Loading PRECISION 308 Hunting Ammunition (MEC Marksman)
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Some of us want hunting ammunition that's accurate- and that's what Guy covers with me in this video!
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You Absolutely owe it to the animal to have the most accurate rifle and load! That includes practicing at all distances you attempt to shoot at standing and kneeling not just prone. I've heard Guy say Minute of mule deer but thats different coming from a trained sniper versus someone who just buys off the shelf ammo and doesn't practice. We need to push ethics as far as we are pushing are bullets. Thanks for the great show Gavin,I've watched all of the episodes with Guy at least twice
Spot on! In my country we have to pass a shooting test every year before we can hunt big game. We must shoot minimum 30 practise shots before the 5 shot test at 100 meters. The 5 shots must be within a 12 inch circle without any shooting support.
@@ChristianoMoe out of curiosity, what country are you from?
@@threequarter4071 Norway
I've used nail polish to seal both the primer and the bullets. Put in the bullet cannelure. Seat and crimp before it dries. Use different color nail polish to color code the different loads.
Guy is right on the money when he says "get to know your rifle". I believe that encompasses getting to know your cartridge too. excellent video!
Almost a year late, but I have to share this one because it’s old school! 30-06 150 gr interlock SP LC 69 Annealed brass CCI 250 for cold weather ignition IMR 4350 Running approximately 2750-2800 fps at the muzzle with soft recoil. My Rem 700 loves them! Drove one through a hell of a buck at about 75 yards. Ploughed through the heart and stopped just shy of the opposite side of fur. Deer managed to hoof it about 40 yards before running out of gas. Love that load.
Gday Gavin & Guy … thanks again for a fantastic talk on the 308win my favourite cal .. I really appreciate the review from start to finish its like sitting around the camp fire up in the high country with my mates talking practical hunting , reloading and cartridges to suite practical hunting situations . You talk my language .. happy reloading and hunting 🦌🦌👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻thanks again from down under 🇦🇺
$1600 an annealing machine equals a LOT of new or once fired brass. I'm not sure the expense is justified for someone who is primarily a hunter, but I could see the expense for a bench rest shooter or an ultra long range hunter. I've never annealed a single piece of brass. I just replace it when it fails. I love the single stage press for all of my reloading needs. So many new reloaders don't have the patience to load one at a time, and immediately go to a progressive machine. Great video!
Just looked one up and my thoughts exactly…reload almost everyday and haven’t used one yet
There are 2-300 dollar annealers out there. You don't always have to have the most gucci equipment like Gavin.
@@whitexeno that was my thoughts where in just starting to learn how because how expensive ammunition is anymore and how hard it is to find just a added bonus that you can get more consistent loads personally I'm not trying to run any faster than what factory ammo runs just want less deviation between my fastest load and slowest because where I live we have black bear white tail and wild hogs range is 20 yards to the very max 200 yards but most animals I've taken is around 50-100 yards
I use an annealeez about $300 and anneal all my bottle neck cartridges. I keep track up to 5 times then it's just in the 5+ and have some 223 that's been loaded at least 12 times. I hand deprime and had prime and inspect each case well while doing it. Before annealing about 4-5 loads and it was getting thrown out. Annealing has also helped with more consistent neck tension and better accuracy for long range!
@@sjeppesen9 $300 is a much more reasonable price.
Took the 308 RPR out yesterday shooting steel prairie dogs out to 800 with consistency and other ranges,not hunting that far but when you can practice that far makes the 300 yd deer shoot easy. Using 178 gr Eldx 4895 works for me . Practice practice practice, hot but fun
The RPR is a bargain in off-the-shelf precision rifles. I snapped one up at a chain sporting goods store a few years ago when they had the 6mm Creedmoor RPR marked way down. Walked out of there with a rifle, brass, bullets, dies & ammo. Had a 6-24 Vortex sitting around doing nothing at home... Wow, that thing has shot well from the beginning. Congrats on your 800 yard steel prairie dogs with the 308 RPR!
My hunting 308 is a circa 1970 Remington 700, it has a 24" Shilen barrel. My hand loads are 150-168 gr Nosler bullets, with Varget and CCI primers .............. it does shoot and they do go down ............ thanks for the video !!
I have a single stage press, and use a digital Hornady scale for every load. I love my Savage Ashbury Precision .308, 24 inch barreled rifle.
Thanks to the both of you, as always I love this
Just finished prepping 233 Lake City 308 / 7.62 brass FL resizing using Imperial Sizing Die Wax (none stuck in my RCBS dies on the RCBS Big Max press), deburring all the inside and out of the case necks and the painful primer pocket uniformity (staked or crimped primer pockets). These will get loaded with 150 grain Nosler Green Tips Boat Tail probably will also use CFE223 powder.. Also finished 267 Black Hills Armory Match 308 cases were prepped the same and loaded just loaded with 165 grain Nosler Green Tip Boat Tail using 47.4 grains CFE223 powder. All loads were hand weighed precise even though CFE223 drops fairly precise to insure exactness... Bullet seating gets done on the RCBS Jr. press...why? The feel of every aspect during the seating has served me well over the years! In the past hand weighed IMR331 provided some very nice accuracy in the 30'06 Remington 742 and 700 rifles. Powders are tough to get but have enough supplies to sustain things for now. Guy or Gavin you may wish to try the CFE223 powder for the 308Win.
I do want to try CFE 223 in the 308 Win. It's a terrific powder.
Very good point about minimum impact velocity for proper expansion of the projectile.....don't take long shots if you haven't done this Using all the energy inside an animal is definitely more important than a blood trail to follow and more people are realising this, sierra tmk, eldm are other good choices too,,,,,but many match ammo has a hp too small and sometimes gets clogged so not expanding, half the people that say they've tried match bullets before and didn't work chose the wrong ones
My father in law has had excellent results with hornady amax, never lost an animal and never needed more than one shot. Ranges 70-571 yards on black bear, deer, and elk
For my Browning bar in 308 win I’m using reloaded 15, Norma brass, cci large rifle primers and either a Sierra boat tail 165 or a copper 165 grain with less than 1 moa. Very good hunting performance on moose, mule deer, white tails or black bears
Such great information for newbies like me, thank you for another great video.
Great video guys. I use .308 for all my deer hunting (Sika & Reds) . Lapua brass, Federal GM 210M primers, Varget 43.5gr which pushes a Nosler 168gr Ballistic tip out at 2641fps. 1:13 twist on a Broughton canted land. Amazingly accurate (5mm groups at 100 yards) and not excessive on meat damage. Same load , same rifle for the last 13 years. Last red shot at 322 yards , dropped instantly , recovered the bullet head which mushroomed and retained 91% of its weight. Still using the same batch of Varget after all this time. Superb channel guys 😎
@@Joe-hu7di Pretty much if it does what you want it to do, why change ? Same stick same load :)
That's funny you talked about ammo being for the most part waterproof... I just recently got done shooting and dumped the whole 50 rd box of brass in my tumbler with steel pins but I didn't realize I didn't shoot a row of bullets so they spent 30 mins under water through the cycle. I got done separating the steel media and dumped everything on a towl and there they were 5 unfired 6.5 Creedmoor cartridges. So I figured they were ruined but I grabbed a rifle and setup my chronograph to shoot them. They shot the exact same half inch group at the same velocity numbers... so I'm convinced no amount of rain or even dropping your ammo in the water will effect anything. Great video as always keepem coming guys!!!
Eh. Cartridges are typically waterproof as long as they were assembled properly. Sealant definitely helps if they're in the water multiple times and it's a must for steel case under the same conditions.
Let us not forget that pressure will quickly force water to go into places it's not supposed to go. The difference in water pressure ammo submerged 1" versus 20" would be dramatic.
@@newerest1 1 foot of head is .433 psi so it's not that much. Now if you went down several feet that could be an issue.
Getting ready for the fall had my 308 out yesterday stretching it's legs, shooting 178 eldx and 180 A tip prairie dog steel out to 800 yds using my RPR, it was hot but fun. Not shooting big game that far 300-400 , but practice with consistency at that range makes the big game shots easier . Practice practice practice
Forget all the gear on that table and let’s talk about that 8 lb jug of Varget🤔🤔🤔
Yes! I am so fortunate to have bought that second 8 pounder back before the shortage hit. Am well supplied with Varget, which is a good thing since I use it in several cartridges, not just the 308 Win.
I find it here and there in 1lb and get them when I can but it's been years since I've seen an 8lb
Damn skippy
I kept an 8lb jug of Varget... still untouched lol
Us older people who lived through the Clinton era learned what could happen and bought tons of reloading supplies!!!!
I would love to see the sealant test. I have some ready to go once I get my Elk load worked up.
I drug out my Pops 30/06. Im gonna embark on a journey with this one next. Started with swapping on a Leupold VX III 2.5x10.
The ol' 30-06 can achieve excellent accuracy! Best of luck with your project CW.
3.5-10x?
@@graynotescartridgebox Probably so. (Old eyes) 😜👍🏼🤘🏼
@@guyminer2384 Hello Guy! Ill probably do videos. Its a rainy day maybe Ill Start in loading room today!
@@cw2a haha yeah. There’s the 2.5-8x and the 3.5-10x. Both are neat little scopes for a hunting rifle. Enjoy your pop’s rifle!
I shot the hornady 168 grain a_max at 2700 fps match ammo. And got o e hole at 100 yards it took me one year to find that load so I could duplicate it. 308 hornady brass 168 gr. A max 42 grains of 3031 . You weren't expecting that one was you. My reloads are half inch at 100 . But I have got an annealer now .
Lord willing I’ve filled my buck tag during bow season so my 308 is typically on doe patrol. My hand loads will repeatedly shoot 5 under 1/2” which is nice to be confident taking head shots out to 200 yards.
Finally some common sense discussion on bullet selection and construction rather than this bc craze i’ve been hearing so much from other channels. Well done
Higher Ballistic Coefficient = higher retained impact Energy, higher retained impact Velocity, flatter trajectory, and less wind deflection. There is a legitimate reason for the craze especially from a hunting perspective. These days We don’t really have to sacrifice B.C. To find a bullet that gives us good terminal performance. There are plenty of good options from reputable manufacturers that give you both.
@@10EPrecision Agreed mate. Although B/C helps it won’t compensate for being a shit shot. You’ll still need to dial long shots and still need to hold for wind. My view on terminal performance is in most cases theres no need to go and buy a wind bucking wonder calibre. The gun that most folk already have, whether its a 270, 30-06, 308 or 7mm-08, will be absolutely fine for longer shots (500-600y) if some thought is given to bullet construction wrt terminal ballistics. Seems like factors such as barrel life, recoil, the carry weight of short vs long action, and ammo availability and bullet weight selection play second fiddle to b/c, when imo they are equally important. Just my view though. I’m just a keen hunter from New Zealand :)
@@rgibson759 I agree 100% that no cartridge or bullet combination will make up for poor shooting. Most modern rifle cartridges are by far more capable the most hunters are. If you get the wind and elevation correct for the range they will absolutely get the job done out to extended ranges. In my experience most of my shots on game (mule deer and elk in my area) the shots are taken primarily in the morning or evening. This is when the sun is very low in the sky and most often below the horizon. In these conditions it is extremely difficult to pick up mirage and other wind indicators have to be employed. (Most of the time vegetation or looking for spider webs or floaters slipping through the middle of the canyon) thermal winds are always moving the air even on calm days. I have found that It is nearly always the wind that you cannot see that causes problems. That’s why I still shoot a barrel burner super magnum with a very high bc bullet. Sometimes the wind can fool you (especially if you have no experience shooting in that area) and I would rather have a few inches forgiveness on my end for wind deflection than make an animal suffer on the other end for my mistake. Holding less wind overall for a given wind speed as well as having less deflection means most of the time I don’t have to leave the vital area for a wind hold at 500-600 yards. For me that is a big confidence boost because I know that if the wind completely dies on me and I don’t catch it I will still hit the side of the vitals I’m holding into. Likewise if the wind wind picks up and I don’t catch it before I shoot I will still hit the opposite side of the vitals. BC and cartridge don’t matter a whole lot if you can get within rock throwing distance though. Which is always the primary goal.
@@10EPrecision all valid points mate. In NZ we shoot the same times of day, our species largely Himalayan Tahr, Chamois and Red Deer. Shots range from point blank to as far as you are capable. Really appreciated the discussion and your perspective :)
@@rgibson759 likewise
I havent started reloading yet but I have had excellent luck from 40 all the way out to 512 with Hornady Superformance 150gr SST loads. All single shot kills on Elk. Rifle is a Savage Model 10 FLCP-SR with a 24inch barrel. I just got a Savage Impulse Predator in 308 and am itching to use it this year.
Nice!
Many years ago I started deer hunting with a SMLE Mk4, moved to a Rem 742 Carbine in 30/06 and my first new bolt gun was a Ruger M77 in 308. Even had a Winchester 94 in 30/30 and a M1 Garand doing hunting duty for a while but I found real precision with a Savage Axis in 270 with a Nikon ProStaff 3x9 on top. I loaded Nosler 130gr BT's and pushed them along with 53gr of IMR 4350 for almost 3000fps. The nice part was, off the bench it would shoot moa easy with my handloads. Great in the woods, 200-250yd shots were venison on the table with no tracking. For the last 3 seasons it's been a Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmoor with a 6x24x50 Diamondback Tactical on top hunting farm field hedgerows. I was never a proponent of shots over 300 yards and after many years of National Match shooting doping the wind in the fields accurately was the trick. That changed with the Creedmoor, heavy but deadly accurate. I loaded 44gr of Winchester 760 with a 129gr Hornady SST and it not only shot close to 1/2 moa but was deadly out to 400 yards. High shoulder shots are the norm and the last 3 deer just buckled their knee's DRT.
29:17 Excellent mention of HSS for DOA of humanitarian kills.
Try the K&M flash hole deburring tools. They leave the flash hole cleanly cut without a reverse V cut that can vary by case head.
I'm loading 308 Win.150 grain Speer hot core on top of 44.5 grains of IMR 4895 OAL 2.8350 And getting 3/8 groups at 100 out of a Savage Axis with the Accu trigger. I couldn't find load data for the load, so I used the load data for the 150 grain Nosler partition, which are a little longer than the hot core bullets. Then I measured and got close to the lands, works great for me.
that sofa 6x is golden, ill never sell mine. done more than any scopes we got the last 10 years.
I can hardly believe that they've held the price to $299... It's one heck of a scope!
For those of us who reload military calibers, I'd enjoy seeing y'all do videos on .303, 6.5x55, 7.92x57, 7.62x54r, etc.
For the. 308 Win, I have had great results with IMR-4064, and IMR-4895. 4895 IS QUICKLY becoming my favorite powder in the .308 to push the Berger 185 VLD and .30-06 rounds. It's a very great powder.
Makes sense... 4895 is traditionally what the military has used for .308. It was the standard powder for the .30-06 military loads and works just as great in .308. It's really the only powder I use for .308.
@@Strelnikov10 mostly it depends on the rifle and what it likes. Mine likes IMR 4064 in a 180 grain hornady SST bullets and dime sized groups with the 4064 in a nosler ballistic tip. Love my .308 win.
My long range hunting load is a 300 Weatherby Mag, 212 grain ELD-X seated long on a compressed load of 86.0 grains of Retumbo. Fantastic ES and SD numbers, groups very well, pretty good BC on that bullet, and it pretty well smashes anything in runs into. Velocity on my barrel is just a touch under 3000 fps.
The beauty of Reloading 😁 - m.kzhead.info/sun/YNWCgbqFr3-pmJ8/bejne.html
I really like the FA bullet seating kit.
Great discussion, I load every round with precision in mind. My .223, .243, and now 6ARC are my varmint / coyote rounds, they do 1/4-3/4 MOA. For mine and wife's .270s I run Nosler ballistic tips and Varget behind it 130s in mine and 150s in hers, her Tikka does 1/2 - 3/4MOA, and my old Model 70 does 3/4 - 1 1/4MOA. Nothing we have connected with has walked away yet.
How fur friendly is that yote load?
@@PullingRugs 6 ARC with 87gr VMAX is pretty nice, I get a sliver of jacket exiting with a 6mm entry. 223 with 62gr Varmageddon is fantastic, .22 entry and no exit. And drops them dead, they don't know what hit them.
@@unclebob540i3 thanks for the info! It’s a perpetual issue for me, I will have to give it a shot
A long time ago I used Black Hills Ammunition 308 Winchester 168 Grain Match Hollow Point Boat Tail in a friends AR10T. At 100 yards it shot ½ MOA and less. Was my first time shooting this load and rifle. He also had a Weatherby Mark V .308. We used the same ammo and had the same results. Fun Fun Fun. Love your videos. Very informative. Thanks Just courious, Love you rifle but didn’t the Remington Model 700's have a problem with unintentionally firing with no trigger pull.
I reload my hunting ammo the same as I do match
I’m convinced the best hunting bullet out to 500 yards with 2-3000fps impact is the nosler accubond. Violent enough yet penetrates a long way. The 160gr in my 7mm rem mag at 3000fps stays above 2000fps out to 500m ( not yards ) and the bullet holds together every time up close. I’ve recovered 3 from sambar deer ( third largest deer after elk ) with front on impacts. All were 65-75% weight retention and stopped in the rear leg. On a broadside shot it still does a heap of damage and leaves a good blood trail. Some people get confused and want “ energy “ dumped in the target, but energy is only part of the equation. The energy is no good if it’s dumped 6 inches into an elk on a quartering shot. An arrow literally has less kinetic energy than a 22LR. Obviously if you use a FMJ the wound channel isn’t large enough to ensure a quick kill, but a bullet that expands to twice diameter and cuts a hole in the vitals whist spinning at hundreds of thousands of RPM will kill anything on earth. Not to mention that when the bullet exits a large deer, it can be seen from ballistic gel tests that the bullet has expended the big majority of its energy by the time it leaves the gel. Would love to see a head to head test of various bonded bullets vs match bullets. Specifically the more modern bonded bullets with higher BC’s, which are good enough out to 500y but obviously limited by BC and hardness to perform any better.
You can check out the Long Range Hunting Group on KZhead. The channel tests a fair number of different bullets in gel with various hide/muscle/bone setups.
@@Dagger4 I’ve seen it but I still think match bullets are a bad idea unless you’re using them at below 2500fps or planning to hunt long range. For out to 500 yards with a high velocity gun the accubond has to be one of the best. No deer is going to get hit by an accubond or barnes and walk off just because the bullet exited and only dumped 3/4 of its “ energy”. Energy doesn’t kill deer, the big hole in their lungs does. As long as the projectile expands a heap it’s fine. I’m not hunting little whitetail I hunt mostly sambar deer which are the 3rd largest species on earth after elk. And they live in thick country and don’t often stand broadside in a field. Sometimes the only shot you get is frontal or hard quartering and being confident in your bullet punching a long way through is a huge thing. I use 87gr vmax in my 243 which are extremely explosive but at high velocity they’re lucky to penetrate 6 inches. The rem mag with accubonds will give a 3 inch wound channel and shoot through 2 fallow deer lined up
I shoot 308win as well, mostly for elk, but deer as well. 178gr ELD-X IMR 8208XBR CCI BR2 Starline Brass 2635fps
Best groups I've ever had out of my 308 (Savage FCP 10 with 20" barrel) were from loads where I turned down the case necks (PMA Tool). Forster Coaxial press using Forster Bench Rest dies. Not sure if "Pointing" the bullets all to the exact same did much, but that was another step I've tried (Whidden Gunworks). Five shot Groups @ 3-4 fps spread on the chrono (all weight matched, sorted, and grouped; cases, bullet, powder charge) It is a lot of work to go through all that extra case prep, . Doing each powder charge by hand on a digital scale. Basically make everything Exactly the same weight and dimension so each explosion has the exact same pressure, as it's occurring inside the exact same internal dimension, and it's pushing out a bullet that has the exact same seated neck pressure as every other round (neck turning). If you have a neck that is thicker, when you resize the case, the bullet is going to have much more neck pressure holding onto it (find the thinnest neck and turn down all your cases to match that). I'm just an Amateur, don't take my advice.
Can't wait for 30 BR. I have been interested in examining it as an alternative to the sort of odd duck that is the 30Rem AR. No weird rim diameter, .308 bullets, can be made to fit an AR-15 and should have just the performance I am looking for personally.
I have a similar 308 with a select PacNor. 16 inch 1/12 twist. I have lots of time and load my hunting ammo the same as my bench guns. I've only shot 125 and 135 grain but have some 155 on the way. Varget is getting very low so I've been using 748 which I have lots of. Two deer and several coyotes so far always with the Dead Air Sandman TI.
That’s an awesome setup!
For me the " plunk test" is most important. Forgot to do this once in the tree stand the ammo didn't fit the chamber. Only takes once.
Sako 85 308 W varmint 20 inch 11 twist barrel Lapua brass 45.5 gr AR 2208 (Varget) fed 210 LR Hornady 168 gr ELD-M 2681 average ES 5.9 SD 13 5 shots 100 yds 1/2 MOA Data MagnetoSpeed.
My current favorite is 300 PRC with 190 CX @3045 with a compressed liad of Magnum and Federal Magnum primer 3 shots into .28 from a sand bag rest.
in my 308 win, Sako 85 my perfect length of Burger 175 gr VLD was... 2.92! with 44.5 gr of Varget. It fits the magazine. Blazer R8? different game max length 2.82
My go to for my 308 for Mule Deer and smaller game here in the 4 corners states. Lapua brass, burger VLD 168s, Varget and BR2s. I've even taken a Cow Elk with the same load. I am currently working up loads for 7-08 308 and 7mm Rem mag with ELDX, that is probably going to be my new go to bullet. I buy local whenever possible and my local small town store seems to have the ELDX pills most of the time.
7 x 57 160 gr Speer SP IMR 4350 48 gr R-P Nickel case Brno ZKK 601 0,5 to.75 inches at 100 yards, Shot two caribou 225 yards no issues. Bought it in 1990, bit rough but I had a good gunsmith work it over some. Shot great. I hunted a lot with that rifle in Alaska when I lived there The Nosler 160 gr and 140 gr shot just about as well. The load I shot is pretty much the one Jack O'Conner shot in his, my rifle just wanted an extra grain or two. That could be with that lot of powder, I got good case life, thou I will only load once-fired cases in the rifle I am going to hunt with. I buy cases and they go with a particular rifle.
300 wsm 150 grain Nosler bt. 67.5 grains RL19. I built this rifle on a Remington 40 XBR action. Bought the barrel from Numerich as a take off barrel. The bolt face was opened up to magnum cartridge size .532. And a sako extractor was installed. The rifle lug is .230 thick. I had to machine .036 off of barrel shoulder. Receiver was trued up. So I did the math and everything fit together perfectly. My first group size was .700 I still have that target. And that's my favorite go to hunting load. It does shoot just about every bullet weight to same point of impact except the 165 grain bullet. Can't seem to get a group smaller than 1.125. But 125 grain to 180 grain same point of impact plus or minus . 350. Not bad for a cobbled up 2nd hand parts gun. P.S. I'm a 30 year machinist, been 23 years reloading. I've reloaded over 17 different calibers. And built 10 of my guns.
OK. You've asked. I use Berger 162 grain VLD in my 7mm Rem Mag. They group well and I have three/three one shot kills, all just behind the shoulder at 200-350 yards. Great tissue damage inside with a hollow point bullet. No idea of MV as I do not own a chronograph, but 62 grains H4831 works well.
Equipment: Standard CZ 550 in 308 1/12 twist in 24" barrel Leupold VX Freedom 6x18x40 Gun Warrior Silencer with built in muzzle break Powder S335 41.0gr (South African produced) Bullet SST 150gr seated to 69.5mm Brass Lapua and primers Federal 210's Velocity 2714 fps Everything loaded with what comes included in the Lee classic turret press kit...as well as Lee dies...Cheap I know... 100m 4 shot group 0.190 moa (0.218"). Taken so far this year was 1 Bluewildebeest at 235m, one Blesbuck at 130m and one jackal at 240m...All one shot kills... You really do not need to spend a fortune to shoot straight...just get to know your equipment.
Excellent accuracy and congratulations on your successful hunts!
Nice to have friends in all the right places
People think I’m nuts but… I shoot the 130gr Barnes TTSX in my 30-06 and 308 and it just works great. Super low recoil, great velocity, and it just zaps deer. I’m shooting the 30-06 with Starline brass, Big Game powder, Federal GGMLR primers. The 308, Lapua brass, IMR 4064, GMMLR primer. The 30-06 is a Ruger American and it shoot 1/2 MOA, the 308 is a custom rifle. Stiller Tac30, Proof CF barrel, KRG stock and it shoots 1/3 MOA. The 06 is super pleasant to shoot with the 130gr and the Barnes bullet is just hell on deer.
I don't think that you're nuts at all. That 130 grain Barnes TTSX is one heck of a hunting bullet and I happen to have a box of them on my loading bench right now... :)
Loved it!
I love how you go through the process of reloading. The results you get are really awesome. Kudos 👏. If you ever have the time, I'd like to see a breakdown of the results on target. Actual work up of the loads based on targets and or targets and chronograph. I don't know how you do yours. For me, without a chronograph. I load 10 loads of three each. Max down toward min in 3gr increments. My problem sometimes is how to read those groups to decide the final 5 chat groups in 2gr increments. I would love to see how you interpret these groups and which ones you pick to use as final powder charge. Then I do a seating depth test 3ea for 10 increments. There has to be a better way. I waste almost 100 rounds testing. Thank you, Jeff D.
Guy, how do you like the Sierra hunting bullets? Particularly the 165 Gameking spitzer boat tail? Nice video. Thanks guys...
That would be interesting on the sealants
Thanks for the video y’all I’m a die heart 308 man and always like to see it he some publicity. As far as hunting bullets go y’all need to try hammer bullets they are by far the best hunting bullet I’ve ever used for on game performance and easy to load for and no lead in my meat for my kids to end up eating. I’m using the 152 hammer hunters with cfe 223 and winchester brass WLRM primers over 3k fps out of my windchester m70 coyote lite with 1/12 24 inch barrel in 308win my other load is the 152 shock hammer with varget lupua brass 210m at almost 2900 fps. Either load is very bad medicine on white tail.Thanks again keep up the good work God bless
280ai, 150 Accubonds, Savage 110 action, about .5 moa
Nice Marksman
Just loaded up some sierra 165 TGK in .308 for my buddies Ruger scout. .5" groups!
Nice! I hear good things about that Sierra bullet and I'd love to try Ruger's Scout rifle.
Yes, I get similar results from factory loaded GameKing 165gr SBT, 1/2 MOA out of my 16” semi auto.
Dude I was su scribed is this a new channel?
30-06 Springfield Remington 700 ADL 24" 1:10" twist. Barnes 168 grain TTSX. 49 grains IMR-4064. Federal 210 primer. Remington brass. Turned seating depth. 2850-ish FPS. 3/4 MOA at 100 yards.
I totally agree. I use IMR 4064 for my 308 with 150 grain bullets. The IMR 4064 IS THE BEST. It's very consistent and shoots amazing groups.
6.5prc. 143 gr ELDX, honady brass, BR2 primers, RL22, C.O.A.L is set from the hornady book. Rifle is the Browning Xbolt max long range. Shot my elk at 468 yds
357 Max and 445 SuperMag both in Encores over max load of 1680 seated out 180 and 300 gr Fury bullets both shoot one ragged largish hole at 100! Both devastating on pigs!
Excellent! :)
168 grain BTHP and IMR 4064 worked well for me.
I’m going down this road with my 308. Right now, I’m using a RCBS JR3 and RCBS dies I picked up at an estate sale for a grand total of 25 bucks. I prime off press with a hand tool and use a Frankfort arsenal Intellidropper. I’m focusing on 150gr Serirra SBTs and hornady 150 SSTs at the moment with Varget and SW precision. I picked a can of Benchmark today and I think it might be the ticket. Y’all should do a comparison with SW Precision and Varget.
I dont reload but when it comes to deer hunting and ammo selection, I use the Frontier 5.56 75 bthp match and it is a tac driver and is devastating on a deer. Very little recoil, as most know and easily placed in in the pump station. Ive used many larger loads/bullets but I have no need for anything bigger. Js
I like hornady one shot the spray makes it easy case prep sucks I need to invest in a case prep center
Yep cant agree more, yep
Would be interesting to know how your SA hunt went. Don't think you took this rifle with though
What was your shot placement on those mule deer?
Here I sit watching this in the eastern half of the country where the last deer I shot could be measured in feet away instead of yards.
Wait what?! Frog lube works for case lube?!
YEAP! it works amazingly well. i use it a lot for one off cases didn't get sized enough or something.. smear a TINY amount on to the case. body warmth from hand will melt it and it spreads easy. size the case and wipes off super easy and i got right back to reloading. its not tacky and greasy like lanolin so it takes a very tiny amount per case.
What do you think about the Starlight 308 Match brass that uses the Small Rifle Primer? I haven't been able to find any large rifle primers. This brass still has a . 080 diameter flash hole in the base. Great videos, keep them coming!! Thanks
150 grain hornady sst over varget 2604 fps out of dpms g2 recon suppressed. 3/4 moa at 100 yds. Have taken 6 deer so far with this setup. Rapid kills with bullet fragments just under hide opposite entry. All six were taken under 100 yards.
Nice! My buddies who use the Hornady SST are quite happy with the accuracy and the results on deer.
@@guyminer2384 if you want to try 150 grain sst, try working up your load with 150 grain fmj. For me, they have identical performance but fmj is slightly cheaper.
Accuracy, not performance on deer...lol
Man I want one of those mark 2's
For 308 I use 4064 since Varget dried up. 168gr amax. In my ar10 it is a solid .8 inch combo.
My maximum range for hunting is 300 for regular and 350 for my magnums. Never needed nothing but my reloaded Sierra pro Hunter bullets.
I haven't tried the Berger bullets yet but I will.
I shoot a wild cat 7 saw 168 Berger over Varget and I like the Cci br4 primer. I can crank up the speed but I like it around the 2800 fps. I like jumping my Bullet’s. I also shot 6.5x47l and use Lapua brass same primer and Varget and I can get groups size 1.249 in at 520 yards very consistent
Outstanding group size at that range!
.308 130TTSX over 49.9g of Ram Tac in Lapua brass with fed 210 primers @ 2.822" Coal. Shooting a Savage 110 Ultralite. 3178fps - 1/2" groups. Close to published max loads. Work up to this load. Me Likey.
There's a lot to be said for that 130 grain Barnes TTSX. I just happen to have a box of 'em here in the loading room... :)
I’ll have 2 new loads to try this year for whitetail in Minnesota. Christensen arms ridge line in 6.5 creedmoor, 130gn swift scirocco, 42.7 gns H4350, 2.118 cbto, Remington 9 1/2, alpha brass, on paper it did a 3 shot group at .164”, 2907 fps (magneto speed), 3.4 SD. Also have a Thompson center venture in 7mm08, 140gn Barnes ttsx, 42.3 gns imr 4166, 2.231 cbto, federal 210m, star line brass, on paper at 100yds .501” 3 shot group, 2866 avg fps, 7.8 sd. My son is going to use this on black bear in a couple weeks here in Minnesota Haven’t got anything with either load yet, hoping this is the year! I did get a black bear last year with my 280 Remington, 139 gn hornady interbond, COAL 3.280, federal 215m, 55.1 gns IMR 4831, pretty much the hornady app recipe except for primer. Sub moa 3 shot group, 2850 fps with 11SD, new Norma brass. We get to use bait here, shot was 48 yds. Complete pass through of the bullet, wrecked both lungs, he lunged off the trail and went about 10 yds. Loved the performance of the interbond, damage to meat was very minimal. He field dressed 245 lbs, still waiting on the rug. I started using the Redding body die and neck size with Lee collet die, and use a Forster coax. Been working great for me. I’m pretty new to reloading, started in 2019, had days when I wanted to sell the equipment and give up but it’s been a blast to finally start getting better results. Love watching Guy talk about hunting, I agree too with Gavin as far as making hunting ammo as precision as possible. I think it makes for more ethical kills and using the right bullets can save a lot of meat. Love the content, keep it up fellas!
Congrats on your bear!
For what it's worth my Remington 700 5R in .308 will consistently print 1/4 inch or better groups at 100 yards with the 168gr Federal Premium Berger Hybrid Hunter ammunition.
Outstanding! Ya, Federal knows how to build some great ammo!
I wish I would of got a Remington 5r Gen 2 before they stopped making them. Remington was known for questionable QC after Freedom group got Remington. With that said the 5r was one that they done right. I can’t recall ever hearing anyone that was not totally satisfied with their 5r Gen 1 or Gen 2.
@@halfdollar86 I had a 5r Remington factory gun that I couldn’t get to shoot and took it back to the gun shop I bought it from and the guy that ran that shop was a sniper in the military and he couldn’t get it to shoot either and needless to say I got a replacement one.
Wow you could be a national champion with groups like that! You need to go to BR nationals!
@@halfdollar86 mine is one of the first generation style 5Rs
I hunt almost exclusively with Barnes copper bullets now.I want pass through performance on any deer size game.Meat damage is minimal and no lead particles in the meat either. They are also the most accurate bullets in every rifle I 've tried them in.(except a .22-250 I had and that was just too slow a twist for the 55 grain TSX) In the .308 I load CFE 223 behind 165 gr TTSX and get into the 30-06 velocity range.
Love to learn from more experienced loaders, thanks! I load FC GM brass for my Tikka 308 and get sub moa all day long with 44 gr. Varget under an A-Max 168 w/CCI 200's. Recently bought some Lapua brass and applied same load, found the groups opened up considerably. Full size all new brass, afterwards I neck size... Any suggestions welcome, thanks again...
The lapua brass is likely a different thickness. This would lead to a different internal volume if the brass is sized to the same external dimension. Try weighing the brass, or better yet fill to the top of the neck with water and weigh and compare the water volume. Different case volume will lead to different pressure, causing different velocity and may be enough to change the exit time of the bullet from the barrel harmonics. Your charge weight just needs to be slightly tweaked imo.
Ryan Baker called it. Both brass types may be good, but treat the Lapua like it's something new and work up your load all over again, after weighing it and comparing the case volume. Federal tends to be rather thick, and soft. The Lapua brass I've tried is excellent, but thinner. I've had to adjust my loads when using it. You may need a different powder charge.
The main question for me is: where did you buy that varget from?
I like IMR 4166 with the Berger ,
Great story and presentation. 👍 For 308w ”long range” hunting I use 180 gr Norma BondStrike, Federal GMM primer, Lapua brass and Norma 203-B powder out of a Sako 85 Varmint rifle (20” barrel) with great results (consistent sub 0.75 MOA). Would love to see your take on the BondStrike bullets (in any caliber).
I have used 168 Combined Technology silver tip for both my 308 Win and 300 WSM.
What are your thoughts on crimp dies? I have a Lee Taper Crimp Die that I've used but I don't know if it's helping or hurting my accuracy.
The problem I have when I clean the brass, is that there is always some corn cob stuck in the flash hole. How do you deal with that problem? Why don’t you do a video about what happens when you reload a rifle round and tumbling media remains/lodged in the brass. How it effects pressure, accuracy, and how likely it is to blow up the gun. You make awesome videos and I'm most grateful for all the work you do.😑
Take a toothpick and poke it out if it doesn't come out with pressurized air or knocking it against the work bench.
some people tumble the with the used primer in... no flash hole to worry about
308s are overall so accurate. You can load the bullet the wrong way around and you will get sub moa. If i load hunting or target loads. I follow same process. Why have different steps.
Started hunting with my Savage Precision in 6.5 creedmoor last year. Loaded up some Hornady 143 grain ELD-X using IMR4350 and Federal Gold Medal match primers. Was getting sub 1/2” 5 shot groups at 100 yards with great ES and SD numbers. Problem was, I never had to take a shot much past 110 yards! Dropped 2 deer and 2 hogs where they stood!
My 308 load is 180gr sierra SBT, 42.3gr imr8208xbr, CCI no200 primer, and starline brass. Im getting ~2580fps with SD
I had a load with 43gr varget that shot equally as well at ~2480fps and my ideology was the load I was developing was not specifically for deer. 180gr bullet is a HEAVY pill for a whitetail in my state, but I have plans to go on a black bear hunt and hopefully a nilgai hunt too in the future. So i wanted something to give a little more oomph, have a higher BC, expand down to 1600-1800fps and I can safely manage a 400yd shot and still meet my minimum expansion
Any advice for 308 Bergara with 18" barrel with 1:10 twist, I live and hunt in Germany and the deer here are around 18 to maybe 20 kg. My rifle really likes Barnes TTSX 165gr to 185gr but I would like to run lighter bullet but it just seems I cannot find the right load. What have you found for short barrel light load that work well?
Carrying extra ammo can also be the difference between being alive or dead if something bad where to happen. You never know you could take a big animal, it takes a more rounds then you wanted. Then as you cleaning a very hungry teddy/mountain lion/wolf wants you or is protecting there young. I would rather carry extra then depend on a pistol or limited to one or two shots left.
There is a bit of pride to put things together to gather
I use Clear fingernail polish on the primer and clear fingernail polish on the bullet and Case neck. But that's only for the ammo I use on my bang stick when I'm spearfishing
So my last kill was with my rem 700 xcr tac 10 twist Lilja barreled .308 . 178 gr ELD-X with some VV550 @280 yds head shot . Doe was bedded in taller kinda grass. All I could see really was her head . No bullet recovered . She didn’t move once . There was bodily material spread beyond about 8ft . And I’ve shot .3#€ ish on paper with this load .
308 is my favorite caliber how about low recoil loads 125gr the old Remington low recoil ammo was great . 308 plinking to elk to long range. Caveman loader One gun Hunter. Thanks
155 sst hornady bullets 44,7 grs of IMR4895 out of winchester model 70 1953 sight in groups at 1 inch at 100 yds sight in 250 yds
Ramshot hunter is a good accurate stable powder
All of my Hunting Ammo is done with the same if not more precision than my other Ammo you shoot on an living Animal So do all you can do to get a clean Shot and if you cant garantue a good shot then the Finger stay straight that is the way i Hunt and all should do. All my Rifles can do half MOA or better when i do my Job.