reloading question

[poopdaddy]

i am getting ready to start loading 308. thats it for now, and i was wondering what primers and powder you guys are using.
just want to stock up a little, before the atf crap kicks in, or the thought of it kicks in and people start gouging.
thanks for the help
Bob

 

[SOLGardener]

For primers, I use CCI 34's (or is it the 41s?) or CCI 200's. I've never had an issue with them.

For powder, RL15 covers most everything, but I've been using TAC, and it's great with low pressures, relatively low charge weights and flows like water out of the powder dispenser.

 

[kuduman]

You probably should post this in the Reloading forum.

Depends on if you're making banging loads with 147 gr bullets, or accuracy loads with heavier bullets. Best to pick one now that covers what you need, and stock up soon. If you aren't going to be hand-weighing every charge, pick something like XBR-8208. Its tiny grains meter well, unlike say Varget. Varget is great. Hand trickling every single charge, not so much. I find similar accuracy with 8208, and much faster to load 'em up. 8208 works well with .223 also.

CFE-Rifle is another one to look at. It's cheaper than some, and AVAILABLE.

Another sleeper is IMR-4320. It works with .223 and .308, among many others, across a wide range of bullet weights. May not be the most accurate, or the highest velocity. But it's pretty much always available-- you could get it in 2013. RL-15, Varget, AA-2230, and plenty of others were not available for a year or two. Maybe three, if you wanted a big jug.

Any American brand large rifle primer works fine with .308. Haven't tried Sellier and Bellot (cheap) in .308, but their primers work fine in pistol and .223. Until recently, those were $20/1000. Can't find that price at the moment though. Powder Valley has S&B large rifle primers today for $24, FWIW.

By American I mean CCI, Rem, Fed, Win-- buy whichever primers are the cheapest, unless you're on an accuracy hunt, then you'll need to buy them all and try them-- both Match and regular.

Wolf, Fiocchi, S&B, Cheddite(?)-- I've only tried the S&B. Can't vouch for the others.

BTW, I think the prices have already started to rise. Availability is definitely down from the spring, unless you are willing to pay $40/1000...

 

[Twitch2120]

Imr 4895 and 4064 and 8208 and 4166.
Varget, mr2000, cfe.

I use 4064 and mr2k with 178 amax and 185 juggernauts respectivly.

 

[rbstern]

Some of the many good powder choices for 308 Win

4895 (my favorite is IMR 4895)
4064
RL15
BLC-2
H335

If you are shooting from a longer barrel (24") and bullets on the heavier end, you might try some IMR 4350.

Have a look at this burn rate chart. You'll see the 308 Win suitable powders we're tossing around in this thread tend to be in the middle of the chart. You can work outward, toward either faster or slower powder, based on circumstances. Consult some reloading manuals or online loading data and check loads with the bullet weights you want to load, and see which powers the manufacturers recommend.

https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Burn Rates - 2015-2016.pdf

Regarding primers: My experience is they all work. Unless you are benchrest shooting and trying to reduce group size by 1/4", all brands of rifle primers will light up, without unduly impacting accuracy. If you're loading for use in a semi-rifle with a free floated firing pin, stick with the recommend primers (usually the CCI #34).

 

[poopdaddy]

cool, thanks guys.

 

[BillMe45]

I use Winchester WLR for about everything. Like others have said unless your benchrest shooting just find an affordable/ available option and start there. Its what I did with the Winchester and use there primers for about everything now. Rifle and pistol.

Sent from my LGL16C using Tapatalk

 

[YOTESHOOTER]

Lapua brass, or Norma brass...

 

[whiskerz]

Kuduman covered it .308 is pretty tolerate . I use either Winchester or CCI primers and varget , I picked up some XBR to try . Old school 748 is solid but a little temp sensitive

 

[Control for Smilers]

i use a lot of 8208xbr and imr 4166. currently using cci200's...cant find br-2's or 210m's locally to save my life.