Hunting rifle with 22inch barrel for a 308

[Boomer79]

Considering a faster burning powder due to the shorter barrel. Will use a 150 Gr Nosler ballistic tip for deer and a 168gr LR Accubond or a 168gr Barnes for Elk. Appreciate any suggestions

 

[mperry]

I shoot a Tikka with a 20 inch barrel. I have the best accuracy with Varget and the 150 BT. Velocity was best with IMR 3031 but groups opened up a little.

 

[K22]

My Tikka T3, 308, 22" barrel, shoots H4895 very well with 150 grain bullets, Sierra Pro Hunters but it's a shoulder buster, at least for me but I'm an old fart. I've taken many white tail with this bullet but mostly in my Rem 700, 24" barrel but I don't believe the 2" of barrel difference is significant ballistics wise. Big difference in felt recoil however.

I switched to 125 grain Nosler BT's with moderate load of H4895 (40.0 grains) for the Tikka - very accurate, pleasant to shoot but I haven't take a deer with this bullet yet. However reports from others who have indicate it's very effective.

Can't comment on Elk hunting - no experience with them.

 

[Doug Beach]

H4895 or Varget. No need to look further, though there are many other powders in the correct burn rate range.

 

[2506]

I use IMR 4895 in my 21 1/2" Heart Barreled Rem 700 with 125 and 150 gr bullets. 46 Grs IMR 4895 in a WW case fired by a CCI-BR2 with the 125 Ballistic Tip is a bug hole shooter and a deer killer. This does 3000 fps from my barrel.
Just keep the ballistic tips impact velocity under 3000 fps and they work fine. I shoot the 125 BT in all my 30 cal. weapons for deer. 308 Win and 30x47 in rifles and 30-30AI in a 14" barrel T/C Contender pistol.

 

[ebb]

I shoot 125BTs in my 20 inch barreled 30-06 truck gun. I don't know how fast they are going but they are rougher on my shoulder than I would like. I think I used 3031.

 

[pslater]

i had a Browning X Bolt in 308 with a 22 in. barrel until I sold it to my son (?). My first trip to the range doing a ladder with Varget and Nosler 165 gr. E Tips resulted in a three shot group under .375 in. using 46 gr. I stopped load development at that point.

The gun is a bit of a thumper as it was under 7 lbs. w/o a scope but the accuracy was undeniable.

 

[natdscott]

Don't overthink this. It's only 2" under standard barrel length. (twss)

 

[FrankG]

I’ve got a 18” barrel on one rifle. With box Hornady 168AMAX ammo that comes out just at or under 2600fps.

Down to a 20” barrel you won’t lose that much over a 24”.

Just shoot the gun!

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[Adam0321/0306]

I have a custom .308 with a 18” barrel. The idea being that I hunt been fields where the shot will seldom reach over 600yds. I want a shooter rifle for both the tree stand, and to move around the thick brush better. The issue is that the barrel is a 14 twist.

I am planning on shooting a 150 nosler BT if they ever come back in stock. I was going to start with IMR 3031. We will see how it goes.

 

[accuracyman]

Varget is awesome in a short barrel 308. I shoot 150g Sierra’s with Varget. Awesome accuracy!

 

[2506]

Don't be afraid of the 150 Sierra Game King. It is just as accurate and kills just as good but cost LOTS LESS than Nolser BTs and usually is much easier to come by.

 

[Zero333]

Whatever powders give top velocities in longer 308win barrels will also be the the ones that'll give top velocities in shorter 308win barrels.

Only thing worth considering powder wise is some powders give more muzzle blast and flash than others in short barrels. But that's not a problem with 20" 308win barrels.

 

[Intheshop]

Varget or H4895 behind a 150 Sierra pro hunter. White tails here,really don't like this combination,haha. Good luck with your project.

 

[Kurz]

I’ve got a 18” barrel on one rifle. With box Hornady 168AMAX ammo that comes out just at or under 2600fps.

Down to a 20” barrel you won’t lose that much over a 24”.

Just shoot the gun!

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

You have to give credence to Frank's experience shooting and making barrels!

I have found 5 powders which all shoot into the 2650 node in my rifles using short barrels. These are generally 22" or 20" based on barrels available at the time and the twist rate. The vast majority of these run a 11.25" twist from Bartlein. But the difference is that most of my testing found that I should (and do) stick with the Berger 175 gr. Hunter VLD. The powders range from AR-Comp and 8208 to 203B and VVN-140 with a couple of others thrown in for variety. Do not pass up the older recipes of 3031 and 4064 as they work great also.

Enjoy the process!

 

[Adam0321/0306]

I had great luck with 4064 in a 25-06 loaded at 40.5 grains pushing a 100gn nosler BT. That powder seems to always come up as a top choice.

 

[Down South]

IMR 8208, H4895, Varget, N-140

 

[Adam0321/0306]

I did not mean to hijack this thread. I am going to try a load with 4064 and the 150gn SMK. I will let you guys know how it goes. I appreciate the advice on the other powders. I have only ever used IMR powders and shot Nosler bullets. This forum has taught me to expand.

 

[seymour fish]

Considering a faster burning powder due to the shorter barrel. Will use a 150 Gr Nosler ballistic tip for deer and a 168gr LR Accubond or a 168gr Barnes for Elk. Appreciate any suggestions

For that weight, 8208 XBR is a contender

 

[msinc]

You might also want to look at IMR4166...it is slightly faster than 4064 and I have had very good luck accuracy wise in several calibers. When I shot hi-power service rifle {M1A} I used a lot of 4064. It worked great too.
I will say this, I did not have very good results with Reloder 16 in my 308, But it is fantastic in my 7mm-08....go figure???