Ball powders in 308 with 168g match bullet?

[nockhunter]

Who uses ball powders in their 308 match loads? I like AA2520 for my 69g, 80g 223 loads, it flows from my measurer great. I am looking into shooting "modern vintage sniper matches". I am thinking one of the 168g 308 bullets. I will try the AA2520 also.

Mike

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Win 748 was the "go-to" powder for the 308 for a long time, not that I use it anymore - but plenty do. I do want to try Staball Match at some point, which is in the same ball park - but not in my FTR rifle, as I prefer to use single base powders.

 

[Loudenboomer]

AA2460 is a bit on the fast side but works well with 168's. Shooters World Match Rifle is worth a try also.

 

[SBS]

H380 was a popular ball powder in years past for this caliber and bullet.

 

[Zero333]

I use Win-748. Always accurate and surprisingly temp stable.

 

[William Vogel]

BLC-2

 

[ScottMcc]

I found an extra 100 fps with CFE 223, but with a lot of spread and deviation. I'm pretty fond of staball match with 168s.

 

[nockhunter]

I'm leaning hard towards staball match. Blc-2 is in hot 2nd. Thanks for all the input.

Mike

 

[Fire Dog]

Win 748 was the "go-to" powder for the 308 for a long time, not that I use it anymore - but plenty do. I do want to try Staball Match at some point, which is in the same ball park - but not in my FTR rifle, as I prefer to use single base powders.

Just as a cautionary note,
I had a really old can of Win 748 that had been sealed and unused but was about 30+ years old and when I used a fairly conservative dose behind a 168gr Hornady A-Max; the first {and only} shot went off with gas blowing back through the action and the primer falling out when the case was extracted...!!!
A week later someone else at the range had the same experience, also from some very old 748.

I suspect that like some wet looking dynamite I saw many years ago in an old gold mine I was foolish enough to explore, the nitroglycerin had sweated out and now making the whole lot very unstable.
I quietly backed out of the mine that collapsed about a year later when the shoring timber failed and think myself lucky that all had not ended in disaster {Fatal} for me...
The same with the old Win 748... It got tipped out on the garden and I felt lucky that I didn't have a bolt through the face.

 

[Dimner]

Who uses ball powders in their 308 match loads? I like AA2520 for my 69g, 80g 223 loads, it flows from my measurer great. I am looking into shooting "modern vintage sniper matches". I am thinking one of the 168g 308 bullets. I will try the AA2520 also.

Mike

I have had good luck with Shooters world match rifle. It's probably around the BLC-2 range. I don't know if it's been in stock for a while though. Also, Ramshot Big Game. I cannot find any online, but I see it locally pretty often.

If I were shopping right now, well the market is scarce for a med-slow burning ball powder. I'd try some Vihta N540 as my first choice. I would be comfortable buying an 8# without having tried it first. Other than that, I would only try 1#ers of the following that also may work for you. Winchester StaBall Match Precision Rifle, or Accurate 2700,

 

[D-4297]

Might want to check , but the "HOT" set-up for the 168gr SMK back in the day was 42.5gr of IMR - 4064 , and I'd suggest the Rem 7-1/2 BR primer with that load . Adjust from that point , up or down . That was the original Federal Gold Medal Match load .

 

[nockhunter]

I haven't seen any shooter world in forever, I had that on my list. I should be able to get staball match, maybe 4064, and blc-2. I will be on the lookout for N540.

Mike

 

[806guns]

2520 and sw match should be really close

 

[Mhalprin]

I have had great results with CFE223 around 49.0 grs which also gave me low SD's and sub-moa accuracy. Right now I use Alliant PP2000MR behind the Berger 185 Juggs which is excellent for windy days on the 600 yd. range. I can get 2780 fps with single digit SD's and have won a couple of club matches when the wind was whipping up the 6 mm guys. I use the above in a 28" Shilen, 1-10 twist barrel, just for reference. But I have also used AA4064 which gave better results than the IMR4064. Lots of good combos out there... just don't count on Varget for speed or great accuracy, at least in my joy sticks.

 

[bks22345]

IMR 4064 is not a ball powder

 

[DIBBS]

How "bad" is the temperature sensitivity of BLC-2? I would use it with 168 grain bullets in LC pulldown brass.

A local business appears to be getting out of reloading supplies, and I can pick some up at $20/lb. At this price... will the frustration with the velocity swings outweigh the smoking deal?

 

[thatguyshm]

How "bad" is the temperature sensitivity of BLC-2? I would use it with 168 grain bullets in LC pulldown brass.

A local business appears to be getting out of reloading supplies, and I can pick some up at $20/lb. At this price... will the frustration with the velocity swings outweigh the smoking deal?

Saw a company once selling their reloading stock to get out of it. I bought the rest of their h380 at about 12 dollars a pound. When you have something like that, it makes plinking ammo easier, as well as letting you try different things.

Keep it dry and away from humidity, it will last a very long time. Still using some 700x in a 5 lb tin, while keeping it in a humidity and temp controlled environment.

 

[Fuj]

Don't dismiss the Ramshot powders. Not shooting the 30's much anymore
but Ramshot Big Game checked a lot of the boxes.....

 

[long40shot]

BLC-2 is a classic choice.

 

[CJ6]

W 748