I've got some 125 grain Hornady SSTs and I plan to load them with H4895 to 7.62x39 velocities for my daughter's use. Does anyone have a load to suggest that would give something around 2300 fps?
Looks like about 36 grains should get you there:
Cartridge : .308 Win. (SAAMI)
Bullet : .308, 125, Hornady SST 3019
Useable Case Capaci: 51.352 grain H2O = 3.334 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.800 inch = 71.12 mm
Barrel Length : 22.0 inch = 558.8 mm
Powder : Hodgdon H4895
Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 1.351% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !
Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms
-13.5 68 32.00 2049 1165 18637 5210 75.6 1.545
-12.2 69 32.50 2079 1200 19277 5334 76.4 1.525
-10.8 70 33.00 2110 1236 19939 5458 77.2 1.504
-09.5 71 33.50 2141 1272 20624 5583 78.0 1.484
-08.1 72 34.00 2172 1309 21333 5707 78.9 1.464
-06.8 73 34.50 2203 1347 22065 5832 79.7 1.445
-05.4 74 35.00 2234 1385 22824 5956 80.4 1.427
-04.1 75 35.50 2265 1424 23611 6080 81.2 1.408
-02.7 76 36.00 2296 1463 24423 6203 82.0 1.390
-01.4 77 36.50 2327 1503 25264 6326 82.8 1.371
+00.0 78 37.00 2358 1544 26135 6449 83.5 1.353
+01.4 79 37.50 2390 1585 27035 6570 84.2 1.335
+02.7 80 38.00 2421 1627 27969 6691 85.0 1.318
+04.1 81 38.50 2453 1670 28931 6811 85.7 1.301
+05.4 82 39.00 2484 1713 29920 6930 86.4 1.283
+06.8 83 39.50 2516 1757 30937 7048 87.0 1.267
Results caused by ± 3% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 3% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 78 37.00 2409 1610 27660 6613 86.1 1.325
Data for burning rate decreased by 3% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 78 37.00 2306 1476 24662 6265 80.7 1.382
Thanks! That is very helpful.
If you happen to have any Blue dot, you might give seafire's loads a try. Even quieter and less recoil. Turns my Montana 308 into a 300 Blk when that's what I want. Works great on whitetails in my experience.
I don't have any Blue Dot but it could be a good one to try.
IMR3031 works well too...
I use h4985 36.0 gr with nosler 125s for my daughter’s tikka 308
She has been shooting that since she was 10
She is 3 for 3 on deer with it
She is 3 for 3 on deer with it
It sounds like it has been a winning combo for her. My daughter is 8 and she shoots well so I'm hoping for similar success in the future.
What rifle will she be shooting?
This is a timely thread for me, my 9 year old is ready to move beyond a .22 and this was the exact combo I’ve been thinking of for her.
been loading 30 grains of 4198 with a 150 RN or 150 Nosler BT in 308 and 06s for year for kids...
easily a 200 to 250 yd capable round... in the 06 managed recoil they used 36 grains of 4198...
for even better accuracy.... 30 grains of Reloader 7..
I preferred the 150 gr ballistic tip over the 125....
any bullet intended for the 30/30 is a good choice also...
back around 2000 a friends son in Montana took a 600 LB 11 y/o cow elk, at Gardner using an 06 I had loaded up for him when he was younger
for deer hunting... 30 grains of 4198, and a 165 grain ballistic tip...when he had gotten to Gardner, all he had with him in the truck, where it had been sitting under the seat for 4 years in a zip lock bag... he'd left his ammo I had loaded up for this hunt on the kitchen table back in Billings..
at about 175 yds, running across with about 11 other elk, this one was the largest of the group.... so Tyler fired at this one, behind the shoulder..
it kept running with the others, behind an out cropping.... it had made it 60 yds or so...and was gasping its last when we got to it...
When I gutted it for him, the bullet had blown the right lung into hamburger, cut the esophagus going thru to the left lung with looked like a bowl of spaghetti, and did the same thing on the upper half of the liver, and was bulged on the hide on the far side...
don't think these reduced recoil loads don't work at under 250 yds...Montana Fish & Game were impressed he had dropped one that size with an equivalent of a 30/30 load...
The young man is now a 30 year old Montana State Trooper and an Iraq veteran.....
I run a 150 with 27 grains of SR4759 , 165s with 25 grains. Been years since I chrono’d either load - 2200 and 2050 or so IIRC.
Both kill well and shoot soft - haven’t recovered a bullet yet from a pig or a whitetail.
I run a 150 with 27 grains of SR4759 , 165s with 25 grains. Been years since I chrono’d either load - 2200 and 2050 or so IIRC.
Both kill well and shoot soft - haven’t recovered a bullet yet from a pig or a whitetail.
I miss SR 4759.. that was a great powder for that type of service...
but I was lucky to stock up on 4 eight pound jugs, that was on sale from Grafs or Powder Valley, right when Hodgdon was going to quit making it...I use it sparingly nowadays....I use to go thru tons of it and Blue Dot, especially in 223s... it was the most accurate powder in several old 30/30s I had...
The first edition of the LEE reloading manual has a good section on reduced loads, lots of good info.
Seafire - you’re ahead of me. I’ve got 8-9 lbs left and watch it pretty close.
What rifle will she be shooting?
That's actually an interesting thing. Last year I picked up a 1987 vintage Remington 700 BDL .308. The original owner never fired it and the second owner put about 40 rounds through it. He also swapped the walnut stock for an SPS stock. The SPS stock wouldn't be my preference but it does have a very cushy recoil pad so for my daughter's use it could be a good thing. I'm considering getting a Wildcat Composites stock for it in the future.
2nd edition Lee manual also has a dissertation on reduced loads which I find interesting to read.
But since you are specifically asking about hodgdon, they often have reduced load data available if you email them.
Specific to 4895
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/si...gdon%20H4895%20reduced%20load%20data.pdf