Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Top 3-4 powders for .308 with 150-165 bullets?

Yep lots to be learned from the LR games because these rifles need to hold waterline very well or you are screwed. I'm not a big fan of F class but these guys and gals know their stuff . I'm a HM in LR and MR and I use H4895 in my 6BRAI prone rifle. Recently guys are bitchin about it being inconsistent lot to lot....don't know. Yes H4895 is a great powder
At some point you just have to quit looking at the potential problems and shoot.
MR 2000 shines in hunting applications because you can pretty much pack as much as you need into any case @2.8". Loaded 165 Trophy tips last year with the data that came with the bullets. 50 gr of MR 2000 in Lapua cases gave me 2860 fps. Hell of an elk load for a little case and a 6 1/2 # rifle, and it shot very well

Trophy Tip at over 2800 would indeed be great elk medicine!

I recently finished my latest rifle. A .308 Winchester stocked in maple but the barreled action is 100% Howa.....a very thin barrel of 20 inches. I full length glass bedded the barreled action and then sanded the barrel channel for a little clearance.

The load used was 51.5 grains of CFE 223 and a 150 grain Barnes TTSX which (according to Hodgdon's website) should give me about 2900 FPS.....I didn't chrono the load.....

I sighted the gun for the 50 yard range I had available and was astounded when I looked at the very first three-shot group.....I made no attempt to measure it as there seemed nothing to measure......it was simply one ragged hole.....possibly leas than 1/4 inch.....much less.....While it still hasn't put any elk in the freezer, it will be my rifle this year.

I have another .308 in the works (built on a M-70 action) and it's a few days from being test fired......with no doubt.....it will initially tested with the very same load.

I'll post photos in the custom guns forum in a few days.

I've been shooting IMR-4064 with 165 grain Hornady Interlocks for years. Other powders have given me a little more velocity, but my cantankerous M88 Winchester thrives on IMR-4064, giving me MOA groups - nothing else will in that rifle.

If I use lake city brass. I need less powder. I also been using cci magnum primers lately. Most my 308 stuff is H 4895.

I'm not sure about now, but IMR4895 was one of two powders that were listed as propellants in the TO for the M118 and previous. 4895 did many things well. It was rarely the velocity champ, but it was consisent. When one considers that it was originally configured for MoM targets, it was solid. Heck, it still is.

H4895 works much the same way. I use IVI cases. They would be virtually identical to LC. Both are mil spec 7.62 cases.

What I get out of these posts is that it doesn't matter much what you use in a .308.

Gary Anderson, the national High Power Champion 30years ago, said start with 4064. If it doesn't shoot, you need a new barrel!

I always used Varget. two reasons: It meters better than IMR 4064 and it works very well in the .223 also.