Suggestions for .308 loads for CZ 550 Varmint

[imq707s]

I just ordered a new CZ 550 Varmint Laminate rifle in .308. Can you guys give me some suggested loads to start out with that may give me a headstart in load development? The barrel twist is 1:12.

Any help would be great. Thanks

[Trapper L]

This load shoots in almost every 308 I've tried it in. Take the Speer TNT 125 gr HP, stuff 47.5 grs IMR4064 in a commercial case ( I use Remington ), OAL is 2.635. This is data from the Speer manual 13. A max load is 48.0 grs so approach this load as a max load and with caution. This is also right at being a compressed load so loading density is 100%. Like I said, it shoots in every 308 I've ever put it in. As far as bullet performance, it will disassemble a coyote out to 250 yds, after that it just kills 'em dead. Best of luck.

[hodaka]

Mine liked 4064 also. 168 SMK's with 41.5 gr 4064 or 150 SMK's with 45.0 of IMR 4064 worked real well. Not the fastest load, but very accurate. Winchester brass with Federal Gold Match primers. You may need to remove a little wood from the barrel channel to float it. You'll love the set trigger.

[Shoney]

Barrel maker Lilja shows that the 1:12 twist is ideal for 140-180 gr bullets. That means the 125 and 190 should also do very well, but not ideal.

Additional powders that are well digested by the 308 are: H380, H335, IMR-4895, RL-12, and W-748. My nod goes to IMR4895, besides being the most accurate I’ve used, it has 100% load density, yields slightly higher velocities/grain and is more economical.

Good Shooting!

[Bullet94]

You might look here –

http://www.6mmbr.com/308win.html

[Unclenick]

I followed Bullet94's link. There is some good load dope there, but the Winchester brass capacity information is a little off. Winchester made special brass when the U.S. hosted the 1992 Palma match. They went to a semi-baloon head, which created about 7% more capacity than standard brass. Mine run to almost 60 grains of water capacity these days. This extra capacity was to allow a little more room for getting the Sierra 155 grain MatchKing, also specially designed for that match, up to a little more speed to ensure it could stay above transonic velocities to 1000 yards.

The Winchester Palma brass proved popular for match shooters looking for long range load velocity. Add to this that it uses less brass (Winchester cases weigh around 156 grains, while most military brass is nearer to 180 grains, and some commercial lies in between) making it less expensive to manufacture. Winchester therefore adopted the new design for all their .308 cases. They've gone to the same semi-balloon head in .30-06. I haven't looked to see what other brass of theirs now sport it?

The downside is all the nice things they say about Lapua and Norma wall thickness consistency do not apply to Winchester. I've got one .308 case with a web near the head that is .018 thick on one side and 0.010 thick on the other. The neck wall has half that difference, being 0.012" on one side and 0.016" thick on the other. That is enough to cause a 2 moa error in my M1A. So, needless to say, I sort it with a wall thickness gauge, a step you can skip with Lapua and Norma. I end up rejecting about 10% for any serious purpose, and another 50% for prone match shooting. Only 20% is as good as the European stuff, and I usually keep that aside for load development and special occassions.

Varget is the main powder I haven't seen mentioned here, though it features repeatedly in the list of loads in Bullet94's link. I have found it very stable.

Look down this page for .308 accuracy loads. Keep in mind these are strictly for Winchester cases and are seated to 2.800" except for the two light bullets where seating 1 caliber deep (.308" deep) is specified:

http://home.earthlink.net/~dannewber...pment/id6.html