Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles short barrel .308

I have a Rem. 788 with an 18.5" barrel that I load a 45.5 gr. Re-15 and 150 gr. bullet. Well under max but accurate. Kills stuff just fine.
My question is would loading it to max.( 47 to 49 gr. depending on which manual) improve the load or would I just be dumping unburned
powder out of the end of the 18.5" barrel. I know the max load would not give me too much pressure but does a short barrel reduce the
amount of powder burned by a significant amount. I don't need to up the load if it only gives me a nice fireball off the end of my barrel.

RL-15's not what I'd consider a slow power relative to this cartridge, so I'd expect to see continued velocity increases up to max. I could be wrong, but it's would be a good experiment to work up across a chronograph and see what happens.

I was going to try to obtain a chrono and see if velocity continued to increase until max or if they flattened out as they ran out of barrel to burn.
As I said this load is OK but I thought maybe someone here had already tested this theory. I like RE-15 in several calibers and luckily I have plenty.

I'm sure that the velocity would continue to increase since increased powder means increased pressure and that results in higher velocity.

something like that, I'd be using SR 4759 or 4198.....but then guys like me are different than "normal guys".....

30grains of 4198, with a 150 grain bullet would easily be 200 yd deer killer....

why jack up the recoil....

I have a Savage Hog Hunter, short barrel. No problem to kill deer and pigs at 300 yards with a 150 GameKing and H 4895

You won't be dumping unburned powder out of the barrel. You will have an increase in velocity, along with a possible increase in blast and muzzle flash, if you can notice it. I haven't really noticed any.

I've been using a 20" .308 for years, a hunting buddy uses a 788 just like yours. I also have a couple of 22" .308s and pretty much run the same load in all. The guy with the 18.5 inch 788 has also used a 22" quite a bit.

There is no noticeable difference in on-game performance at our normal ranges, which are typically under 200 yards.

Leave it alone. I go by the old adage, "it it isn't broke , leave it alone". My Remington Tactical will shoot groups under ,200 with 44.5 grains, and a Sierra Matchking. For hunting Coyotes and Deer i use 150 speer soft nose. Kills them ded. Once again you have no need to mess with it.

What he said.

What would be considered slow velocity for 150 and 165 grain loads out of a 20” barreled 308?

What velocities are you guys getting out of 18-20” barrels!

Powders? Loads?

I generally got right at 2700 with Varget/RL15/748 when loading 150gr bullets in an 18.5” factory bolt gun. I loaded 168’s in a 20” version for mid 2600 with same powders. The 130 TTSX is another nice option at 2900+ in a 20” gun with TAC or 4895.

For comparison, I shot 150/155 stuff in two 22” factory bolt guns at 2850-2880 with RL15 and H4895. Probably about to chop one to 17” for a can and I’m not going to sweat dropping down to 2700-ish. Still have to know your drops, and hitting anything that lives around here with a vitals shot should be fine inside 400yds.

Well, this is a case one one and done I guess. I have a Ruger M77 RSI with 18.5" barrel that I got into cheap because the previous owner said he couldn't get an accurate load from the rifle. As a matter of fact I've scored two more of those rifles in .308 for that very same reason. After a little more tan two years I found a load with 165 gr. Speer Hot Cores and W760 would give a usable group. Velocity on average is 2550 FPS from the 18-5" barrel. Velocity from a 22" barrel is 2610 FPS. Switch to another 165 gr. bullet and accuracy is gone. That rifle really is a one trick pony. Funny thing is that load will work in all three of those rifles but any switch in components and accuracy goes straight to hell.
Velocity was only tested in the first rifle. the others were only shot to test accuracy.
Paul B.

I use 44.5 grains of 4895 with a 180 sierra round nose. My rifles barrel is 18.5 inches

41g of 4895 with a 165ish bullet is magic in accuracy

In a shorter barrel I'm usually inclined to start with the quicker burning powders, though the burn rate increases as the charge weight increases. I've also seen where a magnum primer helps get velocity up given a short runway. More often than not the most accurate loads are also near top end if not maximum loads. One of the most accurate loads in my target 308 is 47.0grs imr4320 and a Sierra palma 155gr match bullet. It'll put 5 rounds of that loads in .31" at 100yds. It's so accurate and I can't hold it still enough.

I'd guess that you're solidly into 300 Savage country with that charge, probably 2,600 and change. Not sure that I see any reason to change unless you need to flatten the trajectory for some reason.


Okie John

4064 with 165s seems like magic in my model 7 16.5 barrel also works a mild load in the 270 and 30-06 good luck finding some now

I loaded some up with 46 and 46.3 gr. of Re-15. I going to check how they group. if accuracy is good I may shoot the hotter loads just for the small improvement in trajectory.
If accuracy isn't as good I will revert back to 45.5 gr. since it works. Thanks for all your responses.