, elevation around 4000'-5000', very low humidity, temperatures anywhere from 20 degrees Winter to 105 degrees Summer. Temperature stability in the chosen powder may be a factor but I'm not sure if you all would consider this or not. The local range has a maximum of 200 yards for paper targets, with gongs every 100 yards out to 1000. It's almost always windy.
Thanks in advance for your time and attention.

[BobinNC]

I would start with a good 175-178 grain 30 cal bullet (Sierra MK, Nosler CC or Hornady A-Max), quality brass (Hornady, Lapua, or Winchester), Federal 210M primer, and a starting load of 42 grains Hodgdon Varget (MAX Load 45 grains) and work up..

You should find an accuracy node somewhere between 43.8 and 44.5 grains of Varget depending on which brass you use.

[markm]

For a gas gun, I'd go 175 SMK and 42.0 gr IMR 4064. 4064 doesn't meter well in a progressive, but it shoots good in every gas gun we've tried. 210m primers are great, but I've found that WLR seem to match velocity and Standard Deviation if you can't find the 210m primers right away.

[HKGuns]

For a gas gun, I'd go 175 SMK and 42.0 gr IMR 4064. 4064 doesn't meter well in a progressive, but it shoots good in every gas gun we've tried. 210m primers are great, but I've found that WLR seem to match velocity and Standard Deviation if you can't find the 210m primers right away.

^^^Yes, this exactly, is great advice.^^^^^

[dog guy]

Thanks, gents. That's just what I was looking for.

[mic2377]

Depending on your components, another good starting load is a 168 BTHP with 41 gr IMR 4064 in LC brass. This is a "standard" M1A match load and is relatively mild. It has shot well in every 308 I have tried it in - IMR 4064 seems to have an ideal burn rate for gas guns. Per other posters, Varget or RL-15 also have great potential. The 168 will fall short compared to the 175 if reaching out to 1K, but work great everywhere else.

Of note, 308 LC brass is thick/heavy, necessitating a 1-2 grain powder charge reduction at a minimum compared to commercial brass. It is very sturdy and holds up well to being flung from AR's though, I have 5+ firings on some of my brass and it is still useable at least 1x more.

[markm]

Good points...

Keep a batch or batches of the same flavor of brass. .308 brass internal volumes do vary when you switch manufacturers. And yes... 168s are great to shoot too if you're staying inside of 600 or so yards.

[dog guy]

I'm assiming LC brass is Lake City, which is usually found for sale as once fired military? Do any of the sources have a track record of more vs less reliable? Thanks.

[Alaska3006]

To Dupicate Federal Gold Match Ammo in 308 Win

42.8 of IMR 4064 with 168gr
41.75 of IMR 4064 with 175gr
Fed 210M
Fed GM Match Brass

[polydeuces]

Wideners has LC ammo for sale (500 rds $310), I am assuming this would be the brass to look for when reloading?
https://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=100001905&dir=18|830|848
Thx.

[hotrodder636]

Good thread with lots of good info. Just getting into the .308 game, so I hope this will help me.