.308 Accuracy Loads w/165gr

[dacaur]

You load a bunch of rounds in .5 gr increments, and shoot them all at the same target, as you increase powder, they will walk up the target, but at some point a few will end up at the same vertical axis, which is, in theory, your rifles "sweet spot". Basically you are looking for the same thing as in the dan newbery method, several bullets of different charge weights that group together, except you are only worried about vertical grouping at this point. Once you have that 1.5-2gr range where they group vertically, you start loading 3-5 shot groups in .2gr increments in that range.

[browninghunter86]

ok will give it a try

[Unclenick]

Browninghunter86,

You may have an underlying issue (like the uneven stock contact with the barrel you mentioned in the gunsmithing forum) that is frustrating your load development efforts. If you are getting 1 moa of error due to the stock issue, then beyond a point, improvements you make to your loads may be largely masked by it.


Dacaur.

I think from your comments that you may misunderstood Newberry’s idea. Properly applied, his system works extremely well and is, IMHO, a better alternative to the Creighton Audette Ladder used in past decades. It is based on the observation that some loads of some component combinations, like the Federal .308 GMM with 168 grain SMK, exist that work well in a broad range of rifles and barrel lengths. It then provides a method for systematically identifying such loads, but it does not suggest you will find such a load in every component combination you try, no matter how accurately they may shoot at some particular sweet spot in some particular rifle. Indeed, the OCW loads are exceptions rather than the rule. His recipe list is based on a number of people with a variety of rifles all reporting good precision with the same load.

In addition, his round robin technique can also identify sweet spots with loads that are not good OCW candidates. They just won’t have the wider charge weight range OCW load does.

(A note of caution with the load recipes on Newberry’s site: they all use Winchester cases, exclusively. Winchester .308 cases are a design that was developed to have extra powder capacity for the 1992 Palma Match. It is about 15 grains lighter than most other commercial .308 cases and about 30 grains lighter than the heaviest military cases (IMI in my measuring). This means a load developed in a Winchester case would need to be knocked down about a grain in most other brands of commercial brass, and down by as much as two grains in some military brass to keep pressure and barrel times close to the same as they were in the Winchester.)

[browninghunter86]

anyone have a accurate load using RL-15 for 165gr Hornadys? Seen alot of 43gr and 45gr on other sites/forums. and 44 according to Lyman Manual as their accurate load. I know may not be the same for my rifle but was curious

[browninghunter86]

Unclenick: after taking it out and seating it back again the barrel is not touching anymore. made sure rings were tight and bipod legs tight and bipod swivel lock was secure and had good results at range today.

Going back tom to shoot same loads to double check but 43.7gr RL-!5 @2.800COAL shot in same hole

[browninghunter86]

45.5gr RL-15 produced .630 group @100yds.

[Unclenick]

Sounds like you're getting something it likes.

The bipod issue I had with mine was recoil would slap the barrel against the stock at the front. Wore some bluing off there. That caused me to realize that when I used the bipod, the stock was flexing up into contact with the barrel under the gun's weight. So you want the dollar bill test done by a partner when you are in position on the gun to make sure neither the weight of the gun nor any pressure you put on it is causing contact.