.308 for LR matches

[wboggs]

What bullets are best for 800-1000 yd matches? Will use a Savage with 30" barrel. Any powder recommendations?
Thanks for the help.
wboggs

 

[people]

I do not shoot competition at all but I do long range hunt.

 

[Laurie]

The Berger and 175gn 185gn BT Long-Range models (not the VLDs) are very popular in both F-TR and Fullbore / Target Rifle where match rules allow the use of bullets above 155gn weight. They're very efficient ballistically so keep the 1,000yd retained velocity well above the speed of sound from a 30" barrel and decent load, group well and hold elevation very well indeed. The 175 is more popular with some Palma / Fullbore shooters as it produces less recoil than the 185 in their view, although top FR/Palma shooter Bryan Litz uses the heavier model when allowed. Both will usually stabilise in a 1-13" twist barrel although 1-12" is better for the 185. The 185 shoots very well indeed in barrels with as fast a twist as 1-10".

The 190gn and 200gn Sierra MKs are long-time long-range favourites in .308W. You can just get away with 1-13" twist in most conditions with the 190. Anything faster suits both. They're not as ballistically efficient as the 185 Berger (lower BC), but are famous for coping with transonic velocities at long ranges, and are also cheaper than the Bergers (but I think are only sold in 500 bullet cartons).

Powders wise, Hodgdon VarGet, Alliant Re15, Viht N150 and N550 all work well with these bullets. With a 30" barrel, you should be looking for 2,825 fps with the 175, 2,750 fps with the 185, and 2,710 fps with the 190 for 800-1,000yd shooting.

If your Savage is the F-TR model with 1-10" twist barrel, you can also use the 208gn Hornady A-Max and 210s from Berger and Sierra assuming the barrel throat is long enough so these long bullets are not seated too deep in the case. You'll see a noticeable increase in recoil and apart from the Berger BT Long-Range model, they are all secant-ogive VLD types that are usually fussy about seating depths / jump into the rifling.

Personally, my recommendation is the Berger 185gn BT Long-Range which is the favoured bullet for F-TR national League matches in the UK, 800yd being their minimum distance in all rounds bar one.

The better 155s are all efficent at 1,000yd, but move more in the wind than the heavier bullets. The 155gn Lapua Scenar, new model Sierra MK (#2156) and 155.5gn Berger BT FULLBORE are the pick of the bunch with the best reputation and the highest BCs. The old Sierra 155gn Palma MK (#2155) is a very accurate bullet in many rifles but has a significantly lower BC and is barely supersonic at 1,000yd from a 3,000 fps MV. Hodgdon VarGet is the favourite powder in the USA for 155s with a smaller number choosing Re15. In Europe, Viht N140 or N540 are the most widely used powders. You're looking for 3,000 fps from a 30" barrel. For suggested Palma / Fullbore loads visit the US Rifle Team forum:

http://www.usrifleteams.com/lrforum

If you're considering 155s, you should also have a look at Bryan Litz's Applied Ballistics LLC website and the article on 'Fullbore' (155gn) bullets in it:

http://www.appliedballisticsllc.com/index_files/FULLBOREBulletUpdate.pdf

Laurie,
York, England

 

[wboggs]

Laurie
I appreciate your thorough answer to my question on the .308. It gives me an excellent starting point for the loads and will prevent many mistakes.
Thanks again.
Bill Boggs

 

[jmatters]

Try German Salazar's data at http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/p/articles-index.html