.308 bullet weight

mohr308 · June 30, 2012, 11:01 AM

Just wondering if anyone other than myself has an H&R hand rifle chambered in .308 and what bullet weight do you use? I have been loading 180 hornady sst bullets but I think I need to go a little lighter because my barrel is so short, 18" maybe a little more of rifling. 1:10 twist.

PawPaw · June 30, 2012, 03:27 PM

Yes I do, I have a .308 Handi and I use 150 grain bullets in it with a charge of Reloder 15. I'd call mine a 1.5-2.0 moa gun, certainly capable of minute-of-deer out to 300 yards. We shot it just this morning, ringing gongs at 150 yards and it had no trouble ringing steel with the more advanced firearms.

Jimro · June 30, 2012, 04:13 PM

At hunting ranges any bullet will do from an 18" barrel. From a purely mathematical standpoint lighter bullets with a faster powder may give better performance on paper. Any deer or hog wouldn't be able to tell the difference though.

Jimro

SatCong · June 30, 2012, 05:45 PM

My M77 RSI .308 really likes Sierra 168 gr HPBT Match.

Mike

mohr308 · June 30, 2012, 09:50 PM

Do you seat your bullets to the standard length? I hand loaded some before and was able to stretch them out an extra .050" and still wasn't at the lands

PawPaw · July 2, 2012, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Do you seat your bullets to the standard length? I hand loaded some before and was able to stretch them out an extra .050" and still wasn't at the lands

Good question, and I see your point, but I load for five different .308s and don't differentiate between them. I seat to the cannelure and go with a middling load so that sons and grandsons can use it in their rifles. Some of our rifles have short leades and some have long leades. In one Remington 700, the leade is so long that if I try to seat it out to touch the lands, the bullet won't be seated in the case and would certainly not fit into the magazine box. So, for our .308s I said "the hell with it" and set the bullet at the cannelure.

As it turns out, it's a fairly accurate load, showing 10 shot half-inch groups in my younger son's heavy-barreled Savage 10 FLP, and showing pretty close to MOA accuracy in the other four rifles depending on the shooter.

mohr308 · July 3, 2012, 12:59 AM

Im not sure if its something in my rifle wearing out, but a few times my rifle has unlocked after firing a round, Has that ever happened to you?

**Unclenick** · July 3, 2012, 02:01 AM

Handi-Rifles are known for that. Often it's the latch getting some fouling, dirt, or debris build-up that needs to be cleaned up. Firing loads that are too hot for it can do that too. The lower recoil of a 150 grain bullet may help you out in that regard.

mohr308 · July 3, 2012, 12:13 PM

good point, since I moved up in weight (180gr) from the 150's I noticed that happening, Im consider 165-168's

PawPaw · July 3, 2012, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Im not sure if its something in my rifle wearing out, but a few times my rifle has unlocked after firing a round, Has that ever happened to you?

Oh, yeah, and it can happen for one of a variety of reasons, but we've mainly noticed that it happens when the latch shelf is wet. Keep it bone dry and when you lock the action, wiggle the little lever with your fingers. If it doesn't wiggle loosely, something ain't completely locked. But, keeping that shelf bone dry is a big part of it.

**Unclenick** · July 4, 2012, 12:44 AM

That's a good tip. Maybe some medical alcohol wipes would be good to toss in the shooting bag in case some oil finds its way where it should not.

mohr308 · July 4, 2012, 01:06 AM

I'm sure it has oil on it seeing I just spent an hour cleaning it before i went shooting

June 30, 2012, 11:01 AM	#1
mohr308 Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2012 Location: Western New York Posts: 466	.308 bullet weight Just wondering if anyone other than myself has an H&R hand rifle chambered in .308 and what bullet weight do you use? I have been loading 180 hornady sst bullets but I think I need to go a little lighter because my barrel is so short, 18" maybe a little more of rifling. 1:10 twist.

June 30, 2012, 03:27 PM	#2
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	Yes I do, I have a .308 Handi and I use 150 grain bullets in it with a charge of Reloder 15. I'd call mine a 1.5-2.0 moa gun, certainly capable of minute-of-deer out to 300 yards. We shot it just this morning, ringing gongs at 150 yards and it had no trouble ringing steel with the more advanced firearms. __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

June 30, 2012, 04:13 PM	#3
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	At hunting ranges any bullet will do from an 18" barrel. From a purely mathematical standpoint lighter bullets with a faster powder may give better performance on paper. Any deer or hog wouldn't be able to tell the difference though. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

June 30, 2012, 09:50 PM	#5
mohr308 Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2012 Location: Western New York Posts: 466	Paw Paw Do you seat your bullets to the standard length? I hand loaded some before and was able to stretch them out an extra .050" and still wasn't at the lands Last edited by mohr308; July 1, 2012 at 06:18 AM.

July 3, 2012, 12:59 AM	#7
mohr308 Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2012 Location: Western New York Posts: 466	PAW PAW Im not sure if its something in my rifle wearing out, but a few times my rifle has unlocked after firing a round, Has that ever happened to you?

June 30, 2012, 05:45 PM	#4
SatCong Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2004 Location: Twangtown Posts: 175	My M77 RSI .308 really likes Sierra 168 gr HPBT Match. Mike

July 3, 2012, 02:01 AM	#8
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	Handi-Rifles are known for that. Often it's the latch getting some fouling, dirt, or debris build-up that needs to be cleaned up. Firing loads that are too hot for it can do that too. The lower recoil of a 150 grain bullet may help you out in that regard. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

July 3, 2012, 12:13 PM	#9
mohr308 Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2012 Location: Western New York Posts: 466	Uncle nick good point, since I moved up in weight (180gr) from the 150's I noticed that happening, Im consider 165-168's

July 4, 2012, 12:44 AM	#11
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	That's a good tip. Maybe some medical alcohol wipes would be good to toss in the shooting bag in case some oil finds its way where it should not. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

July 4, 2012, 01:06 AM	#12
mohr308 Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2012 Location: Western New York Posts: 466	I'm sure it has oil on it seeing I just spent an hour cleaning it before i went shooting