Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Alternative Powders In The 308

I'm wanting to load up some 308's, not because I want to shoot them now, but just to have a few more on hand. It's winter and that's what I do in the winter, is to catch up on my reloading. Anyway, I'm hoarding up my remaining supply of Varget and IMR 4064, the 2 powders I use the most in the 308. I've got a lot of partial bottles, along with some full ones that I don't use much anymore, and would like to use them up. The list includes W748, surplus 844 and 846, Big Game, R15 and 16, H335, along with a lot of TAC, Xterminator, and some Benchmark.

Just wondering if anyone here has any good loads for any of the powder I've listed. I intend on using some 150 grain SP's and want to use the ammo in an AR-10.

748 and TAC are good in the 308. I'm not familiar with the others you listed. Big Game might be too slow.

RL15 is a good powder, at least with 150s to 168s. Maybe with others but I have no experience with them. It's similar to H4895.

Accurate 4064 is out there, grabbed an 8lb can the other day from Graf's. I've been seeing BLC2 with some regularity.

After Varget, TAC is my favorite 308 powder.

In an AR10, I'd run RL15 and AR Comp..

4451 and tac for me

I loaded Benchmark with 130gn Speer HPs for years and years. I changed to H4895 when I switched over to 150gn Interlocks.

Thanks for the responses. I've also got some BLC-2 that I could use. I'm just looking to load up some rounds for the AR, not going to hunt with them, just shoot them.. Looks like TAC is a pretty good choice too.

H414 worked for a picky 308.

I thought BL-C2 and TAC would be the first to come up. Certain surplus were intended for the 308 but I am not versed in those. Be Well, RZ.

WC846 @ ~42.25 grains is what is used in the 7.62x51 NATO M80 loading. The actual amount loading is adjusted for each lot.

BLC-2 is "supposed" to be the same powder as WC846.

I have an 8 pound jug of 846, along with a jug of 844. I have used a lot of 846 in a 223 I have, working up a load that was both fast and accurate. I have had trouble finding what I considered to be reliable data for those powders. Thanks for the info.

Just this past weekend, I attended a reloading course at a local range with my neighbor. I’ve reloaded, but others in class except one other never had. The class voted as a whole what powder to load and we went with 748. We loaded 150 gr. Sierra soft points over 48 gr. of 748. We each loaded 5 rounds and then shot our 5 rounds from an AR10 in .308. Other than one FTE, all members of the class had 3/4” of less 5 shot groups from that rifle. Ive loaded Varget in my .308 with similar bullets and got no where near the accuracy that we got in that class with 748. If you have it, load it and you might be surprised. Since it was a class all reloads were done to SAAMI specs.

I’m excited, they had eight pounders of varget at my little reloading store. I bet they gone tomorrow when I go by there!!

Do they know you? Call and tell ask them to hold one for you.

I’ve been able to find Varget here and there, but no 4350 of any kind. I was told our issue is with barge rules and limits as a factor here.

The 2 that you are saving are my favorites but WW748, RL-15 and Tac have all worked ok.

They won’t do that, gonna be there as soon as they open tomorrow, will get another if there is any left.

Got eight pounds of H 4350 last week, They are getting some powders and primers in, bullets are about sold out.

As I was told this week, Alaska’s issue partly is the barge and only 400 pounds of powder per barge per USCG rules I was told. Don’t know how true it is, but it would make sense.

RL-15 is my favorite powder for 165s. I like TAC and Varget as well. If I’m loading for other people I like to use up powders that I have on hand, that I don’t “need” for my own needs. Benchmark, Win 748, BLC2 and 4064 all get no complaints.

H414/760 is underrated and over criticized in many cartridges.

I’ve done that same sort of thing with my .223 propellants for my AR and what I do is go to the manufacturers web site (Hodgkin, Alliant, and Ramshot all have excellent resources) and pick a middle of the road charge (literally calculate halfway) and dump until I run out.

Been doing a lot of this since the shortage!

I've shot CFE 223 ion the 308. Velocities are faster than Varget with 165-168. but the accuracy was not quite as good. I plan on testing this some more. The last time I shot it, it was in the last batch i fired, and the difference could have been due to fatigue or operator error.

Reviving this. I've been playing with I4166 with 155s. It seems to be a touch more accurate than Varget under the 155 in my 10FP. Today's best 3-shoot was .35 moa.

2000MR is also very good with 155s and 175. My 5-shoot group for this powder (with 155s) today was .7 moa.

It's nice to have a 308, as it is one of the most powder flexible cartridges out there.

Varget & 155 Scenar’s produce one ragged hole groups in my 308.

4166 is a good varget replacement if you need one.

I am deeply impressed with TAC in the 308.

I've been working with TAC and Hornady 180-grain Interlock boat tails. With 42.8 grains, they're sub-MOA at 2,575 fps. It took a while to figure out OAL and I may be able to raise the charge. I'd love to see 2,650 but I'm not sure I can do that safely. I just lucked in a shovel full of 180-grain Patitions so I may revisit some of this work with them.

I also grabbed 500 Hornady 168-grain hollowpoint boat tail match bullets. Not my first choice but with 45 grains of TAC, they're sub-MOA at 2,775 fps, and there's a lot to like about that.

Both loads are in Lapua brass with WLRM primers.


Okie John

I was poking around, comparing load data. It's interesting that Nosler's loads for I4166 are quite different (lower) from Hodgdon's loads.

In the past Nosler's 308 brass was a lot heavier than the WW that Hodgdon typically lists. Current Nosler I don't know about.

If you examine a historical series of Nosler manuals you'll see that a lot of data for powders older than 4166 was simply carried forward from when Nosler listed WW brass. No changes in charges or speeds, so there's practically no way that data was re-shot and arrived at in Nosler brass. That's likely why the data for older powders is in better agreement with Hodgdon's and others.