308 bullet size question

[necchi]

What weight are you 308 shooters having the best luck with?

 I have a standard contour 22" and the best I get so far is with 150 SGK close too or little under 2" at 100 but thats all the better it will do, move out to 200 and it's more like 4"s with an occasional flyer that's 5-6" out. I was really hoping to keep this thing at least on an 8 1/2 x 11 at 300, but it ain't lookin good.

 Now that pill will leave the case before it touches the lands with my OAL gauge, an I've tried 3-4 different powders, all with best groups 1-1.5 grns short of max. (primers begin to flatten before max)
 What da heck can I do to get this thing dialed in a bit tighter? Step on the throttle? Try longer, say 165's or 180's (cringe)?

I'd put this on the loaders forum but I need advise from a Handi man

[lonewolf5348]

I find the 30 cal. over the years favor the 165 sp bullet.
I like IMR 3031 and run about 30 thou off the lands .I never load near max: but more on the lower end of the loading chart.I also had great results with IMR 4350
My 30-06 now favors IMR 4350 with 165 SP Hornady or Remingtons

[shvlhead.45]

I have not handloaded for my .308 but have found it don't like 150gr and lighter factory loads.  The 165 and 168 grain hunting and match loads go under 1" though.  My hunting load is the Federal Premium 165 grain with the Sierra Game King bullets.


V/R
Shvlhead.45

[PawPaw]

Like LoneWolf, I find that my .30 calibers all like bullets in the 165-168 grain weights.  Almost all .30 cal barrels these days are a 1:10 twist and that seems to be the weight they like to stabilize.

My Handi in .308 shoots into two inches at 100 yards.  Like you, I've been frustrated at times, trying to get it to make some really tight groups.  I'm relatively new to the Handi addiction and just learning all the pecadillos of these little rifles, but the main thing to remember is that they're hunting rifles.  By that, I mean they're not benchrest rifles.  While some of them shoot extremely well, the vast majority of them provide yeoman service to people who simply need a good, solid, inexpensive rifle.

My go-to load for .308 is any good 165-168 bullet over 43.0 grains of Reloder 15 with a standard primer, either CCI 200 or WLR.  This load shoots extremely well in just about any .308 rifle I've tried it in, turning in well under MOA in most rifles, and it shoots monotonously well in my Handi, grouping between 1.5 and 2.0 inches.  Cold barrel or hot, dirty or clean, they all fall in the same two inches.

Understand, I'm not trying to downplay your desire for tiny groups.  We all strive for tiny groups.  However, I'm becoming convinced that tiny groups aren't the be-all and end-all for a hunting rifle.  The benchrest guys and the custom rifle makers have taught us a lot about accurate rifles and we've all benefited from their craft.  However, I'm not sure that lovely, tiny groups are important for a hunting rifle.

The range where I like to shoot has a metal gong at the 200 yard line.  It's simply a piece of steel, one foot square.  It's a lot of fun to ding that piece of steel.  And fairly easy with a good rifle.  After shooting that gong for a while, I've become convinced to try and make some steel targets, simple 9" disks, to hang at the 300 yard line.  The heart-lung area of a standard whitetail deer is about 9" in diameter.  It would seem to me that if I can hit a 9" disk at whatever yardage, every time, then the rifle is doing what it is supposed to be doing.

Will I keep trying to find that magical, one-hole load?  You betcha!  But, I'm not going to obsess over it like I have in the past.

[petemi]

I haven't handloaded for my .308 yet.  I read somewhere years ago that the 168 gr. boattail was the most accurate.  Since then, I always used 168 gr. Winchester Supreme Ballistic tips with superb accuracy and kills with my Ruger.  I have killed fox, coyote and deer all at over 300 yards with that combination.

Pete

[necchi]

Thanks Guy's, I'll try some bigger boattails,,

Pawpaw;
 I Guess I've been spoiled with my 223 an 708, that darn 223 shoot's dimes at 100 an about an 1 1/4" at 200 if i do my part, and I'm suprised with that 708,,generally under 2" at 200 and such a pleasure too shoot.
 That 308 got's some kick, dang it! that's why I wanted the smaller bullet. I'm used to big heavy traditional muzzle loaders that give ya a shotgun push an not the kick of the larger cal light weights.
 It had a rubber butt on it when I got it, but I'm a short pile, and the LOP with the pad, had me stretchin my neck.
All I did was take it off an add the factory thin plastic plate. Guess I'll hafta cut the stock an inch and add the pad back to it.

[RaySendero]

My son's 308 has a 1:12 twist.  It likes 165s

[gendoc]

165gr nosler ballistic tip....as good as it gets in mine 

[PawPaw]

I understand what you're saying, necchi, although I don't consider the .308 to have much recoil.  I bought it as a grandkid gun, which is why I haven't done much load development for it.  Perceived recoil is very subjective and very individual.  If it hurts, it hurts.

Stock fit has as much to do with perceived recoil as anything else.  I like to put good pads on my rifles and I've spend a good chunk of change over the past couple of years on good pads.  Try the Limbsaver by Sims laboratory or the Pachmayr Decelerator.  Remington has a good pad out that uses the same technology.

My Savage .30-06 used to pound the heck out of me before I went to a gunsmith, had the length-of-pull measured, and had him fit a good pad.  Pre-pad I could shoot about 10 shots through it before I was done for the day.  Now, same rifle and reloads, I can put 50 through it with no problem, except waiting for the barrel to cool.

[wtroger]

The military 7.62mm (.308) M852 match uses 168 gr hollow point boat-tail and 42 grs of IMR4895. I have found this to be the go to load for all of my 308 rifles with the substitution of a hunting bullet of 165-168 grs. Either Nosler or Hornady.

[NickSS]

I have a bull barreled handy in 308 (actually it is on my 223 Ultra varmint action).  Wiith 150s I get around 2 inch groups but with 165 gr Remington cor locks I get groups closer to 1 inch at 100 yards.  I use the load that I developed for my Match rifle some years ago consisting of 43 gr of AA 2520 in GI match brass.  Works well for me.  Actually 2MOA groups are plenty good enough to shoot game out to any range that I would use a 308 for big game.