Newbie 308 reloader need help first time!

[CHEFxGUNNER]

Brand new Remington 700 sps 308 with new 24inch xcaliber barrel getting installed by gunsmith 1-10 twist along with a can when it comes in lol

Getting into the long range game this year and decided to get into long range shooting with my friends as a hobby. So ive been doing a lot of research and I got into reloading. I recently bought 1000 cci benchrest primers. The only powder i could find is imr 4895. Is that okay or should i buy imr 4064 or varget when it becomes available since that was the most people recommend i read on reviews. Die recommendation?

I plan on shooting 500-1000 yards at my gun ranges. The research says that SMK 175 bullet is the go to round for long range. Also i see Berger name floating around also. Willing to pay for quality for whatever. I hear Lapula brass is the best also

Please chime in have never talked to anybody about this. Just been doing a lot of research thats all. Willing to learn and have alot to learn.

 

[6bra1k]

define your intentions
what do you expect to hit at what yardage
a full blown mil sniper rifle in 309 is defined as an 800 yard rifle....hits have been made much further.
original ammo was only 168 but since have moved to the 175 smk
hitting steel or shooting groups
both powders are good, i think berger is better than sierra
i know nothing about xcaliber...( just because something is after market does not make it great)
I LIKE KREIGER, bartlien, lilja
lapua brass, i like small primer palma best

 

[FeMan]

I am not a 308 guy so my input on loads is limited. It would help though to know what your barrel twist is. That may inclufence bullet options and choices.

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

I am not a 308 guy so my input on loads is limited. It would help though to know what your barrel twist is. That may inclufence bullet options and choices.

1-10 twist my apologies

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

define your intentions
what do you expect to hit at what yardage
a full blown mil sniper rifle in 309 is defined as an 800 yard rifle....hits have been made much further.
original ammo was only 168 but since have moved to the 175 smk
hitting steel or shooting groups
both powders are good, i think berger is better than sierra
i know nothing about xcaliber...( just because something is after market does not make it great)
I LIKE KREIGER, bartlien, lilja
lapua brass, i like small primer palma best

Honestly prolly targets at first then join the 1000 yard range at metal targets 20 mins away from me. Im more of a buy once cry once type of guy so im just looking to buy the best of the best so i dont have to more something "better" in a couple months in the summer ya know?

 

[FeMan]

That will stabilize the 175 great. At 10-twist you could handle bullets in the 210 to 215 range depending on your altitude and temps if you wanted to opt for a higher bc.

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

That will stabilize the 175 great. At 10-twist you could handle bullets in the 210 to 215 range depending on your altitude and temps if you wanted to opt for a higher bc.

Excellent thank you for responding

 

[drop_point]

The 175 SMK is a standby and it is a great bullet, but its far from the best. You may want to look into various Berger bullets. Perhaps 185 Juggs would be a good match for the 24" barrel. When you can get some more modern powders, that will certainly help. Varget is a great temp-stable choice.

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

The 175 SMK is a standby and it is a great bullet, but its far from the best. You may want to look into various Berger bullets. Perhaps 185 Juggs would be a good match for the 24" barrel. When you can get some more modern powders, that will certainly help. Varget is a great temp-stable choice.

Yeah varget seems to be the number 1 option honestly. I been hearing about berger a lot lately honestly. I'm not a brand guy so ill buy whatever would be best for my gun

 

[Straightshooter1]

Brand new Remington 700 sps 308 with new 24inch xcaliber barrel getting installed by gunsmith 1-10 twist along with a can when it comes in lol

Getting into the long range game this year and decided to get into long range shooting with my friends as a hobby. So ive been doing a lot of research and I got into reloading. I recently bought 1000 cci benchrest primers. The only powder i could find is imr 4895. Is that okay or should i buy imr 4064 or varget when it becomes available since that was the most people recommend i read on reviews. Die recommendation?

I plan on shooting 500-1000 yards at my gun ranges. The research says that SMK 175 bullet is the go to round for long range. Also i see Berger name floating around also. Willing to pay for quality for whatever. I hear Lapula brass is the best also

Please chime in have never talked to anybody about this. Just been doing a lot of research thats all. Willing to learn and have alot to learn.

Yes, going with Lapua brass is the way to go. And I have used H-4895 with my 175 SMK's using Fed210 primers and that combination has worked very well for me. So if you have plenty of H-4895, go with it. You might want to check out Sierra's new 169 SMK that they've designed for long range shooting and it's BC is better than the 175 SMK's. I really like these 169's as they're really performing great for me using H4895 and other powders like IMR-4064. The H-4895 will give you higher velocity for that shorter flight time.

 

[chkunz]

Start out shooting at shorter ranges, 100 yards or so, and work your way further out as you see your results justifying longer ranges.

 

[js2013]

You might want to ask your gunsmith what bullet he recommends based on the reamer he used to cut your chamber. Always a good idea to get a copy of the reamer print also.

 

[PJ1]

Just my 2, but the Berger 185g JUGGS seem to be great with my 24" 1-10 twist MRAD, using Win 748 ( yes not the best powder but you have to adapt in today's world). I started with 42g and seat about 0.013" off the lands, though they seem to like a little jam. Still experimenting with the powder on larger charge weight and bullet seating.
So far I'm getting 0.5 MOA, but I've only been reloading for 2years and my technique needs refinement.

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

Just my 2, but the Berger 185g JUGGS seem to be great with my 24" 1-10 twist MRAD, using Win 748 ( yes not the best powder but you have to adapt in today's world). I started with 42g and seat about 0.013" off the lands, thought they seem to like a little jam. Still experimenting with the powder on larger charge weight and bullet seating.
So far I'm getting 0.5 MOA, but I've only been reloading for 2years and my technique needs refinement.

I'm all about peoples 2 cents buddy I appreciate it. Berger seems to be the way to go people have been telling me

 

[Gargoyle]

You chose a round that is going to challenge your wind calls past 600yds. You'll either learn them or get frustrated with misses. I'd suggest shooting at a target big enough to see the misses. They are as important as seeing hits. I started out putting 3 IPSC plates shoulder to shoulder. If the wind was right to left, I would dial or hold zero wind on the right target and see how far the wind drifted my round taking into account the wind value and speed. I'd count how many mils wind drift with my reticle. This gave me a working knowledge to verify the ballistics apps I used. I can question a wind call provided by the app and find what data input I screwed up.

Speaking of ballistic apps, Hornady 4DOF I found to be very accurate when true BC was used. (True BC can be found for many match type bullets via the Applied Ballistics, Brian Litz research/books.

Then someday when you want to make things easier on yourself get into a 300WM/PRC. LOL

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

You chose a round that is going to challenge your wind calls past 600yds. You'll either learn them or get frustrated with misses. I'd suggest shooting at a target big enough to see the misses. They are as important as seeing hits. I started out putting 3 IPSC plates shoulder to shoulder. If the wind was right to left, I would dial or hold zero wind on the right target and see how far the wind drifted my round taking into account the wind value and speed. I'd count how many mils wind drift with my reticle. This gave me a working knowledge to verify the ballistics apps I used. I can question a wind call provided by the app and find what data input I screwed up.

Speaking of ballistic apps, Hornady 4DOF I found to be very accurate when true BC was used. (True BC can be found for many match type bullets via the Applied Ballistics, Brian Litz research/books.

Then someday when you want to make things easier on yourself you you'll get into a 300WM/PRC. LOL

Trust me i know i messed up with the 308 lol i should of got a 6.5 creedmoor to start but you live and you learn. Im already looking up prices for 300wm ammo and a gun but the wallet is looking like next year since i just bought a suppressor to go along with it lol. Thank you for taking the time to comment

 

[PJ1]

Gar brings up a good point about the 308 WIN as it is not the greatest round out there. What I did to see where my misses were at 1000 yards for 6.5CM was to stretch some aluminum flashing beneath the target. I figured that I was hitting low. It worked................

 

[CHEFxGUNNER]

The aluminum is an excellent idea

 

[PJ1]

Yeah, I had to do this as the terrain for my range is difficult to navigate, even with an atv. For drift to the left or right, some of those caldwell 13" plates help to dial the shots in. Gar had the right idea there.
I recently order the ShotMarker so I don't have to do all the traveling back and forth to the target.

 

[Larryh128]

H4895 is an excellent 308 powder, there are newer sexier ones but it will get the job done. Berger bullets and Lapua brass are your best bet.