308 or 30-06 load using 208g amax

Ninth and Plum · June 2, 2009, 01:59 AM

I was wondering if anyone has loaded the 308 or 30-06 with the 208g hornady amax. What type of powder did you use, and what kind of speeds were you getting out of them?

I would prefer to use winchester 760 if possible as that is what I have. However I am open to any and all suggestions of what would work best.

Does having a compressed load gain or take away any of the performance?

I have loaded quite a few hundred 308 rounds however none of this weight before and I've had trouble finding info on it so that is why I am asking here. Any help you guys can give me is greatly appreciated. Also if you have any suggestions of loads that have worked well with your 308 or 30-06 I'm always glad see what's working for others. Again thanks.

**Unclenick** · June 4, 2009, 06:03 PM

As a sort of vague rule of thumb, the .308 is not often loaded with bullet weights above 180 grains. It's not that it can't shoot them, it's just that heavier bullets start to eat up a lot of the powder space in the case, making it hard to achieve a decent return on the investment. The 208 grain A-max, however, looks like it makes out alright on paper if you load it right up to maximum.

Reloader 17 and Winchester 760 produce the best velocities from a 22" barrel in QuickLOAD's calculations (don't know what you are shooting) as maximum pressure is approached. The fastest combo isn't always best for accuracy, though. But since you have 760, deburr your case flash holes to improve ignition consistency and give it a try. I assume this is an accuracy load for target shooting, so you will want to work loads up both with BR primers and with magnum primers with that powder to see which gives you best results? The bullet is long enough that an 11" twist, like the match M14's use, is desirable. 12" may be marginal for stability. You will probably want to use Winchester cases to get maximum powder volume. I would start with around 42 grains in a Winchester case with standard primer, and 40 grains in any other brand of case.

In .30-06 the extra powder room will help. I would start at about 47 grains of 760 in that cartridge and work up. You'll land somewhere in the low 50's.

The above loads would be for bolt guns only. Gas guns are going to have their mechanisms slammed about too much by the relatively high pressures slow powder and a heavy bullet produce at their gas ports.

Ninth and Plum · June 4, 2009, 09:00 PM

Thanks for the info, I was given a box of 100 bullets for free so I figure I might as use them. I will more than likely be loading them for my ruger mark2 30-06.

June 2, 2009, 01:59 AM	#1
Ninth and Plum Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Posts: 25	308 or 30-06 load using 208g amax I was wondering if anyone has loaded the 308 or 30-06 with the 208g hornady amax. What type of powder did you use, and what kind of speeds were you getting out of them? I would prefer to use winchester 760 if possible as that is what I have. However I am open to any and all suggestions of what would work best. Does having a compressed load gain or take away any of the performance? I have loaded quite a few hundred 308 rounds however none of this weight before and I've had trouble finding info on it so that is why I am asking here. Any help you guys can give me is greatly appreciated. Also if you have any suggestions of loads that have worked well with your 308 or 30-06 I'm always glad see what's working for others. Again thanks.

June 4, 2009, 06:03 PM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	As a sort of vague rule of thumb, the .308 is not often loaded with bullet weights above 180 grains. It's not that it can't shoot them, it's just that heavier bullets start to eat up a lot of the powder space in the case, making it hard to achieve a decent return on the investment. The 208 grain A-max, however, looks like it makes out alright on paper if you load it right up to maximum. Reloader 17 and Winchester 760 produce the best velocities from a 22" barrel in QuickLOAD's calculations (don't know what you are shooting) as maximum pressure is approached. The fastest combo isn't always best for accuracy, though. But since you have 760, deburr your case flash holes to improve ignition consistency and give it a try. I assume this is an accuracy load for target shooting, so you will want to work loads up both with BR primers and with magnum primers with that powder to see which gives you best results? The bullet is long enough that an 11" twist, like the match M14's use, is desirable. 12" may be marginal for stability. You will probably want to use Winchester cases to get maximum powder volume. I would start with around 42 grains in a Winchester case with standard primer, and 40 grains in any other brand of case. In .30-06 the extra powder room will help. I would start at about 47 grains of 760 in that cartridge and work up. You'll land somewhere in the low 50's. The above loads would be for bolt guns only. Gas guns are going to have their mechanisms slammed about too much by the relatively high pressures slow powder and a heavy bullet produce at their gas ports. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

June 4, 2009, 09:00 PM	#3
Ninth and Plum Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Posts: 25	Thanks for the info, I was given a box of 100 bullets for free so I figure I might as use them. I will more than likely be loading them for my ruger mark2 30-06.