Best powder for .308?

[CutNRun]

At the sake of being redundant, I've loaded thousands of .308 & .30/'06 with 4064 pushing Sierra 150gr. BTSP and 168 gr. Nosler AccuBond bullets. Impressive consistency gained from all rounds. If there was a flier, it was on the shooter.

I recovered a perfectly mushroomed bullet from between the meat & hide on the far side of a whitetail from just under 300 yards that still retained 152 grains of the original 168 grain bullet weight. Buck was DRT.

Jim

 

[Bailey Boat]

4064 is going to be a little slow burning in a short barrel. In barrels of 20" or less I go to 3031 and get excellent results without blowing unburnt powder out the muzzle...

 

[Deep River]

4064 is going to be a little slow burning in a short barrel. In barrels of 20" or less I go to 3031 and get excellent results without blowing unburnt powder out the muzzle...

May be true. I can tell you that I have an 18” AR. I have tried just about everything in it, including 3031. My most accurate loads are with 175ish grain pills and IMR 4064.

 

[Eric Revo]

Hard to beat 4064 and a 165 spire point for most .308 caliber rifles. 167 is the accurate grain match bullet, hunting bullets of a similar grain and contour always are a good starting point.

 

[Bailey Boat]

May be true. I can tell you that I have an 18” AR. I have tried just about everything in it, including 3031. My most accurate loads are with 175ish grain pills and IMR 4064.

You do realize that ALL guns are different, right?? Shoot your 4064 loads over a white sheet and let us know how much powder you recover....

 

[Deep River]

You do realize that ALL guns are different, right?? Shoot your 4064 loads over a white sheet and let us know how much powder you recover....

Yep. I do realize that. I wasn't born yesterday. I have enough rifles of the same calibers to know it from personal experience. I never said 4064 is the only and best thing. I said it would be hard to beat. I said that based on my personal experience and a lot of concurring opinions I have read and heard over the years. I also did not contest your assertion that 4064 might be a little slow burning for a shorter barreled .308. I acknowledged that it might be true. It seems that this would be more true for lighter bullets than heavier ones. The OP is free to take my opinion in the context of everyone else's, including yours.

Have a great day.

 

[Thylacine]

Had a SA M1A that didn't shoot as good as I do until I tried my buddies reloads with 2520 and 168 SMK's. Don't recall the load, but that powder did great things for that rifle. I had tried many factory rounds and several hand loads.

My last 700 did really well with Varget and about any 168 I used in it.

Haven't tried IMR 4064...but...I might have to locate some now...

 

[Cyperry]

4064 is going to be a little slow burning in a short barrel. In barrels of 20" or less I go to 3031 and get excellent results without blowing unburnt powder out the muzzle...

I’m shooting 45 grains of varget out of a 20 inch barrel and getting a full burn behind a 168 ELDM.

 

[Winnie 70]

Another vote for Varget, if you can find it. You had to search for it a little before this mess, luckily I’ve had a good bit stocked up but I imagine it all but disappeared now. I’m shooting 150gr Barnes TTSX with 46gr of Varget and getting some awesome velocities.

JJWise, what velocities you getting with the 150 TTSX's? I am going to try CFE223 in that combo and see what it will do.

 

[JJWise]

JJWise, what velocities you getting with the 150 TTSX's? I am going to try CFE223 in that combo and see what it will do.

I’m shooting the 150gr TTSX out of a 20” barrel, and averaging around 2850fps. This is quite a bit higher than the velocities I was getting with 150gr Interlocks and the same charge (46gr of Varget) and I’m assuming that’s because these copper bullets are longer, therefore compacting the powder more and causing extra pressure. But I haven’t had any of these rounds show pressure signs like a flat primer or a stuck bolt so you could potentially even go higher.

 

[Winnie 70]

I’m shooting the 150gr TTSX out of a 20” barrel, and averaging around 2850fps. This is quite a bit higher than the velocities I was getting with 150gr Interlocks and the same charge (46gr of Varget) and I’m assuming that’s because these copper bullets are longer, therefore compacting the powder more and causing extra pressure. But I haven’t had any of these rounds show pressure signs like a flat primer or a stuck bolt so you could potentially even go higher.

That some serious velocity with a 20" barrel JJ. I have heard of 2940 to 2975 in a 22" barrel with CFE223 and 150TTSX. The Barnes is where it at with the 308. I am loading the 130 TTSX with TAC and getting 3170....you talk about flat....3" high at 100 drops like 1 1/2 at 300 yds. Not recovered a bullet yet....nothing but a lazer thru both shoulders on any deer. Have killed them out to 320 yds....drop like a bag of rocks. I want to load some 150's for a elk hunt. Think that would be bad medicine for elk.

 

[JJWise]

That some serious velocity with a 20" barrel JJ. I have heard of 2940 to 2975 in a 22" barrel with CFE223 and 150TTSX. The Barnes is where it at with the 308. I am loading the 130 TTSX with TAC and getting 3170....you talk about flat....3" high at 100 drops like 1 1/2 at 300 yds. Not recovered a bullet yet....nothing but a lazer thru both shoulders on any deer. Have killed them out to 320 yds....drop like a bag of rocks. I want to load some 150's for a elk hunt. Think that would be bad medicine for elk.

I agree. I’ve shot 6 deer with these loads now, 5 have hit the ground immediately and not movedand the 6th went maybe 30 yards. A doe i shot in WV this year dropped so quickly that for a moment I thought I had only imagined seeing a deer there. Never recovered a bullet either except for some fragments of the blue tip. I shot a young buck last year that was running towards me and the 150gr TTSX penetrated him lengthwise and exited through the pelvis. They are perhaps “overkill” for deer but I’ve been so pleased with the performance that I’ll continue paying a little extra for them and plan to take this load when I decide to burn my Wyoming elk points.

 

[Arapaho]

I have a buddy that has shot 4064 in his 308 for years and swore by it. While at the range one day, he grabbed three of my Varget loaded 175 SMKs and shot the tightest group he has ever shot with that rifle (5 rounds in the same hole and the 6th 1/4 out but touching). He may have been just shooting well that day, who knows. We both were shooting 24 inch Remington 5Rs that day. All I can tell you is that he was caught looking in my load manual and has been scrambling to find Varget. I cannot speak to 4064 because I have never loaded it.

 

[pcbuckhunter]

I have a buddy that has shot 4064 in his 308 for years and swore by it. While at the range one day, he grabbed three of my Varget loaded 175 SMKs and shot the tightest group he has ever shot with that rifle (5 rounds in the same hole and the 6th 1/4 out but touching). He may have been just shooting well that day, who knows. We both were shooting 24 inch Remington 5Rs that day. All I can tell you is that he was caught looking in my load manual and has been scrambling to find Varget. I cannot speak to 4064 because I have never loaded it.

I’m curious as to how you shoot 3 shells and have 5 bullets in one hole, and a 6th just touching.....

 

[woodmoose]

I’m curious as to how you shoot 3 shells and have 5 bullets in one hole, and a 6th just touching.....

good one,,, waiting on that answer,,,,

maybe an axe?

 

[pcbuckhunter]

good one,,, waiting on that answer,,,,

maybe an axe?

Now why didn’t I think of that??? I feel dumb now...

 

[Arapaho]

good one,,, waiting on that answer,,,,

maybe an axe?

Because he grabbed three more and only stopped when he went 1/4 out. Lol Bring your best rifle and I'll show you lol

 

[woodmoose]

Because he grabbed three more and only stopped when he went 1/4 out. Lol Bring your best rifle and I'll show you lol

No need to buck up proud - ive shot with some of the best, i know what accuracy is

we were just messing with your posted math

 

[Arapaho]

No need to buck up proud - ive shot with some of the best, i know what accuracy is

we were just messing with your posted math

Not bucking up proud at all, notice the lol at the end. All in fun Well let's shoot then. I would be curious to see how the 4064 load stacks up, may even make me buy a bottle.