Too light of load? 308w

[Thompsoncustom]

I've been playing around with some heavy boolits in my 308w and I'm wondering at what point does a charge became to light.

I've been reading about guns exploding from too light of charges by never found a real good rule to go by.

I have quick load and a chronograph so I can guess and verify pressure/velocity.

Two of my manuals have load data for a 225gr boolit (I'm using 230) and one up to 250 bullet, with h380 they are starting at a higher charge than I would like to but I don't want to blow anything up.

The listed starting load is 39.5gr of h380 but I would like to start at 34 do you guys think that would be safe? 39.5gr is over 2000fps seems a little fast to start of at.

[popper]

Try with H4895, going down in charge till you get what you want. Use dacron to fill the empty space.

[NVScouter]

My experience with the .308 Winchester and boolits over 200g is that you better be in a long action or single shot.

The boolit base needs to be below the case neck to fit or seated out longer than most SA can handle. That being said a cast boolit in the 200-250g range @2000fps is a real thumper if you get accuracy.

[Tatume]

Now see here:

http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Hodgdon%20H4895%20reduced%20rifle%20load.pdf

[Bob Maerdian]

Years ago, about 20, I ringed two Springfield bbls. using Dacron fillers. I've used kapok with no problems. I wont use fillers in my rifles, period!

Bob

[rsrocket1]

Since you have Quickload, you can see what happens to the pressure vs barrel postion curve when you start reducing charges. You can see the curve go from a nice pronounced Pmax hump to a slow rising symmetical bump with Pmax way down the barel or simply an ever rising curve. You want to switch to a faster powder before the curve starts to get ugly like that. When you go from regular .308 powders like Varget down, you can try the faster powders like Reloader 7, then to the slower pistol powders like LilGun and 2400 down to fast shotgun/pistol powders like Unique/Red Dot for 1000-1400 fps loads with 10 grains of powder.

I've gone down to 6.5g Red Dot to launch 200g bare based bullets at 1005 fps with pretty good 50 yard accuracy.
119709

[2wheelDuke]

I've run some very light loads behind the Lee 230 in search of a subsonic load. The worst I've run into so far is a keyholing shot.

[Thompsoncustom]

I have imr 3031 problem is its to fast to cycle the action with 30 grains roughly 1700fps. 34gr of h380 that I also have should give the same velocity and hopefully cycle everything.

I just didn't want to run into problems down loading a slow powder like h380

[Jackpine]

I second the H4895 if you want a reduced load. If you want something really light, using cast bullets, try Trail Boss. I called Hodgdon a few years ago and asked about loading TB in some rifle cartridge I could find no data for. They said I could use TB in just about any rifle. The load data they gave me was to fill the cartridge to what would be base of the bullet without ANY compression of the powder. Weigh that amount of powder. That is the max charge. Reduce that amount by 20% and that is your starting load. Increase if desired to max, watching for pressure signs as you would do working up to any max load. THIS APPLIES TO CAST BULLETS ONLY, NOT JACKETED.

Jackpine

[Thompsoncustom]

That's very interested and seems to work in quickload. According to quickload using a 230gr bullet or 150gr if you stop right when the powder starts to compress with trailboss both have about the same pressure of 32k.

Now when it comes to h4895 vs H380 on paper (quickload) there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference so I'm thinking either would be fine. The pressure/curve/%burnt are only different by a couple %

I'm pretty sure i'm just over thinking the minimum charge thing, just need to get more rifle reloading under my belt.