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Reloading Question

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  soundguy 
#1 ·
hi
i have a sauer 202 .308, I'm having a go with reloads. does anyone know the best combo of to use, i.e. what powder, bullet weight/make etc
thanks
 
#5 ·
Welcome to the forum! Most of us have a minimum of 3 reloading manuals, you will need them! Go to the manual, find the load you want, then go buy the components. We see a lot of folks that go buy some bullets, and then try to find a load for them, because they are not in the reloading manuals. Choose your load, buy the components (if you need them), then make up your loads.
 
#7 ·
Hornday, Speer, and Lyman manuals can be bought at Walmart, if your sporting goods dept stocks them.

why don't you tell us more about your set up? what are you using to load with and what your experience is? For the load you are wanting, what FPS are you wanting to achieve? Are you target shooting, hunting. Do you know the twist rate of your barrel?
All of this has to be considered.
 
#11 ·
You first need to define what you goal is. If hunting then 150gr is good for deer size game while 180gr is better for elk sized. If target shooing then a 168gr is a good choice. The distance you plan to shoot also plays a roll in the bullet and powder choices. You don't want to slam a traditional unbonded bullet into the side of a deer at close range with a hot load, it'll explode on contact with bone and ruin meat instead of penetrating.

If you are hunting then figure out what bullet you want to use then get that maker's manual. I've been hunting with Nosler partition bullets for years so their manual is a reference of mine. If you plan to use Sierra 168gr #2200 for target shooting then get their manual. If you don't have a specific purpose a more general manual covering both uses would be Hornady or Lyman.

The good news is that .308 will eat a lot of powders and right now IMR-4064 is getting easier to find in my area. You pretty much have to go with what you can get that will work rather than picking a powder then going looking for it.

Here are some online data sources:
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com
http://www.6mmbr.citymaker.com/f/sierra308Win.pdf
 
#12 ·
What twist is your barrel??That makes a big difference in bullet weight,for instance if you have a 1/12,a 150gr bullet is a great start...1/10,try 165 0r 175gr.My .308s are all 1/10 so they are tackdrivers with 175s.....and shotguns with 150s.Remember velocity does NOT equal accuracy.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for all your help. I use RCBS to load with and really I'm a novice. I've used my Hornday to get the loads and they tend to be pretty accurate. I mainly hunt but do the occasional target shooting. Its the loads for deer stalking and wild boar shooting that I as looking improve. To be honest I'm not sure what the twist the barrel is, i think its 1/8
 
#14 ·
#17 ·
I have not been loading for the .308 for some time but when I last left off I was having good luck with Varget and starting to test some with IMR 4895. I was shooting Berger 168gr with the Varget and a Sierra Game King 165gr with the 4895. I think my M1A is an 11:1 twist and it's my only .308. You have good advice on the manuals and you picked a good hobby! Probably won't save any money but you'll get to shoot a lot more for what you spend:) I do most of my shooting for about .10 cents a round but I'm still broke.

Ben Franklin once said "beware the hobby that eats". This one has an appetite!
 
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