Bought Some 308 168gr and 208gr bullets

B

Bytesniffer

New member
Well, I was interested in
A little heavier bullet , from
The 150gr bullets I have been
Loading for six months.

So, picked up some hornady
168 gr amax but noticed
Some match seconds
208 grain bullets pretty
Cheap. Bought them too.

I was playing around
With these heavier bullets.
I measured from the
Ogive of this bullet
With my hornady oal
Gauge. The
Bullet is touching the
Lands at 2.280
Back off 20k to
2.260. Great.
Dummy round with same dimensions
Chambers fine.
But, coal is 2.985
With the powder charge
Stated for this weight
Bullet 38 grains
Boat tail will just set right
On top of power.

Cartridge length way
To long for my magazine.
If I seat bullet any deeper,
I will be compressing
The powder ?
Just fire one at a time ?
 
Anytime you reduce the COAL of a handload, you run the risk of higher pressures. How much???? Maybe not much or maybe enough to be a problem. Case size is usually the determining factor. Bigger case=lesser chance. Little case= more chance. Powder burn rate is another factor. Faster powder= more chance. Slower powder=less chance(maybe).
Definitive answer: you're on your own.
 
I'm sure I'm not the only one to
Ever load a 208 grain bullet
For a 308.
The 308 brass case is
2.007 long
1.623 headspace
Bullet length 1.540 inches
I measure 2.280 with the
Oal gauge just touching the
Lands.
If I reduce the distance to
The lands by suggested amount
I still have a round that
Is to large for my magazine
2.980 vs 2.800.

My manual gives a powder
Charge for a 200 grain bullet
Fmj-bt. Doest have heavier
Weight bullet for 308. Manual
Lists
39 grains with imr 4064.
If I seat this bullet
Down to coal of 2.800
I will be compressing
The powder and I'm not
Sure about pressure.

Its not touching lands now
Its not compressing powder
I can load it , close the bolt.
Easily.
Bullet is just so damn long.
Didn't expect this when I bought them.

168 Hornady np
 
"...measured from the ogive of this bullet..."OAL is not measured from the ogive. Nor do cases have headspace.
2.980" is far too long with any bullet weight. MAX OAL for .308 is 2.810".
You can forget the whole off-the-lands stuff until you have worked up the load too. The off-the-lands stuff is a load tweaking technique that really isn't necessary and the amount will be different for every rifle with every bullet weight.
39 grains of IMR4064 with a 208 grain bullet(there's 208 grain A-Max data on Hodgdon's site, but 200 grain data will do. 8 grains won't make any difference.) probably is starting to compress. Max is 41.0 and definitely is compressed. Compressed loads are not something to worry about anyway. Doesn't do anything to the pressures.
 
+1 to T. O'Heir's answer. Hodgdon site recommends starting load of 37.7 and max load of 41.0, and list the max load as compressed. If it were me I would use the starting load and use a max COAL (due to that bullet being so long for the 308) that would fit into my magazine and work up from there. Once I reached a point that my rifle was showing signs of pressure I would back off and then play with COAL to adjust for better accuracy.
 
I most have watched a dozen
Video's on how to use the
Hornady oal gauge. Like
8541 tactical, etc
No one using this gauge,
Modified case and comparator
For 308 and 200 grain bullet
Is determining a overall length
Of 2.800
I don't see anyway you can
Use this gauge to find out when
Your bullet touches the lands
And back it off 20 or 30
Thousandths and be anywhere
Near 2.800.
So please explain why this measuring
Equipment exist if you can't
Go beyond 2.800
 
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208gr is a great choice if your barrel has the right twist. I'm having great success with a 28" heavy (17 contour) 11" twist with one of my builds in .308. I load mine .010" off the lands, but I only single feed as opposed to mag feeding with that length.

I'm using ELD's and this gun is a great 1k plinker.

DSCN9326.jpg


I also use the oal guage from Hornady.
 
6mt ,
Thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately, my 7.62
Mossberg only has an
18.5 inch barrel. 1:10 Twist
Bullet weight probably to
heavy for 600 yds ?

That's what I have talking
About.
I measure , take readings,
Examine and analyze
Everything.
I use all the tools
To fine my lands an how many
Thousandths to move from
Them.
I also do it, old school.
Build a dummy round from brass
Fired in my rifle, loose neck s OK bullet
Will hits lands, its
Pushed back.
I compare these readings and
Know where my lands are.
I can move many thousandth
From these readings without any problem
But coal will be much longer then
2.810 I'm using now and can only be loaded
One at a time .
 
Yeah, COAL is really only to guage whether you can mag feed. My measurements are always to the ogive contact point.
 
I loaded a few rounds I'm going
To test next time at range.
Coal is at 2.820 now.

208gr bullet to lands
From ogive. 2.267
Coal 3.005
The bullets I put together
Measure coal 2.820
To datam 2.087
I'm 3/16 (.180) inch from
Touching the lands.
 
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