[msredneck]

I'm currently experimenting with my remington Model 7 bolt action .308 Winchester

I'm loading 43 grains of IMR 4064 about 2.945 with a 155 grain A-max

According to Hornady book 44.5 is max charge weight start is 40

I'm seeing a good bit of powder residue on the case necks after extraction...which I figure is blowback

Another shooter suggested it might be due to my bullets being seated so long

so I'm gonna seat em down to about 2.82 and move down on my powder charge...loading a few at 40 - 41.5 grains of imr-4064...I'm using CCI large rifle benchrest primers

Only thing I can't figure is the black soot on the neck's...to my way of thinking, seating a pullet to short in the case is more likely to cause pressure issues than one too long...I have no other obvious signs of pressure...ie primer looks normal

what say you all?

 

[savageshooter]

Id switch to imr 4895 or varget. i tried varget, and 4895 works better for me., 43-44 Gr. and switch to berger 155vld. what is your twist and barrel length?. I load mine to 2.840. have you done an oal on your rifle?
we are off to the range tomarrow.

 

[msredneck]

Yeah I ran the oal at 2.945 on the Hornady Lock and Load OAL


I have some Varget, and RL -15 to try...looked at some Berger 168 VLD's tonight....big time expensive...$45 per hundred...

Think the Model 7 twist is 1:10...its a carbine length 20 inch...nice hunting rifle...probably needs a higher power scope to really improve on the groups...I really can't make all the details on the bulleye at 100 anymore. The gun routinely does 1.5 - 2 inches at 100 yards...I've gotten spoiled shooting a buddies 22x Nightforce and suddenly my 10x Leupold Var-X III's just don't cut the mustard any more....

But back to the problem at hand...the blow back..

 

[savageshooter]

i tried 168s, but my rifle liked 155s better, just a metter of findng what your rifle likes and stick with it.. bergers may be high, but, they fly well, you get what you pay for, i have not tried lapuas yet, but sometimes i want to.. yep, a better scope is needed.

 

[smoffett]

Id switch to imr 4895 or varget. i tried varget, and 4895 works better for me., 43-44 Gr. and switch to berger 155vld. what is your twist and barrel length?. I load mine to 2.840. have you done an oal on your rifle?
we are off to the range tomarrow.

What was the issue with Varget vs H4895? (Just curious because I have some of each, and I'm beginning to work up a load for my brother and his 2 boys -- all shooting 308's.)

 

[Beladran]

Id switch to imr 4895 or varget.

4064 has been pushing bullets since before Jesus was born. Let me blow the dust off of these old 308 notes of my dads.... the first one was worked up on a pre-64 model 70. and the last one was for a old nam era M40 sniper rifle
150gr BTSP 2.700, Federal Gold Medal LR primers/CCI Benchrest, IMR 4064 46gr 2748fps .75 @100 yards
168gr match
168gr BTHP TD coated 2.800, CCI Benchrest, IMR 4064 44.5gr 2644fps ."group size unknown, all bullets in same"

 

[savageshooter]

i just seem to get more consistant groups with 4895 and 155 bullets. tried 150s, 165s, 168s and 172s and its the 155s my rifle likes.

 

[smoffett]

Thanks savageshooter. I'm loading for 3 shooters (2 A-bolts and a Rem 700) so whatever I come up with will be a compromise among these three rifles. I just got a bunch of Varget, a pound of H4895, and some Hornady 150-gr SST -- hoping this will give us 'minute of deer' in all three rifles. But ya never know 'til ya try.

... now back to your regularly scheduled thread...

 

[Richard]

I've had some of my best groups with 41 Grains of Benchmark/168 SMK/Rem 9 1/2. This is my go-to load. 2650 FPS from 24" bbl. 1/2 MOA. Yes it's a very fast powder for .308 but it shoots well with no signs of pressure. Work up, be careful.

 

[Caleb C]

The first thing I would do is throw a match to that 4064. I tried it in 308 and 270 with crap results. The groups look like they were fired by Stevie Wonder. I've had very good results with Hodgdon's H380, however. That powder seems to work very well with a 150gr Hornady SST in my 308 A-Bolt.

That's just my personal experience, though.