Evening Gents,

I'm pretty well obsessed with this handloading hobby and I've been doing some reading (danger) :eek:
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I have a thought that I would like some feedback on:

I noticed on my .308 target bolt gun, I got stellar accuracy with a load below the mid-way point of the manual's spread. My opinion is that even in hunting situations, velocity takes a back seat to accuracy 99/100 times (within the bounds of terminal bullet performance).

Also, penetration/cavitation data that I have collected suggests that the best terminal performance of deforming, copper jacketed modern hunting bullets resides in the area of 2,200 - 2,700 fps.

Lastly, there is more than one "sweet spot" in any given rifle barrel: some at low vel. and some at high.

If those three statements are true, then it would make perfect sense to develop loads that will meet those perameters, providing me with 1) comfortable shooting, 2)long barrel life and 3) successful, quick, clean game harvest.

I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

Thank you
EMC2

Different people are looking for different things; it sounds like you're on the right track for a good hunting load. While all rifles shoot differently, most experiment to find that one "sweet spot". I found one for my .223 H&R: 26gr Varget and a 50gr Nosler BT is dead accurate. I tend to like to push to the most velocity I can get, but when I get one dialed in, I tend to stay there. Plus in my case, a .223 is a lot easier to shoot no matter how hot I load it.

But that's the fun of handloading - finding loads for a rifle for different purposes. You can even go for light weight cast loads at low velocity in your .308 and have a blast using it on varmints if you want.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing! :cool:

Basically you answered any question you have but there are a couple of considerations. The expected range you are going to shoot and how big is the quarry. My thought is that mid-level .308 loads with decent bullets are adequate for any big game animal in NA at less than 300 yds. bigger game or farther shots may require more and to get much more you may need a bigger case. If it were me I would stick with a load that fits your accuracy needs and go for it. I expect that mid-level loads in your .308 would extend the life of your gun well past your prime shooting years.

EMC2:

You didn’t mention which bullet(s) you are shooting. If you are shooting a non-target bullet, between 150 and 180 grains, even at 2200 fps you are duplicating 30-30 velocities, and we know how much game that cartridge has taken. I would think that if you shoot around the 30-30 capabilities, you would do fine.

Darrel

Well,
Currently I am working on a bolt action .270 Win load for under 300 yards with the 130gr Interbond from Hornady. this development is for coyote to deer-sized game.

Then there is the .308 load in the .300 WSM, 165 Gr. Interbond for less than 500 yards on the same sized game.

Then there I have plans for a 180 Gr. Barnes X or 3X for larger NA game at the same range, or bigger game at much less range (<100 yds)

The goal is to keep the intended impact velocitied consistant with optimal terminal performance. For example, the data I've seen suggests that the bullets like the Barnes-X and the Failsafe will shed their pedals at impact velocities of over 2700 fps.

In reality, I may never have a chance to shoot that far or hunt that type of game animal. But, I can practice and prepare if I ever do hit the lottery, or my wife's 10 yr anniversary gift to me is an Alaskan guided hunt :)

Thanks guys.
EMC2

You figured out what some hunters / reloaders don't learn in a lifetime. Load for accuracy, and don't push the bullets to failure. Boring, maybe, but it works!!!!

IMHO, it's all about performance. Sure, you can find an accurate load for your .308 at .30-.30 velocities, but why? I use a two step method to come up with a load. The first thing I do is decide what velocity range I will be looking for, and THEN go in search of the accurate load within that range. A chronograph is crucial in determining velocities of various loads in the first step, while in the second step it is used to determine ES and SD.

Don

I generally dont even chronograph until i find a load that's getting reasonable accuracy. Whats the point of knowing how fast its going if it's not an acceptably accurate load?

NathanL:

I do the same thing, but my reason is because it's too much of a pain to set up my chrony at the range and shoot 100 yd groups over it. I just shoot 100 yd groups to find a good load, and then I load up 5 of my most accurate load to shoot over the chrony into a burm.

USSR:

Predictable results without paying double or triple the price for premium bullets is a good reason to do it. When you know your max range is sub 100 yards, and there's a good chance you will get a sub 50 yard shot, you don't want a bullet hitting a rib at an impact velocity higher than it was designed for.

A friend I had in Washington had a fine example of this. He was hunting timber in Eastern Washington, and no shots were going to be extremely long, about 100 yards tops. He was shooting a 30-06 with handloaded 150 gr Core Lokts, the same load he had been using for years. Those who have hunted Eastern Washington know that it varies greatly from wide open Mulie hunting to the west all the way to thick bushes and fir trees in the Eastern Mountains. Anyway, he got a shot at a 5x5 Whitetail at around 50 yards, and the bullet hit a rib on entrance. It was perfectly placed behind the shoulder. Rather than doing what it normally would at a lower impact velocity (develop a nice mushroom and continue through with the majority of its mass), it turned to shrapnel and little shreds of copper were all we found inside with no real wound channel. Luckily for him, the deer ran two large circles around him and fell down in sight. If the buck would have left his view, he never would have found it.

I think things like this are good reasons to tailor your loads to particular types of hunting. I'm sure one all-around Partition Load would work just as well, but that only requires one load to be developed. Where's the fun in that?

amndouglas