155 gr Scenar.(.508 bc) and 52 grains of cfe 223 around 3kfps out of a 24 inch bbl. "cheap" to shoot. caries 1k fp out to around 800yrds. Deer and bears should be no prob out to there. Ten thousand round bbl. life as opposed to 1k out of my big magnums. Whats not to like?

I have always been a Varget guy, but recently interested in the CFE223. Have you chrono'd it at various temps? Curious about it's temp stability.

WW or Lapua brass?

deviations in the single digits from 54 deg. to 97 deg. pretty stable , most hodgen powder is pretty stable. Was getting 2800 fps with 45 gr varget , also a good powder. lapua brass

Nice, what kind of accuracy are you getting?

best 100 yrd 3 shot group was .675

3 or 5 shot?

Very nice! I'll have to try some of that once hunting is done for the year.

3 didnt go for 5 but should have...figured that qualified for minute of deer

Thanks, I'm intrigued. I think I'll give that powder a try....I've got a bunch of the silver scenars laying around.....

Given an honest try, it's an easy cartridge to appreciate.

Without going into big detail (time crunch tonight) all I can say is I'm tracking pretty much exactly as you are with this.

Dober

Just FYI, according to the Hodgdon web site, you are over maximum with that load. Yeah, yeah, I know; "No pressure signs in my rifle."

I've thought many times of putting together a "long range" hunting rig but after I've seen what my oldest son's 308 will do at the farm out to 875 yards I think I have to give my 700 R5 a real go at it before I put something else together.
175 MatchKings and Rel-17 seem to be the ticket. He has shot the Sierra 155 Palmas, they do well also. The 308 is just too simple and boring for some guys but it works well on paper and gongs, imagine it will work on deer out to as far as I could ever hope to hit them.

You guys really suck. Every time I think I've got my last build behind me you bring something like this to the fore... you guys and my friend who bought a Stevens 200 in 308 Win and "let" me work up a load for... too easy to be true!!!

Gonna have a new one in my not-too-distant-future...

BTW - I usually get around 5,000 - 6,000 rounds of accurate barrel life from a Krieger in .308 Win.

Not 10,0000 rounds. But, there could be a lot of variables.

Guy

Good cartridges always come back around eventually. Funny a friend just bought another .308 and it got me thinking about one again.

Sometimes the new technologies and advances make old favorites new loves again.

I don't want to hijack the thread but it seems like there are some experienced .308 shooters here so I am interested in bringing up some related discussion

I picked up a 1988 Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special in .308 a couple months ago. I thought it might become my new beanfield gun. I've read somethings lately that make me question how the bullet expansion will be at extended ranges. This rifle can hold 0.5" groups at 100 yards and I can shoot it well out to 600 yards. How far is it reasonable to shoot big game with it if rounds are being accurately placed?

The 168gr and 178gr AMAX's will expand at that distance and further. Ditto the 168gr NBT.

I like my 308s a lot.

My experience shooting the 155 Scenar has shown the BC seems to shoot closer to .460.

It's really not a big deal out to 600 yards or so, where that difference amounts to about .25 moa. My results at 1200 yards were actual correction 3 moa over the calc. (calc 37.25 moa, actual 40.25 moa. MV 2900 fps, altitude 4500 ft.).

Thanks for the advice. Do you have any opinion of the 165 grain Accubond at long range?

The only reason I fell in love with the 308 is because of this ol girl...Doesn't mean I don't like my 30-06 better though... :

Nice clean Smith & Wesson ya got there son

You shouldn't even admit to owning one of those.

I purchased my first rifle when I was 17 & it was chambered in 308. I can't say I own a 300 WSM due to any limitations experienced with the 308. I'm glad to have both.

I was just thinking 300 wsm.... ...Your brass fits in this one too:



Nothing wrong with the 308, 30-06 or the 300 shortie...300 winnie (well its got a short neck :/)...I really want to try some of that CFE 223 powder in the 308 though...I've got 500 silver scenars to practice with too

I shot out to 800 validating exbal only that far. I wouldnt doubt if the published BC is high. I wouldnt shoot an animal past my self imposed 1kfpe. 308 does have its limitations ,but it sure is fun.

Shooting a Mike Rock . 8400 rounds and counting. noticed if I dont keep the throat really clean it falls off a bit. But it is still sub moa. Im not a benchrest shooter so sub moa is good enough for me.

also running a wyatts mag and seating just off the lands. Yeah yeah I know 51g is max but thanks for pointing that out as I would only load what you are comfortable with.

CFE223 at 48 grains, behind a 168 Sierra MK, on new Lapua Cases, in a LR308, pierced two primers, and cratered the remaining eight. I had loaded sixty rounds with the CFE, and went to the range for testing. I got off ten rounds until the rifle failed to fire. Pressure reached a point that bent the firing pin retainer so that it backed partially out the carrier freezing the striker. My fault for not checking the first case out of the rifle, but being only a grain and a half above the recommended starting load I wasn't expecting that sort of pressure. The cases were of course ruined. Gas gun ? Hot day ? In all fairness, I returned to the range the next day with ten rounds loaded at the starting 46.5. No signs of excess pressure, excellent accuracy, and chrono velocity running a little over 2600 fps. I'll be glad when this stuff is gone, and I may not use it for anything larger than my 5.56. In closing, I suppose I'm suggesting that if you use CFE223, start at the very bottom of what Hodgdon is offering for loads in the larger calibers. I loaded 50 rounds for my brothers S&W 5.56 with 28 grains behind a 53 Sierra MK and had no issues, so the sensitivity may be confined to larger bores, and heavier bullets. Synopsis: There's lots better propellants available.

You'll be smoking a really wet one in hell for that, gunnuts.....

Actual G1 BC of 155 Scenar is .462 and the G7 is .236, from data collected and published by Bryan Litz in his Masterpiece work Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting.

You where right on whit you back-figuring by the way.

Another way to look at it is you used only one grain less than the recommended max., and you put it in Lapua brass that is usually about twenty grains heavier than the WW brass in the Hodgdon data.

What primer did you use? Hodgdon used the F210M.

Good point Mathman about the brass.

Dober

CFE 223 didn't group worth a chit in the 22-250 i tried it in , IMR 4320 walked all over it accuracy wise. Never tried it in the 308, Varget and H4895 is the two powders that makes my 308's shine.

Thanks for that feedback, the shooting range is the truth teller.

If my results are similar to Litz's, I know I haven't gone off the rails....grin.

I've got to get his book one of these days.

MtMarine-what do you use for a load with the 208's?

And what kinds of speeds do you get with it?

Thx

Dober

Mark, Here's my load data for both of my 308s. Start lower and work up with normal caution.

Rem 700 Varmint, 20.5" factory bbl/throat, 1/12 twist
Win Brass, neck sized
208 AMax, moly'd
CCI 200 primer
3.00" OAL (.08" off lands)
RL-17 - 50.0gr
2620 fps (summer), 2580-ish (spring/fall) 2550-winter


Rem 700 SPS Varmint, 26" factory bbl/throat, 1/12 twist
Win Brass, neck sized
208 AMax, moly'd
CCI 200 primer
3.00" OAL (.05" off lands)
RL-17 - 49.0gr
2700 fps (summer), 2670fps (spring/fall)


The 20.5" rifle has several thou thru it, and can handle a bit more powder. Both are long throated with the bullet off the lands at 3.00" OAL.

sounds like a good setup.

But like others, i've shot more than one 308 tube into the trash can and have not even gotten close to 10K rounds. 5-6K is more like it, with cheaper tubes like douglas more like 4500 or so.