Handloading .308 Winchester for a short barrel

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Hi all, I’ve been reloading pistol cartridges for years and am now moving into rifle cartridges. Any suggestions as to which would be the best powder for .308 Winchester, 150 grain bullet for use in a rifle with a 27 1/2 inch barrel.
Many thanks.
 
27.5 inch barrel is what I would consider.to be on the long side for 308. Did you mean 17.5 inches? If so, Varget and Power Pro Varmint work well for me.
 
IMR4895 has been very successful in match rifles chambered for the 308 using 150 to 155 grain bullets.

Ball powders have never been popular among match winners. Most require magnum primers for best accuracy.
 
I have had good luck with several different powders Varget, Tac, IMR 4166, IMR 4064. Never used 150 gn bullets though. 155.5's and 168's mostly
 
H4895, which is slightly faster than the IMR product is another good choice. Another one I've come to like for 30 cal 150-grain bullets is VV N135.
 
I have two 308s, one with a 16.5" and the other 18".

I tried most of the highly recommended powders and nada. Decided to work up some reduced loads for the oldest grandson when he was a tot, and went with H4895. As he grew so did the charge weight and turned out to work just fine with 150gr bullets.

I personally went with the bulk Rem CL due to using them for feral hogs, and they just worked great. If you could find either one you would would be good to go.
 
The best 308 load I've ever used is 42gr of H4895 for 150 or 165gr bullets. The 150gr load runs 2588 from 20" and has an ES of 22fps. Both bullets print into less than a 1/2".
 
I've loaded for .308 for many years for scout rifles like the Savage Scout and on through precision rifles. My experience has been that Varget and a 172 grain Sierra Matchking bullet is the best for me anyway. MOA groups at least out to 500 yards. Watch out for what Geaux Tide says, you gotta watch out for those Bama fans. Of course I live in Auburn but that doesn't have anything to do with anything, just having some fun. Back to serious, I've had excellent service with Matchkings and Varget.

Rick H.
 
A lot of good powders have been mentioned. One of my .308s is a Ruger tang safety RSI with a Mannlicher style stock and 18.5" barrel. A real one trick pony as the only thing that works in it is 49.0 gr. W760, Winchester brass and WLR primer. Change any one of those components and accuracy goes all to hell and gone. The load also works well in a Winchester M70 with 22" barrel. Velocity from the 18.5" is 2550 FPS and 2610 FPS from the 22" barrel. I've used the 18." rifle out as far as 250 yards on large Arizona Mule Deer.
Paul B.
 
IMR4064 and Varget do great for me. 150 to 180gr bullets in a 20+" barrel. Might be slow or wasted powder in 16.5". BLC-2 and CFE223 might work well in a shorter barrel, just a guess, haven't tried them as I don't have a 16" 308.
 
Go to powder

IMR 4064 has been my standard .308 powder for over 40 years. Barrel lengths 18, 20 and 22 inches, 150 gr Sierra Pro Hunter for game, 147 gr GI FMJ for practice. Most recent rifle the short barreled Ruger Predator, what a gem!

I use Varget and 175 Match Kings when I shot a wee bit of F -T/R in a long barreled match .308, and a Savage Hog rifle with 180 gr Ballistic Tips uses Varget as well.

Five .308 rifles I'm my safe.
 
The same powder that produces the highest velocity in a 32" .308 Winchester barrel produces the highest velocity in a 16" barrel, though it will do it with a lot more muzzle blast in the short one.
 
H4895 is a great powder in my 18” AR-10 pushing 150’s . I use H-335 as well , it’s ok and meters great for throwing charges . IMR-8208xbr would be another powder that would likely work similarly to H-4895 .

As I sit here writing it occurs to me there are to many powders that would work just fine . The 308 is pretty easy to load , it likes many powders ;-)
 
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