Powders for semiauto rifles

[cjmac]

How do I determine what powders are best for semiauto rifles? Iv only ever loaded for bolt guns .
Im looking at ,

varget cause its the most temp stable

H4895 , for same reason as varget from what I understand?

Those seem to be the best options for temp stable power in 30-06 and 308 .
But how do you tell if thay will cycle a aoutloader ?

 

[ELR LVR]

I like W-748 and CFE223 for AR15
H4895 & W-760 for 308 depending on barrel length
the longer barrel length works well with W-760 giving a nicer recoil impulse

 

[cjmac]

I like W-748 and CFE223 for AR15
H4895 & W-760 for 308 depending on barrel length
the longer barrel length works well with W-760 giving a nicer recoil impulse

It will be for a browning automatic in 308

 

[SeabeeKen]

I use whatever I want in my SA rifles. More importantly,to me, is staying within published tested data, avoiding the typical pressure signs which are beyond rated pressures. I'm after accuracy within pressure limits.

 

[cjmac]

Im after the best accuracy i can get with it . Iv just never seen any load data for 308 in a automatic

 

[Doug Casner]

I tried loading slow burning powder in a browning auto 300 win. mag and it wouldnt cycle the action. Started to burn 4064 worked fine. 4831 wouldnt work the action. Doug

 

[cjmac]

I tried loading slow burning powder in a browning auto 300 win. mag and it wouldnt cycle the action. Started to burn 4064 worked fine. 4831 wouldnt work the action. Doug

Sounds like i need to be in the H4895 or varget burn range then ?

 

[Doug Casner]

Well I couldnt get the slower powder to work but it might have been my rifle. I had a single shot with 4831. Doug

 

[CSLR grandpa]

How do I determine what powders are best for semiauto rifles? Iv only ever loaded for bolt guns .
Im looking at ,

varget cause its the most temp stable

H4895 , for same reason as varget from what I understand?

Those seem to be the best options for temp stable power in 30-06 and 308 .
But how do you tell if thay will cycle a aoutloader ?

Take a look at Glen Zediker’s Top Grade Ammo. It will answer a lot questions about loading for an Semi-Auto, good perspective on AR-15, AR-10.

Powder, Primers, Case Sizing, Seating all good information that will also work in your Browning.
CSLR grandpa

 

[cjmac]

Take a look at Glen Zediker’s Top Grade Ammo. It will answer a lot questions about loading for an Semi-Auto, good perspective on AR-15, AR-10.

Powder, Primers, Case Sizing, Seating all good information that will also work in your Browning.
CSLR grandpa

Will do . Ill have to look that up

 

[SKWERLZ]

I like W-748 and CFE223 for AR15
H4895 & W-760 for 308 depending on barrel length
the longer barrel length works well with W-760 giving a nicer recoil impulse

W748 and CFE are great for quality blaster ammunition.
Xterminator and tac are really good as well.

I use 8208xbr for my more demanding loads.

 

[JB10]

In 2 ar i use H335. In another that i use heavier bullets i use cfe223. Best is to test what powder works best with what bullet you want to use.

 

[Steve Donlon]

Actually in the Hodgon 2024 and 2025 ANNUAL MANUAL lists the powders and loads for .308 service rifles for 150gr, 155 gr 168 gr and 175 gr bullets. It comes out every year listing loads for most calibers. StaBall Match,BL-C (2), IMR 4895, IMR 4064, Varget,and H 4895 are all listed as good powders for .308 service rifles. For H 4895 for a Sierra 155 gr. HPBT OAL 2.775" bullet it lists 41.8 grs @ 2680fps as a starting load and 43 grs. as a max @ 2735 fps.. If you need help on a load let me know if you can't find the ANNUAL MANUAL. As another example a Sierra 175 gr.HPBT bullet OAL 2.800" with H4895 is 40.0 grs @ 2454 fps and a max @ 40.8 grs. @ 2500 fps. not much wiggle room with heavy bullets. Those velocities are for a 24" barrel.

 

[cjmac]

W748 and CFE are great for quality blaster ammunition.
Xterminator and tac are really good as well.

I use 8208xbr for my more demanding loads.

I am looking for a load that is not very temperature. Sensitive that I can use year round for deer and hog hunting. In a browning, automatic rifle 308. We can hunt hogs and coyotes. It's here all year, because they're overrun the place. So we might be hunting in thirty degree weather for a white tail, bender and spring and fall shooting hogs and coyotes.It's seventy to eighty degree weather. As long as I can get a load that is consistent, and less than two inches at two hundred yards It will be good

 

[Steve Donlon]

Here is the page

 

[cjmac]

Here is the pageView attachment 1667387

Great info . Thank you very much !

 

[RabbitSlayer]

W748 and CFE are great for quality blaster ammunition.
Xterminator and tac are really good as well.

I use 8208xbr for my more demanding loads.

Dang xterminator keeps up with n133 in the gasers and the bolts for me. Wish I bought more at 24 a lb! Not much luck with tac yet, but the bullets I shoot are probably just too light to be optimal with tac.

 

[expiper]

I didn't see what bullet weight you were wanting to use, but I've did a lot of reloading for the 308 and 36 semi automatics using various 150 to 165 grain Bullets.. When loading for the 308 I had great results using 4895 Hodgdon and with the 30-06 in the older Remington 740s and 742s 4895 may the action cycle more reliably however when the 7400s and 74s came out in the 30 odd six I found they likedH-4350 better.... Several of my family members had variations of these Remington auto loaders and I did the reloading for everyone usually 200 to 300 rounds per year for six different rifles.... When using the Reloading manuals, there are multitudes of powder that will work in bolt rifles that will not work in auto loaders because of the action malfunctioning.... Back in the 60s when everyone was still alive and using many rounds per year in the woods, I would chill the ammo in the refrigerator during the summer and do the load testing because some of the loads worked when it was warm would not cycle the action when it was cold during deer season so keep that in mind if you're going to someplace like Alaska the ball powders were the worst of all so I would be aware of those..... I've also reloaded various rounds for the A.R. 15 rattle guns and they seem to burn and shoot reliably with just about anything you can dump in them, which is much different than what I found that worked in civilian hunting rifles.... So I guess my advice is try the loads in cold weather or chill them before testing to a temperature that you would find on the typical hunting day and now 50+ years later with the 308 and 30-06 using modern powders reloader 15 works best of all and no matter what Powder or caliber, I always used Magnum, primers..... I hope this advice helps you for your cold weather hunting loads....Roger

 

[William Vogel]

Great info . Thank you very much !

The important thing to me is that it’s clean burning because it’ll leave less residue in the chamber. With this being a BAR, I don’t know if it’s as important as for an AR. You also want something that’s fast enough to be burnt out to have less residue in the port. With a M1A you don’t want unburned powder residue in the gas block. I can’t remember the set up on a BAR but it’s probably not like a M1A.

 

[Fuj]

We used to joke about the US Army testing the new M4 versions in
the dirt and filth......Just use Varget.

i have mainly used "Bench mark" for all my auto loaders, if not shooting
NATO ammo from IMI. I would love to know what the Israelis use for the
77gr Mod-1 OTMs. Very clean in my RRAs