The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - How can I get my 308 reloads to be as good as out of the box168gr Fed GMM

hank jacobs · June 11, 2014, 05:16 PM

How can I get my 308 reloads to be as good as out of the box168gr Fed GMM which shoots sub .5 moa out of Rem 700 SPS Tactical

Hi everyone, I am a newbie here and hope to get to get some advice.
I started reloading 4 months ago and am still not able (after 400 rounds) to match Fed GMM.

To cut the story short I am currently trying to reduce the variables and decided to pull the bullets from the FED gold medal match 168 gr factory loads to reseat them into the original brass leaving primer, powder charge, seating depth, unchanged.

I used the following procedure:
A) Unload fed 168 GMM using Unload Hammer
B) Necksize unloaded brass either using a
Lee collet die
and more recently I have also be trying an
RCBS neck sizer with expander ball
C) Refill with Orig. Powder and Re-seat the bullets to original depth using lee seater (nothing special)
D) Measured bullet runoff to make sure it on par or better than what it was.

I have been very carful at this and repeated this now several time. However back at the range I can only get 0.8-1MOA with these which means something is already off either with the seating step or with the neck tension..? or with something else? Before unloading (to reduce the variables) I was reloading adding many more steps. Results were 0.7-1 MOA as well but I had no clue where the problem could be. Now the error needs to be in steps A-D above. But where?

What should I do…?

In a few weeks I should be getting a few more dies to try. Specifically a 1. Forster Ultra Micrometer Seater Die and a 2. Redding Competition Bushing Neck Sizer Die together with a 336 Diameter Titanium Nitride Bushing to see if this helps.

Anyway I am getting frustrated that I cannot get close to what the factory ammo delivers. And that I have to keep buying stuff without getting anywhere near the factory loads..

Can someone shine some light into what is going on?

June 11, 2014, 05:16 PM	#1
hank jacobs Junior Member Join Date: June 10, 2014 Posts: 12	How can I get my 308 reloads to be as good as out of the box168gr Fed GMM How can I get my 308 reloads to be as good as out of the box168gr Fed GMM which shoots sub .5 moa out of Rem 700 SPS Tactical Hi everyone, I am a newbie here and hope to get to get some advice. I started reloading 4 months ago and am still not able (after 400 rounds) to match Fed GMM. To cut the story short I am currently trying to reduce the variables and decided to pull the bullets from the FED gold medal match 168 gr factory loads to reseat them into the original brass leaving primer, powder charge, seating depth, unchanged. I used the following procedure: A) Unload fed 168 GMM using Unload Hammer B) Necksize unloaded brass either using a Lee collet die and more recently I have also be trying an RCBS neck sizer with expander ball C) Refill with Orig. Powder and Re-seat the bullets to original depth using lee seater (nothing special) D) Measured bullet runoff to make sure it on par or better than what it was. I have been very carful at this and repeated this now several time. However back at the range I can only get 0.8-1MOA with these which means something is already off either with the seating step or with the neck tension..? or with something else? Before unloading (to reduce the variables) I was reloading adding many more steps. Results were 0.7-1 MOA as well but I had no clue where the problem could be. Now the error needs to be in steps A-D above. But where? What should I do…? In a few weeks I should be getting a few more dies to try. Specifically a 1. Forster Ultra Micrometer Seater Die and a 2. Redding Competition Bushing Neck Sizer Die together with a 336 Diameter Titanium Nitride Bushing to see if this helps. Anyway I am getting frustrated that I cannot get close to what the factory ammo delivers. And that I have to keep buying stuff without getting anywhere near the factory loads.. Can someone shine some light into what is going on? Last edited by hank jacobs; June 11, 2014 at 05:35 PM.