berger 230gr 308

[mjm308]

Looking to load up some 230gr berger otm tacticals for my 308. Looking to mainly target practice out to 800 yards. Looking to use h4350. What do you guys think?

 

[XTR]

Looking to load up some 230gr berger otm tacticals for my 308. Looking to mainly target practice out to 800 yards. Looking to use h4350. What do you guys think?

It works, IF:

1. You are throated long enough, and that is really long.

To do it you really need to dedicate a barrel to the 230s.

2. You can control the recoil

Shooting a 308 off of a bipod the recoil management will be the key to whether or not you can shoot them well.

F-TR shooters have tried it, not many have stuck with them.

 

[338 Mollett]

Good advice!

 

[Steve Blair]

I tested 230 OTM's to see if my 10" twist was a stability problem with 230 Target Hybrids. It wasn't. In a barrel with .280" freebore and loaded to COAL 3.120", I found best accuracy at 46.0 H4350. A 30" barrel provided ~2460 fps and excellent accuracy. [br]
XTR is correct. The problem will not be accuracy but gun handling. Although I've found reasonable success with 230 Hybrids in a .300 WSM F-Open rifle, I was not able to make them work in F-TR. [br]
Regardless, you have the right powder.

 

[Down South]

I used H4350 with 215s & 230s when i shot them in FTR but that was the hybrids not the OTM bullet.......Like Steve said, a long freebore is needed but it can work with H4350 for sure.......I shot them in Lapua large primer brass with Tula mag primers in a 9.25 twist Brux barrel.

 

[mjm308]

Thanks guys. I'll be pushing these out of a 24" barrel. I don't compete by any means, just shoot by myself and try to improve. I have sub .5" groups at 100 yards using 168 hornady, so I thought I'd start working up other paths.

 

[XTR]

Thanks guys. I'll be pushing these out of a 24" barrel. I don't compete by any means, just shoot by myself and try to improve. I have sub .5" groups at 100 yards using 168 hornady, so I thought I'd start working up other paths.

Seriously, if you don't have a barrel throated for them, then don't bother. Have you looked at one? If you have a rifle with under .200 or so freebore the tail of the bullet is going to be way back in the case. I personally know at least two master or better level F class shooters that abandoned them, and they only start paying dividends at 900 yards or longer, and even then its only important to guys shooting for score on a 1MOA F class target.

Stick with 185s or ligher. If you are shooting 600 yards or less I'd go the other way and try to make a load for the 155.5 Berger or the 155 Palma [2156] SMK.

 

[Canadian bushman]

I personally would look to the 175-185 class

 

[J-rod]

I have a savage FTR with a 30" Criterion barrel, 1:10 twist. I have no idea what my freebore is but a loaded 230gn Hybrid is 2.2885" ogive to base .012" jam (Hornady comparator) or ~3.050" COAL if memory serves. I was able to get them to 2530fps using H4350 (47gn) & win brass but they were a PAIN to load. The only time I shot them at distance was at 1,060yds and it was warm out, ~95F. Surprisingly they held just as good vertical as my 185 hybrid load and really bucked the wind...I found myself over correcting, and I never do that.
With 42gn Varget I can get them to 2455fps but the recoil is much sharper and the load is very hot.

As others have said, they really beat you out of position unless you have rock solid form. I have since gone back to the 185 & 200 hybrids...I may revisit the 230's one day...when it's really windy out lol.