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Old January 25, 2012, 08:46 AM   #1
larzb93
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.308 sweet spot and bullet

i have read someone on the forum lately talking about you would want to work your way up to a good load to find the "sweet spot". would anyone care to explain the best method to find your best powder charge to find the "sweet spot". ALSO i need to find a good bullet for short range target shooting (100 to 200 yards) that wont kill my pocket like a SMK. i cant stand the bullets with the soft points like the SGK, i feel that they are too delicate and the flight will be altered because of the inconsistency in the tip of the bullet . so i am looking for a substitute.

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Old January 25, 2012, 10:08 AM   #2
PawPaw
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Dan Newberry's OCW system is as good as any in finding a good load for your rifle. There is no simple explanation, but the link above should give you some good reading.

As far as bullets, I use Gamekings for hunting and I don't find that the exposed lead at the tip causes any problems at all. There are alternatives, however, and for target work I'm playing with the Hornady A-Max. They seem to be pretty good bullets. They have a polymer tip, so if you're really worried about tip deformation the A-Max will reduce those fears.
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Old January 25, 2012, 10:46 AM   #3
larzb93
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thank you PawPaw. i have heard good things about the A-Max. i will have to give them a try
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Old January 25, 2012, 11:26 AM   #4
Brian Pfleuger
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Tests have shown that the base of the bullet is far more important in flight than is the nose.

Dan Newberry's system is a good one, often recommended by UncleNick.

You can use a variation of the Newberry technique to establish your preferred OAL also. Simply use Trail Boss powder with a fixed charge and vary the OAL rather than the powder charge. Once you have established the OAL that particular bullet likes, continue on with Newberry's method for the powder charge.
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Old January 25, 2012, 11:56 AM   #5
larzb93
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so i should find a good seating depth first?
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Old January 25, 2012, 03:04 PM   #6
Brian Pfleuger
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Well, I admit that I'm operating on theory but it goes like this...

Finding the right powder charge is largely based on the time the bullet spends in the barrel and where exactly the barrel vibrations are at the moment of bullet exit.

If you find an accurate load based on powder charge first and then start tweaking the seating depth, you are messing with one of the reasons the load was accurate... barrel time.

But, if you start with seating depth and find what the bullet likes most and THEN look for a load that gives you good barrel time, you're only messing with that one variable.

Light Trail Boss loads mostly eliminate the barrel vibrations as a variable because the vibrations start out much smaller and the bullet is going so slow that the vibrations have more time to die out before bullet exit.
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