Load tuning

[Paddyd]

I have a Savage 110FP in 308W that for many years has been a very accurate rifle. Lately, the throat has eroded to the point that to load .020" from jam a 150 gn bullet is barely inside a sized and trimmed case so I am rebarreling.
Question is, what caliber that is easy to tune a load for can I go with that will not require a bolt face change? I am interested in the old 6.5x55, but don't know how finiky it is as far as developing a load for.
If I stay with 308W, should I stay with the 10 twist or go slower? My 10 twist never liked 110gn bullets and I suspect it may be too fast for them. I never shoot anything heavier than 168 gn.
Open to any suggestions based on your experiences with other chamberings.

 

[Bill Norris]

260AI 1 - 8 TW Meets your requirements

 

[PracticalTactical]

There are any number of cartridge options that fit the bolt face for a 308. Anything from a 6br up really.

If you like running light bullets in a 308, yes a slower twist rate is likely to help with accuracy, but you can also go with an undersize bore. Instead of it being a .308, they go with .3075 just to tighten things up a bit.

I have such a barrel that I set up to run the 155 Palma and its one of the most accurate barrels I have. The first time I used it in a provincial championship (F Class) I posted a 50 with 9Vs at 300 meters and the 5 was my first convertible slighter, that I should not have converted. Here in Canada a 5 is like a 10 and a V is like an X @ 1/2 MOA.

 

[FeMan]

6.5x47 or 6.5 Creedmoor are two that have great brass and tune/shoot well.

 

[DngBat7]

^+1

 

[darkangel_r2]

I have a Savage 110FP in 308W that for many years has been a very accurate rifle. Lately, the throat has eroded to the point that to load .020" from jam a 150 gn bullet is barely inside a sized and trimmed case so I am rebarreling.
Question is, what caliber that is easy to tune a load for can I go with that will not require a bolt face change? I am interested in the old 6.5x55, but don't know how finiky it is as far as developing a load for.
If I stay with 308W, should I stay with the 10 twist or go slower? My 10 twist never liked 110gn bullets and I suspect it may be too fast for them. I never shoot anything heavier than 168 gn.
Open to any suggestions based on your experiences with other chamberings.

Hunting or target shooting?

 

[Paddyd]

Hunting or target shooting?

Paper only

 

[JFrank]

I didn’t know 6.5x55 Swede was a target round

 

[Paddyd]

I didn’t know 6.5x55 Swede was a target round

Maybe not here as of late, but in Skandinavia, there are lots of target rifles chambered in it.

 

[darkangel_r2]

Paper only

6BR family, 6 GT, 6x47 lapua, 6.5x47 lapua, and 6.5 creedmoor.

Best bc pills for 7mm have to be seated too long for optimal performance in a short action so I would suggest 6.5 and down. 308 brass is too long to seat high bc bullets above the neck shoulder junction at mag length so 308 family cases are too long for .264 bullets at mag length. So for a short action creedmoor cases or shorter are the best in my opinion.

The 6br family will use the same powders you were using in 308 so thats a plus. Very light (123 and down) works pretty well with 308 powders in 6.5 creed and you can use large or small primers where the others are just small I think.

 

[JFrank]

Maybe not here as of late, but in Skandinavia, there are lots of target rifles chambered in it.

Yeah that makes sense to me.

Please report back when you get results.
Thx
J

 

[PracticalTactical]

6BR family, 6 GT, 6x47 lapua, 6.5x47 lapua, and 6.5 creedmoor.

Best bc pills for 7mm have to be seated too long for optimal performance in a short action so I would suggest 6.5 and down. 308 brass is too long to seat high bc bullets above the neck shoulder junction at mag length so 308 family cases are too long for .264 bullets at mag length. So for a short action creedmoor cases or shorter are the best in my opinion.

The 6br family will use the same powders you were using in 308 so thats a plus. Very light (123 and down) works pretty well with 308 powders in 6.5 creed and you can use large or small primers where the others are just small I think.

Dark Angel is sneaking up on a real good point here....

To get best accuracy we want to seat our bullets ahead of the neck to shoulder junction. So you need to make a determination how long a loaded round will be when the bullet you plan to shoot is seated where you want it seated.

You can easily end up with something you cannot feed from a mag or that cannot eject a live round.

Running 185 Berger Jugs in my short action 308. I cannot load from a mag and have to remove the bolt to eject a live round.

If I were to build such a rifle tomorrow, I would use a long action for a 308 instead.

A little off topic, but I have had the same problem with my 223, as most 223 actions suffer the same problem which is why the 223 has a humble rep. I have milled mags to get the 2.650 OAL I need. A short action Rem 700 clone will do fine for 223 though.

So make sure you know how long the cartridge of choice will be with the bullet seated where you want it and make sure you can both feed and eject something that long.

 

[Bc'z]

I didn’t know 6.5x55 Swede was a target round

@swd Runs an improved version I believe.

 

[Paddyd]

Duely noted. In this case however, rifle is a bench gun only. Started life as a long actionSavage M110 so long bullet ejecting of live rounds is a non issue with 308W. As for mag length and feeding from it, i single feed it anyway. This rifle sits in a Choate varmint stock and is way too heavy to shoot in any way that requires any carrying. I only use it as a bench gun and my range here is limited to 300 yds. Given I'm shooting a $350 Savage, my budget doesn't allow those high BC Bergers. LOL

 

[Dub]

Duely noted. In this case however, rifle is a bench gun only. Started life as a long actionSavage M110 so long bullet ejecting of live rounds is a non issue with 308W. As for mag length and feeding from it, i single feed it anyway. This rifle sits in a Choate varmint stock and is way too heavy to shoot in any way that requires any carrying. I only use it as a bench gun and my range here is limited to 300 yds. Given I'm shooting a $350 Savage, my budget doesn't allow those high BC Bergers. LOL

then why not re barrel as a 308 again?

 

[Beiruty]

6mm CrdM
Or 6.5 PRC easy modification for COAL for the receiver and MDT no-binding plate magazine.

 

[swd]

@swd Runs an improved version I believe.

Yes I shoot a 6.5x55 Ackley For F Open. It runs right along side the 284 at 1K. Super easy to tune and work with. Whether a straight 6.5x55 or an Ackley I recommend a 7" or 7.5" to make the best of the 153.5 and 156 Berger's and it won't hurt the 140 class bullets.

 

[Paddyd]

then why not re barrel as a 308 again?

Most likely I will. Just exploring some different options is all

 

[darkangel_r2]

Duely noted. In this case however, rifle is a bench gun only. Started life as a long action Savage M110 so long bullet ejecting of live rounds is a non issue with 308W. As for mag length and feeding from it, i single feed it anyway. This rifle sits in a Choate varmint stock and is way too heavy to shoot in any way that requires any carrying. I only use it as a bench gun and my range here is limited to 300 yds. Given I'm shooting a $350 Savage, my budget doesn't allow those high BC Bergers. LOL

This is a long action standard bolt face? And you exclusively single feed?

280AI or 284 win.

No question. 280AI gets you 100+ fps more than 284 win and the neck on 280AI is very long allowing for very versatile bullet seating variations with different weight bullets.

Can't go wrong with either but 280AI is the better of the two IMO.

 

[RegionRat]

I can’t find it on my hard drive at the moment… but once upon a time someone went to the trouble of organizing a study of cartridges by bolt face and action length that was worthwhile. I’m sorry to bring it up without being able to show it.

On the other hand, since you are on a Savage action to being with, I would suggest learning how to swap bbls and try one or more of the variants based on the 308 case like all the derivative 6mm designs. There are so many to choose from that you would have to hold back based on what brass and such you can get hold of.

With the advent of Alpha and Peterson brass, you can do the wildcats with factory brass that until recently would have required fire forming. Even a straight 6 BR is a lot of fun and what I call The Easy Button in terms of brass and tuning.

With your rig, I would start with a fresh 308 bbl and then learn to swap bbls in the case where you haven’t tried this before. You may like the experience, or you may never do it again. Since you are single feeding and only running 300 yards, it isn’t about LR energy as much as it should be about your budget and having fun. YMMV