LOAD FOR 308

[whippy]

Hi, i am about to resume shooting f standard with a savage series 12 palma 308 with a thirty inch barrell. I have been given a load of 44.5 gns 2206h pushing 155 gn bjd-hbc projectiles out of federal cases. Any thougfhts on this load will be appreciated.

[Courtz Day]

G'day whippy best to fine a load between 45.8 to 46.2g of 2208 an seat the pill 0.005 off the lands with the hbc 155g. Also get some good brass like lapua will help ALOT

hope this helps

[whippy]

G'day whippy best to fine a load between 45.8 to 46.2g of 2208 an seat the pill 0.005 off the lands with the hbc 155g. Also get some good brass like lapua will help ALOT

hope this helps

thanks for the info. i have some 2208 so i will give it a go. much appreciated.

[Norm]

Hi, i am about to resume shooting f standard with a savage series 12 palma 308 with a thirty inch barrell. I have been given a load of 44.5 gns 2206h pushing 155 gn bjd-hbc projectiles out of federal cases. Any thougfhts on this load will be appreciated.

I use AR2206H.
45gn behind the HBC seems to do OK with both Winchester and Remmy brass.

[bartman007]

+1 for 2208.

It fills the case nicely, and seems to give a better overall result. Both in cleaning, and scores.

[Fireman_DJ]

Every rifle is different.

My loading manual tells me 45.5gn of 2206H is the max load. I'm still working up a load, but there appears to be a sweet spot at around 43gn in my rifle.

With 44.5gn upwards starting to creator on the primer (no other signs of pressure).

I'd take anyone else's recommendations of loads with a grain of salt. What works for one person won't always work for your specific rifle.

What I've done (right or wrong) is make up 11 batches of 5 rounds spread over 2.5 grains (from the recommended starting load to the max load).
I shot them all and recorded the groupings. Also checking for signs of over pressure.

I've now found an area I want to check out more, so I've loaded 42.8gn, 42.9gn, 43.0gn, 43.1gn, 43.2gn batches of 5 rounds. I'm just waiting on a calm day to shoot them and record the results.
If I get good results as expected, the best grouping will become the new load I use.

I'll chrony it so later if I change cases, primers etc I can get back to the velocity the rifle likes and then I'll start changing other factors like seating depth to bring the group in even smaller.

Good luck finding your rifles load and remember. It's another valid excuse to spend more time at the range!!!

[whippy]

Thanks all for your opinions. I will take notice of all and see what i come up with. Much appreciated.

[bartman007]

Fireman_DJ, yes each setup is different, and requires tuning to get the desired group size. However from my experience, I have found the upper limit of 46gn of 2208 to be a reliable end point for those JUMPING projectiles.

I have never JAMMED projectiles, however I believe that the upper load limit is reduced as a consequence.

There has been a lot said around the forums, but some of the key points to remember are:

1. Each barrel has nodal points. So varying powder loads to adjust your speed is important. 308 will run nicely around 2850fps, or 2950fps +-20fps. Alternatively people use barrel tuners to vary the tuning of the barrel.

2. Using various powders will give you different consumed volume in the case. This may have the effect of varying the consistency of the speeds that you push your projies at. 2208 has been reliable for me and many others, as I think it has a more consistent result on speed variation.

3. Varying your primer brand and model, will also have an affect on speed. You should re-tune your load if you change primer types.

[Quinny]

For what it is worth, I have a Savage F/TR with the 30" barrel, and it will not shoot 155gn projectiles. I have tried Nosler, Dyers and Sierra - the same results with all of them. I get the occasional good group, but nearly every 5 shot group has 3 shots in one hole and two flyers... I gave Sierra 168gn MatchKings a go, and now it will shoot 1/2" at 100m all day. The only problem is that the 168gn SMK's cannot be used in F-Std.

[bartman007]

Quinny,

What is the twist rate of the barrel?

[macguru]

For what it is worth, I have a Savage F/TR with the 30" barrel, and it will not shoot 155gn projectiles. I have tried Nosler, Dyers and Sierra - the same results with all of them. I get the occasional good group, but nearly every 5 shot group has 3 shots in one hole and two flyers... I gave Sierra 168gn MatchKings a go, and now it will shoot 1/2" at 100m all day. The only problem is that the 168gn SMK's cannot be used in F-Std.

Have you tried the newer sierra 2156s ? I have a 1:12 twist aftermarket on my savage palma and i am getting good results with 45.5 gr 2208. (sub 1/2 ") Its a similar weight shilen match barrel cut to 28", with a bedding job.

[Quinny]

The twist rate is 1:12", and I have tried the Sierra 2156's to no avail...

I thought it a little wierd that the 1:12" twist doesn't seem to like the 155s, where the 1:11" twist of my Tikka shot them brilliantly.

I did a bit of looking around the US sites to see what they are using for the Savage F/TR, some people say that they have had success with the 155gn Lapua Scenar (again no good for F-Std), but most seem to say that the 168gn Sierra is the way to go, which is the reason I tried them in the first place.

So now I use a 168gn Sierra MatchKing projectile, Lapua brass and 45.2gn of 2208. I put a couple of rounds over a chrony and got an average of 2845fps with the 30" barrel.