Velocity For .308 with 185 Berger Hybrids?

[yukonal]

What velocity are you guys getting with say, a 30" barrel?

I'm gonna run some numbers comparing that to my .223 shooting 80 gr VLD's at 2875 fps, and see how they stack up against each other at 600 yards, in the wind.


So I can justify building one. ;D

 

[Keith Glasscock]

2780 to 2800

That is going to be a rather stiff charge of Varget. Not every barrel can make those numbers safely either...

To answer your question, it will outperform the 223 with 80's and it will be a little less touchy.

 

[gsg5pk]

I currently run 185 Berger @ 2,590 fps out of my 24"

My expected MV of 185 Berger would around 2,700 fps out of 30"



Lapua Fired form Brass + CCI BR2 + 43.0 of Varget + Berger 185 LRBT out of 24" Barrel (1:10 tw)

COAL : 2.905"
BOG : 2.250"

 

[yukonal]

Thanks guys, I'll use 2700 and 2725 for comparison and run the numbers on JBM. I'm just curious to see what the diff looks like on paper. I sure love shooting the .223 in F-TR.

Maybe some of you guys that shoot/have shot...both, will chime in and give me your opinion if it's worth it to build the .308. I wouldn't say I'm recoil-sensitive, but I will say, the older I get, the more I dislike it. As always, thanks for your advice.

 

[jbpmidas]

The 223 will help you become a better shooter. A good friend shoots 80 A-Max's and 90 Berger BTLR's and has beaten me several times. I shoot the 185 Hybrid. I have a 28" barrel and run 2660.

 

[yukonal]

Stacking my .223 at 2875, up against a .308 at 2725 in a 10 mph crosswind, there is a 4" difference in wind drift at 600. A 5 mph is about as bad as it gets where I shoot. Don't know if it's worth it to build a new rifle to gain 2" less drift... :-\

 

[Dgd6mm]

If you were to travel, and get 15 mph + winds, then what? I went to a .308 to become a better shooter at mid to longrange. A .223 would be fun at 600, this is why I'm thinking about building one.

 

[Laurie]

223 Rem with a well-tuned 90s load is easier to shoot well and can perform at 1,000 (or beyond too for that matter). The 185gn Berger BTLR IS a good performer too at 1K and beyond and seems to be particularly effective at 1,000 if you can get the MV to bracket 2,800 fps. Whether it's harder to shoot tight with its greater recoil is down to individual rifle hold, shooting style and preference, and how well the rifle/bipod behave on the firing point. (Plus what the firing point is composed of too - it's 100% turf, usually damp at that, here in the UK.)

I'm assuming we're mostly talking F/TR here by the way?

Some people I know shoot 210s and now the 230gn Berger Hybrid at some serious MVs and apparently lap it up. I tried heavies and didn't care for them particularly - I've even rowed back somewhat from the 185 and mostly shoot the new Berger 168gn Hybrid at long ranges.

If it were just down to these factors I'd have 223 Rem with 90s any day including all the 1,000yd matches I shoot in. There are other factors though - the 223 is harder work than the 308 to load ultimate precision ammo for. A 0.1gn charge weight variation injects ~10 fps MV change into a 90 for instance and most people struggle to achieve a 0.2gn extreme spread using beam scales, so that's 20 fps ES before any other factors such as neck tension variations kick in. Other small variations in various factors affect long-range results more than with 308. Some people simply fail to achieve the necessary combination of accuracy and velocity for whatever reasons. You've only got a handful of really effective long-range 0.224" bullets, while there are lots of 308s. There has been 60 years R&D in getting the ideal barrel dimensions, chamber forms and twist rates etc for 308W, while most work in the Mouse Gun has been for XTC shooters and their requirements until recently and so on. The 308 just gives you that bit of extra wiggle-room, flexibility, or tolerance of carelessness - call it what you want!