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

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):