45 grains of Varget seems to fill my Lapua cases to the point when I try to seat a 155 Lapua Scenar,it is crushing the powder...I can hear it when seating,Having trouble getting a 3.140 ogive measurment..Any of you guys experience this,I have even pulled and checked /rechecked weight of charge.Do you have to vibrate them down or something?Thanks in advance.
Varget-308
- Thread starter boogershooter
- Start date
i have been shooting 46.0 grains with the 165hpbt sierras. i use a regular powder funnel and pour it from weighing pan into funnel slowly and from several inches above the funnel. it seems to only fill up to the bottom of the neck doing this. kind of like using a drop tube, which if you want to buy is the trick. the only time i have problems getting into case is when i just plop the powder into funnel and let it empty on it's own. you can also tap the case very gently to settle the powder.
Sierra 155 and Lapua 155 bullet test. Sacramento, Nov. 2004
The S155 bullet is 1.135†long and the Lapua is 1.280†about 0.145†longer.
Test rifle: 308 palma rifle – Quadlite action, Krieger 1:13 barrel with the Bisley chamber,
2393 rounds thru the barrel at start of test. The high palma score with this barrel is 448-22X..
NF 8-32X scope, rifle will be used in “F†class mode.
The S155’s touch the lands at 2.849†and the L155 touch at 2.860â€. Do the the height of the
Powder column Winchester cases were used. CCI-BR primers. Powder is Varget lot # 1029034133.
I could not seat the L155 with out vibrating the the powder charge, the powder column height was reduced by 0.120†which allowed the L155 to be seated to jump 0.015â€.
The powder charge for the L155’s was vibrated to reduce the powder column so the bullet seating would not compress the powder. Without vibrating the bullets and the seating die can be damaged and the OAL was not repeatable.
A 50 round loading tray was bolted on top of a vibrating case tumbler and the cases were vibrated from 2 to 5 minutes. A 0.292†diameter pin the same length of the L155 bullet was made to check the powder height, so the powder was below the bullet’s ,OAL) seating depth..
The Winchester case will hold more powder than the Lapua case, there is no difference in performance, but the case life is much longer with the Lapua case.
The S155 bullet is 1.135†long and the Lapua is 1.280†about 0.145†longer.
Test rifle: 308 palma rifle – Quadlite action, Krieger 1:13 barrel with the Bisley chamber,
2393 rounds thru the barrel at start of test. The high palma score with this barrel is 448-22X..
NF 8-32X scope, rifle will be used in “F†class mode.
The S155’s touch the lands at 2.849†and the L155 touch at 2.860â€. Do the the height of the
Powder column Winchester cases were used. CCI-BR primers. Powder is Varget lot # 1029034133.
I could not seat the L155 with out vibrating the the powder charge, the powder column height was reduced by 0.120†which allowed the L155 to be seated to jump 0.015â€.
The powder charge for the L155’s was vibrated to reduce the powder column so the bullet seating would not compress the powder. Without vibrating the bullets and the seating die can be damaged and the OAL was not repeatable.
A 50 round loading tray was bolted on top of a vibrating case tumbler and the cases were vibrated from 2 to 5 minutes. A 0.292†diameter pin the same length of the L155 bullet was made to check the powder height, so the powder was below the bullet’s ,OAL) seating depth..
The Winchester case will hold more powder than the Lapua case, there is no difference in performance, but the case life is much longer with the Lapua case.
Varget seems a bit too fast-burning for .308 Winchester venue. Perhaps Alliant RL-22 should be considered for cutting-edge performance. Even HOT Hodgdon H4350 should be considered before HOTTER Varget. BIG BULLETS require S-l-o-w-e-r burning powder. Since .243 Winchester is currently my power of choice, I'm just guessing at the big boy stuff. Varget is really slow-burning regarding .223 Remington fare, yet Varget seems too fast or too slow for any given application, save some .243 applications, I've yet to try. Cliffy
Cliffy,
You need some education on 308s. Most Palma shooters use Varget with the 155 grain bullets. We easily get over 3000 fps using 155 grain bullets with 46 ++ grains of Varget. There is NO way you can get enough 4350 in a 308 case to stay supersonic at 1K.
Varget is also my choice for the 6BR types. Varget, VVN550 and RL15 are very good for the 223s using the 80 and 90 grain bullets.
example:
12-29-2008
100 yard chronograph testing, Sacramento, temp =43 degrees, humidity = 62%
Varget 2008 lot, Sierra 2156 bullets, OAL set for a jump of 0.027†at 2.900â€
Load --- Case ---Primer ---MV-----ES-----SD----- Group
47.5 --- Lapua – 210M --- 3024 --- 12 ---- 05 ----- 0.201â€
47.5 --- Lapua – BR-2 --- 3033 --- 05 ---- 03 ----- 0.353â€
You need some education on 308s. Most Palma shooters use Varget with the 155 grain bullets. We easily get over 3000 fps using 155 grain bullets with 46 ++ grains of Varget. There is NO way you can get enough 4350 in a 308 case to stay supersonic at 1K.
Varget is also my choice for the 6BR types. Varget, VVN550 and RL15 are very good for the 223s using the 80 and 90 grain bullets.
example:
12-29-2008
100 yard chronograph testing, Sacramento, temp =43 degrees, humidity = 62%
Varget 2008 lot, Sierra 2156 bullets, OAL set for a jump of 0.027†at 2.900â€
Load --- Case ---Primer ---MV-----ES-----SD----- Group
47.5 --- Lapua – 210M --- 3024 --- 12 ---- 05 ----- 0.201â€
47.5 --- Lapua – BR-2 --- 3033 --- 05 ---- 03 ----- 0.353â€
Jerry: Another 'yes' for Varget in the 308. 45 grs. with the excellent, for me) Sierra 155 HPBT MatchKing # 2155 seated to touch at 2.845' approx. OAL, and the always dependable WLR primers, Lapua brass of course. Have no idea what the velocity is: I don't care: 5 shot groups at 'mid-range' distances, the maximum I have readily available) are consistantly sub-moa. Yes again, I can also hear the kernals 'crunch' when seating the bullets, but loaded oal has always remained unchanged. No indications of high pressures. Life is good!
The 155's are basically all I have ever used in my 308. I use a drop tube because of the issues you stated before about powder crunch. You'll still have some of that even with a drop tube. My old gun had a load of 46.2g Varget and I'm working on a load of 45.4g for my current rifle. No pressure sign at all, using Lapua brass.
good luck.
xdeano
good luck.
xdeano
I've used 46.5 grains Varget in fired Win cases behind the Sierra 2155 bullet. 2975 fps. In fired Lapua cases I need to back off to 46.0 grains for the same velocity; in fired L/C match cases it's 45.8 grains.
I've started vibrating my loaded cases on general principal as any of the loads above if dropped from my measuring Satern funnel tend to be right at the shoulder. Vbrating them before seating gives me some assurance I'm not crushing anything & tends to give me more confidence in my loaded ammo.
When in doubt, test, but test safe keeping in mind what's safe in somebody else's rifle may not be safe in yours.
I've started vibrating my loaded cases on general principal as any of the loads above if dropped from my measuring Satern funnel tend to be right at the shoulder. Vbrating them before seating gives me some assurance I'm not crushing anything & tends to give me more confidence in my loaded ammo.
When in doubt, test, but test safe keeping in mind what's safe in somebody else's rifle may not be safe in yours.
Oh, I didnt even know what a drop tube was until now,NEED A WING TO FLY UNDER.As usual you guys came through.By the way I got the load idea from the .308 info on this site...Thanks again!
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