??? 308 reloading

[gunsbillygun]

i have reloaded alot of pistol ammo, but have never done anything with a rifle round, can someone give me some pointers on reloading a 308, ill be using it in a remington 740, its a older gun ( 1950's ) and ill be using it for deer and black bear.
thanks.

 

[Chuckdog]

Make sure the rifle works well with factory ammo. It like all selfloaders will require full lengthed sizing, and according to brand of dies, maybe small base type sizing die. Trim your cases to a uniform length, as bottleneck cased rounds are much more sensitive than straight walled calibers and this can affect pressures and function dramatically. Use a powder suitable for gas operated rifles in .308. Without looking, I'd say maybe 4895. Keep the loads well within book, don't try to push the limits with it. Those are old rifles with extractors that leave a lot to desired to begin with. Make sure the chambers clean and shiny, as a little rust can cause a lot of headaches. Other than that, just watch the brass closer than you would straight walled pistol stuff, and wipe off/out the sizing lube, as you're likely not used to fooling with it. That's all that comes to mind now, but holler if you have any questions, I'll try to help. Chuckdog.

 

[gunsbillygun]

Thank you Chuckdog,
what kind of dies would you suggest, most of my pistol are lee carbide die sets,
the rifle shoots factory rounds great, very good solid rifle,
explane " small base type sizing die "

 

[Junior_357]

Chuckdog is right on with his advice. The only thing I might suggest is starting with some new brass and fireforming the chamber of the old gun. Once you have loaded it and run it through...the brass should be good for several loading in that gun if you don't push the pressure limits.

 

[GaCracker63]

That is also a caliber I want to load when I get started I have a 742 woodmaster shoots great traded for it this year because I had several rounds left over from gun sales. I'm shooting federal in it now have killed 3 deer with it this year 1 at over 300 yrds. ( took 3 shoots to get on target, didn't relize how far it was, had to watch splash after first shot) I want to load for accuracy, so any help is appreciated.

 

[Shovelhead]

Neck sizing is usually not a good idea for those rifles. Reloading for semi-auto or a pump gun can get tricky. Make "dummy" rounds a hand full and then cycle (manually) through your action. I then use the dummy rounds to setup my reloading stations. Mark the dummies up with an indeliable pen. I note the case trim length, COL, Bullet type/manufacture and any reloading data I want to reference...

 

[Chuckdog]

Thank you Chuckdog,
what kind of dies would you suggest, most of my pistol are lee carbide die sets,
the rifle shoots factory rounds great, very good solid rifle,
explane " small base type sizing die "

I'd go with Lee dies. Their full length sizing die has worked great for every selfloader I've used them for. I load for an M1A, and have loaded for an AR in .308 using them. I shot a new FN .308 autoloader using loads from them today. The Lee dies size on the tight side of spec, so they tend to work fine for autoloaders. I use Hornady's case lube now, but the Lee stuff works great too. Holler anytime, I'll be glad to answer any questions I can, and if not, I'll find you someone that can! Good Luck with it, Chuckdog.

 

[magna750]

Here is some of the best info on loading for an M1A (or any autoloader for that matter) that I have ever found:

http://www.zediker.com/downloads/m14.html

When I first bought my M1A I did some loads for it the same way I had loaded for all of my other rifles for years with great results. Unfortunately, the loads sucked and I had no idea why until I found the article above. After I adopted the practices described, my results improved greatly. I also bought his book "Handloading for Competition" which has proven to be a great reference and guide.

Good luck!

 

[gunsbillygun]

Thanks for the info magna750

 

[buckwheat762]

43.2 grains of IMR 4064 and a sierra match king 168gr(or 175 if you must) and you can duplicate the federal gold medal match round. will shoot sub moa all day long as long as your rifle is capable.