308 Win, sheep load.

[GlennGTR1]

Any recomendations for an accurate, flat shooting load for a 308 win? Will be using this rifle on a sheep hunt, max range for me will be 400 yards.

 

[tactical squirell]

heard something about 2900fps using r15 but i doubt its bullshit. maybe quickload could help.

i personnaly touched the 2700fps mark with 43.5gr H4895 and 168 vld berger @ .010'' off the lands. its max load, start having overpressure sing at that point. ejector hole of the action is well printed in the rounds. have ever seen winchester written on the boltface. . . . . .seriously, it really beat the rifle. but mine didnt explode so. . . .

i am now arouund 2450 fps with those 168 grain vld and 39.5gr H4895.

at 300M i got 0.247 moa
that load killed a deer at 550M, i supose the sheep will not survive either.


berger bullets have a weird effect in the animal. basicly, if you can imagine the damages caused by a 223. . . . . .those berger hunting bullets out of my 308 does exactly the same thing. have ever seen 5 exit holes on a small deer. the 33 deers that have been killed with my rifle were shot at the right spot, and they ran 10 feets before falling. even the 500M shot.

 

[Kenny474]

I would try a 150gr Nosler BT or Accu-Bond over Varget. Start load with Varget is 44gr, MAX is 47gr and will be a bit compressed. You could substitute a Berger 155gr hunting VLD and use the same data, as it is identical for both weights in my book, Modern Reloading 2nd edition. est. fps@max2937 w/150gr 2909fps w/155gr

150gr DATA that may also work well for you and produce good velocity.
RL15 Start-37grs MAX-46.3grs est. fps@max-2880
IMR4895 Start-42.1grs MAX-45.5grs est. fps@max-2880
H380 Start-47grs MAX-51grs Compressed est. fps@max-2876
H4895 Start-43grs MAX-45.5grs est. fps@max-2870


Or if you want to try to bump up the speed a bit, you could always run a 125gr Nosler BT with Win 748, start 47.6grs and MAX 52grs. est. fps @max-3175
H4895 will work as well, 45gr Start and MAX is 49grs compressed. est. fps@max-3135

If you want to go with a 168gr, BL-C2, Varget and H4895 are all good choices.
BL-C2 Start-44grs MAX-47grs est. fps @max-2754
Varget Start-42grs MAX-46grs est. fps @max-2731
H4895 Start-41grs MAX-43.5grs est fps @max-2703

I have actually tried several of these combos in my own Stevens 200 .308. I got good accuracy from both H4895 and Win 748 with the 125's. Varget produced best velocity and good grouping with the 150's, H4895 groups were nearly as good, but lost some speed. I haven't done a ton with the 168's yet, but Varget grouped decent, as did BL-C2, with basically just a load I pulled out of the air in the middle of the weight range.

I stopped messing with the 168's, as I have been working with 125's in this and 70gr Nosler BT's in my .243 trying to perfect a coyote load.

The better loads from the bunch grouped around .75" or a bit better, others I could get down to an inch or a bit more at best, so they can perform well if you can tune them to your rifle and the barrel will take to the bullets. But this is only a Stevens with a re-cut crown, minimum headspace, bedded and some aluminum channel in the fore-end for stiffening. You can likely do better with a better rifle.

Those Nosler BT's and Accu-Bonds are excellent hunting bullets. I highly recommend them, as they have never let me down. Berger's are also a good choice, but I like the Noslers as they are usually a bit cheaper and easier to find, and they have a good BC and perform very well on game.

Good luck, have fun on the sheep hunt.

Kenny

I triple checked all load data I posted and copied it right from my manual. If you would like, I can check it again if you want to use it, though I am confident it is identical to my manual. But I will still check again if you like, no problem at all. Just want you to be safe. And please use all data with caution. MAX loads can cause pressure issues if not worked up to gradually. Just use your better judgment and stay safe.

 

[alf]

Any recomendations for an accurate, flat shooting load for a 308 win? Will be using this rifle on a sheep hunt, max range for me will be 400 yards.

I'd probably go for a TTSX first, weight dependent on what shot the best, either the 150 or 165, for the shot at any angle. Accubonds would be my second choice to try, same weights. Varget, H-4895, and R-15 for powder. My choice would be the one with the highest velocity at the best accuracy.

The load to use is up to the rifle, not out of book.....

 

[zcrackshot]

My boy took a cow elk on 1/5/11 with my Tikka 308 shooting 155 Bergers over a stiff charge of Varget. The range was 442 yards and a single shot dropped her like a rock. This load groups half MOA out of my rifle and is an absolute wrecking machine inside of 600 yards on medium sized game. I've tried Noslers with good success also but shy away from the X's, GMX's, and E-tips. Lost too many animals with any of the solid types. Good luck on the sheep hunt! Zac M.

 

[2506]

Don't be afraid of the 125 Nosler ballistic tip as long as you keep your impact velocity under 3000 fps. I have used it for a few years on white tail deer with IMR 4895 in my 308 Win and my 30X47 HBR and it hammers deer out to a little over 300 yards which is as far as I have shot one with it. The 125 BT is NOT A VARMINT BULLET. At impact velocity of around 2600 fps it will shoot through both shoulders of a deer otherwise at higher impact velocity under 3000 fps it will usually go through both shoulder plates and the jacket will be found under the hide on the off side. Out of around 30 deer taking with the 125 BT I have only had two even take a step after taking one. They only went less that 30 yards.

 

[jonbearman]

I will be the dummy to advise using the hornady 165 grain spire point which is designed to kill animals deader than a doornail.I also like the 180 grain softpoint from hornady or the 150 grain or 180 grain remington bronze point if you plan on shooting for bone.

 

[whiskey08]

i spent some time working on an oryx and barbary sheep load. Im pushing a 180gr game king at 2755fps.
with this load, there's plenty of e at 500yds. Ive heard that game kings were thin skinned but the 180 punched thru both shoulders of my oryx at 250yds.


Range Drop Drop Velocity Energy
(yd) (in) (MOA) (ft/s) (ft•lbs)
0 -1.9 *** 2755.0 3033.1
100 -0.0 -0.0 2606.7 2715.3
200 -3.2 -1.5 2463.7 2425.7
300 -12.2 -3.9 2325.4 2160.8
400 -27.6 -6.6 2191.4 1919.0
500 -50.2 -9.6 2061.7 1698.6
600 -81.0 -12.9 1936.7 1498.8
700 -121.1 -16.5 1816.4 1318.5
800 -171.8 -20.5 1701.4 1156.8
900 -234.5 -24.9 1592.0 1012.8
1000 -310.9 -29.7 1489.0 886.0

 

[Rustystud]

I shoot a model 7 Remington that has been trued, the stock pillar bedded, glass bedded and wearing a 20" Broughton 1:12, 5C barrel. The most accuarrate hunting loads I have found where with the 150 grain Swift Scirocco, Nosler Accubond, Nosler Partition. I would not discount the Barnes Tipped XXX. For this weight bullet and a hunting length barrel RE-15 and Varget really are to slow. Since it will most likely be cold or cool. I would recomend a denser powder such as WW748, Western Powders TAC, IMR 4895 or VV 540.

I am shooting 150 Sciroccos with W748 in Lapua brass and CCI BR2 primers at 2980fps and getting sub .5 moa ten shot groups. These bullets have a high BC, Tapered thickness jacket, polymer tip, and bonded core to the jacket. At 400 yards by adding 14 - 14.5 MOA I would be shooting 2" groups. For a 5.5 lb rifle that is pretty good. I have shot a number of whitetails at 600 plus yards. I shot one 500+ lb black bear at exactly 880 yards (surveyed) and the bullet entered behind the shoulder and lodged under the skin on the off side, braking the off side shoulder.

Just some ideas to throw around.

Nat Lambeth

 

[whiskey08]

bear at 880yds with a .308 is truly impressive!

 

[Kenny474]

bear at 880yds with a .308 is truly impressive!

It helps when your 5.5lb hunting rifle is built better than some people's bench rifles are. But I agree, it is a very impressive shot with a .308 and would still require some serious shooting skills.

10 shot groups from a 5.5lb .308 hunting rifle that are under .5MOA are very impressive as well, but that falls back on shooter skill and some very good rifle building skill and technique.
Great shooting Nat, 880yds is truly an awesome shot from a 5.5lb .308.

Kenny

 

[zcrackshot]

Bear at 880! Wow! And I thought my boy's cow elk at 585 with a 308 was something! I wish I could have witnessed that! I used Scirocco's for years and never had one open up enough to do significant damage to an animal at the velocity that a .308" 150 had to be doing by the time it got to 880. You must have been up in the clouds a ways to keep much above 600 ft lbs of energy left? I shoot the 155 and 168 Bergers and struggle to believe even they'd do too well beyond 600 and I hunt at 7000+ ft elevation? I guess I need to rethink my way of hunting and downsize my long range hunting rig. I looked at the link to the site and it definately looks like his guns ought to shoot!

 

[tactical squirell]

2900 fps with a 308, i think i have to do my homeworks and create a new load that perform.

my 2400 is. . . . . . .well obviously its possible to push it much more.

 

[rcerro]

How about a 130gr barnes ttsx over a compressed load of varget. Close to 3200 fps... should shoot flat and hit hard.

 

[alf]

Alaskan Dall, Rem 700, 30-06, 180 Barnes TSX at 2800 fps, 265 yards.

British Columbia Stone Sheep, Rem Ti, 30-06, 180 Accubond at 2800 fps, 375 yards.

 

[bheadboy]

This grizzle collapsed with 165 nos part and 4350 from Rem 700 factory at 550yg

weight in the 750-800 range, no scale available at the time

 

[peterf225]

I am shooting the Barnes 130gr TTSX in my 308 over 44.0gr of varget. I have shot 2 deer and 1 coyote with it. All 3 were DRT. The 2 deer were shot at 212 yds and 175 yds. The coyote was an 80yd shot. I am very happy with this bullet. Also want to note that it did exit after hitting spine and shoulder blade.

 

[30378]

Try 150gr Noser Accubonds with 46.5gr of Varget.