• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

208 Berger LRHT in 0.170" Freebore Chamber

Has anyone tried these in a 0.170" freebore 308 chamber? If so, does the bearing surface sit above or below the neck/shoulder junction on the case?
 
This is not a direct answer to your question, but may provide some insight. I run the 200.20Xs in a chamber that has 0.180" freebore. The boattail/bearing surface junction is almost exactly halfway out the neck when the bullets are seated at ~0.012" off the lands. A .308 case neck is should be very close to 0.300" long, which means half the neck length is ~0.150". From the chart below, you can see the BTO dimension of the Berger 208 Hybrid is 0.082" longer than the 200.20X BTO. That means the boattail/bearing surface of the 208 Hybrid would be [approximately] slightly less than 1/4 the way out the neck (or about 0.070" above the neck/shoulder junction) when seated at ~.012" off the lands. With a 0.170 fb chamber, the boattail/bearing surface of the 208 Hybrid would be ~0.060" above the neck/shoulder junction, give or take a few thousandths.

I've loaded plenty of heavy bullets seated in about that location in the neck using either Varget or H4895 and they worked just fine. You will likely be running a little higher pressure than you would loading the 208 Hybrids for a rifle with 0.225" to 0.250" freebore, but the boattail/bearing surface junction will still be above the neck/shoulder junction, so it shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

200.20X 208 Dimensions.png
 
I shot five of them in a .180 FB chamber , :eek::eek::eek: .005 off touch , and used a slightly larger than I should have load . No damage was done to the idiot trigger-puller , ( me ) and no damage to the rifle , but that's a serious accident looking for someplace to happen . As has been said in several threads on the subject , a FB of over .220 minimum is needed for these long-assed bullets .
 
I shot five of them in a .180 FB chamber , :eek::eek::eek: .005 off touch , and used a slightly larger than I should have load . No damage was done to the idiot trigger-puller , ( me ) and no damage to the rifle , but that's a serious accident looking for someplace to happen . As has been said in several threads on the subject , a FB of over .220 minimum is needed for these long-assed bullets .

Where did the boat tail/bearing surface Junction sit in relation to the case neck? It may be that it's still workable with a more modest charge weight.
 
Where did the boat tail/bearing surface Junction sit in relation to the case neck? It may be that it's still workable with a more modest charge weight.

Of course it's workable. As I mentioned above, I have a very good load with 215 Hybrids in a rifle that has 0.180" freebore. The 215s have an even longer BTO than the 208. You can't expect to throw the same charge weight under the 208s (or 215s) as you would under the 200.20X bullet having a BTO measurement that is .082" shorter than the 208 Hybrid and not expect to have over-pressure issues. My 215 load runs one full grain less Varget than my 200.20X load in the same rifle. Work the load up properly if you just want to try them out and it will be fine. If you like the way they shoot, you can then have a barrel chambered properly with a much longer freebore specifically optimized for the 208s.
 
Last edited:
@APGE ; the base of the bullet was approximately almost to the base of the shoulder , maybe 1/32 above the base of the shoulder . Much to deep in the case for my liking , but hey , sometimes ya just gotta . I did , and won't do it again . Never acceptable to push a un-known that far .
 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
165,916
Messages
2,205,761
Members
79,196
Latest member
pkitrinos01
Back
Top