Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting .308Win with 190gr SMK

Does anybody have any load suggestions (actually shot to 600yds) for a .308Win with 190gr SMK in a 20-23" barrel? I am shooting a practical match that requires a .308Win so I just barreled an action with a Benchmark 1-10" 5R cut to 23" with a 5" breech so it can be set back and still have 21" of tube.

Thanks in advance.

Try riflemansjournal.com. LOTS of good info there.

I used to shoot moly'd 190 SMKs over 45gr RL15 in Win brass.

That chrono'd at about 2620 fps in the 26" factory Rem 1/12 varmint barrel. It always shot well, in the .75 moa range. They were jumping about 1/4" to the lands.

If you have a short throat, nekkid bullets, and heavy brass, you'll likely top out a couple grains lower than I did.

Nav,
I am familiar with Germ�n's blog. I was curious if any of the long barrel loads suffer with short tubes due to burn rate not being optimal for the combustion chamber.

MM,
It is a min-spec Palma 95 chamber so I think 45gn will be a touch high but bullets are coated with hBN and I also use Win brass. I haven't had any Varget in a while (nor seen it) but I have RL15, H4895, 8208XBR, BL(C)-2, and 4064.

I was leaning towards the H4895, IMR4064, or 8208XBR.

Your barrel length is not outside of the normal range. Hodgdon has data sets for 308 inn 24" and 15" barrels, and between the two there is no significant rearrangement of best performing powders.

I found 4064 to produce excellent accuracy with Nosler's 190 grain match bullet at 100, 200 and 300 yards. Unfortunately I don't have a long range shooting spot handy.

Montana Marine,

You were shooting the 208gn A-MAX and RL17 weren't you? Are you still shooting that combo and what ended up being your opinion on RL17 for the heavies in .308Win? I have RL17 and am not stuck on the 190gn SMK. I just want to shoot something in that ballpark and don't particularly want to pay for 185gr Bergers for the volume I'm shooting right now.

208s and RL17 are my go-to for both 308s. I'm loading Rl17, moly'd 208, CCI 200, Win brass, 3.00 OAL". 2620 fps in the 22", 2580 in the well worn 20".

I like the combo.

I find this very interessting. Online I only found the 24" data.

Do you have some pointers for me towards the 15" data?

Included in print publication, perhaps? If so, please inform.

Hit Hodgdon's button for pistol data.

Barrel length has absolutely nothing to do with powder selection.

Thank you very much. Face palm here.

Best wishes.

I like how you roll, Shane. That's big numbers for the .308. I may have read on here before, are you single loading those or do you have a mag box mod?

I put Wyatt's boxes in both my 308s. They have an internal of 2.99" so If I push the bullet down a little further I can load the magazine.

At 3.00" on up to about 3.05" I can still load two in the magazine, the tips rest on the feed ramp.

Most times I just single load.

Are you requied to shoot 190 gr ? If not just curious why you are?

I am not required to shoot a 190gn bullet but this match is a mix of paper and steel. The paper targets have twice as much margin for elevation than windage so I want to minimize error as much as possible and under 600m I think a .308 could drive a heavy fast enough to help.

Just a follow up: 190gn SMK over 48gn RL17 from a 23" barrel is giving 2650fps avg, 20fps ES, 9fps SD, and groups .35-.5MOA.

THANKS

What's your overall length?



Travis

I don't have any to measure right now, I shot my last test batch last night. They measured 3.183" to the ogive with the Hornady Lock'n'Load on the calipers. They are seated .020" off the lands in a Palma 95 chamber if that helps you do the backwards math. Tomorrow, I will start loading the 100 I'm taking to a match. I will measure one and get back to you.

I am also starting the testing tomorrow with the 208gn A-MAX and to the ogive they are 3.175" per the Hornady L'n'L when kissing the lands.

Thanks.



Travis

Travis,

I haven't loaded any yet but I put a bullet in a fired case and backed it up to loaded length. When using 190gn SMK the L'n'L reads 3.183" on the ogive the OAL is 2.765" when measured to the meplat.

Quickload indicates 104% compressed load and 56715 psi. I am not getting any kind of pressure signs.

Thank you sir.



Travis

For years a standard 600 yard loading in .308 Winchester using the 190 HPBT SMK was 42 grs. IMR4064 with a F210M primer. It was very accurate even though chrony results showed as much as a 49 fps variation in ES!! Matter of fact Middleton Tompkins advised an entire class he was giving a clinic to that this load was his!!

I think we have a couple of better powders available today though!

Not ES, but SD? That large?

I considered 4064 but decided to give RL17 a shot based on Montana Marine's success. I'm quite pleased.

Yep...ES! Thinking one....typing another!

I loaded up the pressure ladder for the 208gn A-MAX with RL17 this morning and like the 190gn have a full two grains (44.5-46.5gn) forming one ragged hole node. This barrel is awesome.

I picked the middle weight (45gn) and loaded up 5, seated .020" off the lands and raced back out to shoot before the evening thunderstorm. Five shots at 300yds turned in .49MOA and needed 1.3 mils of elevation so I guess I am only pushing the 208gn A-MAX at 2450fps. I didn't chrono this load due to weather. I will load up a proper seating depth test and chrono them later this week.

Another 5 shot group at 300 to see if 190gn SMK was repeatable (about .5 MOA):

I took the 208gn A-MAX with 45gn of RL17 that had previously posted a .5 MOA group at 300yds when I just seated them .020" off the lands for a quick range session and loaded up a seating depth test. I loaded them at .010", .040", and .070" off the lands. I chose to start at .010" as I won't go closer in match and hunting rifles and used a .030" increment until I was at a length (2.825") that would feed from my mags (3.055") since I have not modified the feed ramp on this gun yet:



I spoiled the .040" test when I let the toe get to close to the edge of my rear bag. As I broke the 4th shot it slipped off my RedTac 1/2 Pint, the gun slid down into my armpit, and the bolt whacked my trigger finger knuckle. That said shots 1,2,3, and 5 formed a .254 MOA cluster and shot 4 opened it to .8 MOA.

Anyhow .040" jump seems to be the sweet spot with this bullet. I will load up some more and give it another go and see if I can not be a retard.

I stopped this test to do some shooting with 175gn bullets for a match where I had to shoot factory ammo. I had a quick opportunity to go back out tonight for a quick range session with the 190s and do a seating depth test I never got around to doing. Same 48gn of RL17, 190gn SMK, and 300yds range. Looks like .010" jump is the ticket, the two on the right are .030" and .050" (I had already posted the arbitrary .020" before):