What is "the" 308 win load?

Joined
Jan 14, 2019
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With varget, 4895 and rl15 being very hard to obtain, anyone have a shortlist of runner up powders they like that are more availible?

I'm about to test tac and cfe223 under 168eldm. Would like to get my hands on 8208xbr as well.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
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Jul 2, 2016
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With varget, 4895 and rl15 being very hard to obtain, anyone have a shortlist of runner up powders they like that are more availible?

I'm about to test tac and cfe223 under 168eldm. Would like to get my hands on 8208xbr as well.
I’d do nasty nasty things for an 8lb jug of RL15.
 

TxLite

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Texas
With varget, 4895 and rl15 being very hard to obtain, anyone have a shortlist of runner up powders they like that are more availible?

I'm about to test tac and cfe223 under 168eldm. Would like to get my hands on 8208xbr as well.
Varget is available right now at hodgdon website. 8lb jugs are in stock at PV today as well
 

hodgeman

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Delta Junction, AK
I've killed truckloads of game with the 308WIN.... almost all of them with plain cup and core 150gr bullets like the Core-Lokt and Federal Blue Box.

Don't overthink it, the world is just lousy with good performing bullets at 308 speeds. My current favorite load is a 150gr AB over a full load of Varget.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
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I’ve had fairly similar results with varget, H4350, h4895. Going towards a maximum load behind a 165g accubond or partition is where it’s at.
 

Antares

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I shoot the factory Hornady Black 168gr A-MAX load. Shoots well, kills well, and it’s $30/box.
 
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Most of my deer hunting has been with a 308, I’ve killed a bunch of them almost all with match bullets but I wouldn’t do that again now because the ones that fragment I’ve found destroy a lot of meat. 155/168 AMAX, 155 Scenar, and 185 Juggernaut where all incredibly effective with the Jugg being the least messy of them. It still blows massive holes though, the first pic below is a large doe I shot quartering away hard and it left a 8” wide hole in her chest and destroyed both front shoulders and the front 1/4 of the tenderloins. Hit them in the shoulder or really hard bone and it’s worse, the other pic is a high shoulder shot which ruined half of the tenderloins and both front shoulders. I’ve shot them with NBT’s and SST’s too with the same explosive result.

After a few years I stopped using 308 and went to 6.5mm and 6mm with far better results as far as meat loss goes.

I’ve become a big believer in Barnes bullets because they don’t destroy tons of meat and don’t leave fragments or lead and copper in the meat either. If I was hunting with a 308 today I’d load the 175gr LRX in front of Varget and never look back. I haven’t personally used that bullet but have used the 95gr 6mm and 127gr 6.5mm and they’re phenomenal bullets. Even screaming at over 3200fps from a 6 creed they don’t wreck meat and hides. I’ve got no doubt that the 30 cal option wouldn’t be boringly similar.
 

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Wrench

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Luckily the 308 shoots almost everything well. I use 8208xbr and 168's... but it will probably shoot charcoal and 200's well too.
 

Novahunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 24, 2022
Messages
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178gr ELDx Hornaday Precision Hunter ammo has killed many deer, and 2 moose in the last 6 years. My shorty 20in .308 loves the ammo. 1/2 MOA groups with it.

My older Rem 700 PSS hates the ammo though, groups are an 1.5 or so at 100 yards. With Sierra's the gun usually shoots 3/4 MOA.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
Messages
1,694
Most of my deer hunting has been with a 308, I’ve killed a bunch of them almost all with match bullets but I wouldn’t do that again now because the ones that fragment I’ve found destroy a lot of meat. 155/168 AMAX, 155 Scenar, and 185 Juggernaut where all incredibly effective with the Jugg being the least messy of them. It still blows massive holes though, the first pic below is a large doe I shot quartering away hard and it left a 8” wide hole in her chest and destroyed both front shoulders and the front 1/4 of the tenderloins. Hit them in the shoulder or really hard bone and it’s worse, the other pic is a high shoulder shot which ruined half of the tenderloins and both front shoulders. I’ve shot them with NBT’s and SST’s too with the same explosive result.

After a few years I stopped using 308 and went to 6.5mm and 6mm with far better results as far as meat loss goes.

I’ve become a big believer in Barnes bullets because they don’t destroy tons of meat and don’t leave fragments or lead and copper in the meat either. If I was hunting with a 308 today I’d load the 175gr LRX in front of Varget and never look back. I haven’t personally used that bullet but have used the 95gr 6mm and 127gr 6.5mm and they’re phenomenal bullets. Even screaming at over 3200fps from a 6 creed they don’t wreck meat and hides. I’ve got no doubt that the 30 cal option wouldn’t be boringly similar.

The 130 grain Barnes TTSX is what I load in my 308 over 46.3 grains of Ramshot TAC and it hammers whitetail. 3000 FPS with minimal recoil and always a pass through. It's good to 450 yards.
 

SBR Sarge

FNG
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Jul 5, 2022
Messages
99
The 130 grain Barnes TTSX is what I load in my 308 over 46.3 grains of Ramshot TAC and it hammers whitetail. 3000 FPS with minimal recoil and always a pass through. It's good to 450 yards.
I picked up a few boxes of the 130gr factory loads. Haven’t hunted yet with them, but hope to soon if I can get up north in the rifle area.

3007fps on my Caldwell chrono out of my stock Rem 700 BDL (22” barrel, I think).

For my shorter range midwest hunts I like the more-than-ample velocity to assure expansion. With higher weight retention, I expect good expansion and penetration.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
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I picked up a few boxes of the 130gr factory loads. Haven’t hunted yet with them, but hope to soon if I can get up north in the rifle area.

3007fps on my Caldwell chrono out of my stock Rem 700 BDL (22” barrel, I think).

For my shorter range midwest hunts I like the more-than-ample velocity to assure expansion. With higher weight retention, I expect good expansion and penetration.

130 grains work great on deer. Pass through with great blood trail!
 

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