Looking for a little help with .308win PC load

[BT8850]

I am doing some experimenting loading for a .308win, Its a cheapo stevens model 200. The cast boolit Im wanting to try is the Lee 312-155-2r, ESPC sized .311 with a hornady gas check. I've made up an inert dummy to check function and I am having to seat in the 2.600" COAL range to get the bolt to close. I have used this boolit in 300 black out with very good results (also had to load shorter than average OAL) and I have a stockpile of them so I would like to try and use them in other 30 caliber rifles. I am new to loading anything faster than 2200fps so I want to tread carefully. I am planning on using IMR 4064 but I also have a lb of CFE223 that I haven't played with yet as well as H335 a little H4350. Ideally i'd like to use up the 4064.

Any input on where to start charge wise would be greatly appreciated, Hogdons website shows a 155g sierra hpbt start @ 43grn of IMR4064 @ 2.775 COAL for 2,602fps and I just think that's too much for the my boolit and the depth its seated. Is .311 going to be too big to be safe? I have not slugged this particular rifle.

[runfiverun]

you don't need to worry about the barrel the boolit has to go through the throat to get there.
if the boolit you have scuffs up in the ball seat area and the nose engraves the rifling you at least have a halfway straight start.
try 29 grs of the 4041 then 30 then 31 and keep on moving upwards until you run into a problem then change something.
alloy, powder speed or something

[popper]

38-39 gr. of H335 should work well. Not near a full load so COAL shouldn't make much difference.

[newton]

Cant help with those powders, but I use IMR 4227 in my boys 308 with those Lee boolits PC'd. It shoots great, right around 1950 fps if memory serves me well. I used a mix of WW and Lino, and water dropped them. I found that they did not like to go over 2000-2100 fps with the powder I was trying. No leading, just not as accurate. The best thing I found to do if find a suitable powder, then just load up some from starting to ending loads. Yes, you will find that most of them will not shoot worth a darn, and you'll be "wasting" powder and primers, but in the end you'll see exactly what your gun likes.

I used to find other guys recipes and then only load in that range. I wound up wasting more powder and primers doing so thinking that because it worked in their gun it must in mine and kept on trying to get good results. I am under the impression, from working up loads in 3 different guns over the last month, that powder charge is #1 when it comes to finding a good load, followed by type of powder, and OAL then a lot of other things. It all adds up in the end, but doing ladder tests(I think that's what its called) has proven itself to me in being confident(or not) in a particular powder and load. If you do a ladder test with a particular powder, and it wont shoot worth anything, then you can rule it out completely.

The Lyman book lists 30gr of H335 to 44gr max for a 173gr boolit, which is what mine came out to weigh around. I sized mine to .310, and seat them out to where there are land marks around .030" long on the nose of the boolit if I un-chamber without firing.

Book doesn't show any data for the other powders.....not that I always go by the book. lol

[BT8850]

Thank you guys for the responses, they are very enlightening. Runfiverun I'm assuming you meant start at 29g of 4064, I think I will give that one a try since I have the 4064 in the hopper already. Popper, I will try a load with the H335 when I switch out the powders in my hopper. Newton, thank you for the information and detailed response. I'm glad to hear you've had good results with this boolit in the .308, may I ask what COAL you were loading to? I know you said you load it out to the lands I'm just curious what that is in your particular rifle. Thanks!

[BT8850]

Alright so I finally got to try out the load i'd made up. I decided on 30g IMR 4064 seated to 2.600", Win LR primers in RP brass. This group is pretty awful. This was fired at 100yards from a Stevens Model 200 308win using a front rest and jimmy rigged rear 'bag'.

I will say a few things about it though, first; its definitely improvable haha second; I think the worst two shots (top left and wide right middle) where mostly my fault because the remaining three aren't terrible to work from and they are very close to where the rest of my loads were shooting in terms of point of impact (scope is off right), third, I only had loaded these five rounds and shot them after firing roughly 40 other rounds to end my day and the barrel was pretty warm. However, I did not see any evidence of leading whatsoever and there was no more than average debris in the barrel given the number of shots I made that day.

Any how, I've loaded up some more rounds, 31, 32, 33g of the IMR4064, going to take some advice from you folks and work up until things start to go awry, I'll keep you all posted when I get some more shooting done! Any positive input is appreciated :D



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[RP]

Kind of off the powders you listed but I been playing around with a 150gr ish in my 308 with some trailboss 10 grs fun rounds. Not trying to do anything but test the PC and shoot some on the cheap. I have not check the speed but my groups are around a inch. I know trialboss is for cowboy shooting but the bullet is not really that slow.

[BT8850]

Very interesting. Hogdon shows 10g Trailboss under 150g should make 1176fps in 24" barrel, sounds like it would definitely be a fun one just to poof around with! May I ask what boolit and PC you're using? Are you having any trouble with the powder coat ie having to seat really deep or any residue left in the barrel? I'm glad to hear you're getting good accuracy!

[RP]

Well I been shooting them today since the weather is so nice checked the speed and they are running 1430 to 1445 in a 30 inch barrel. PC is HF red sprayed on a 150 gr bullet that has had the GC removed I do not know the number off the top of my head but its a old ideal 4 banger I picked up in a trade. The profile looks like the ones you posted. As far as chambering they are doing fine set to the crimp line on the bullet and so far I ran a bore snake down the barrel after about 100 rounds just to see. Bore was bright and shiny on one pass. I only did this to see what I was getting not because POA was changing. Going to shoot another 100 as soon as I finish my lunch. Yes they are great plinking loads or even for rabbits or other small critters.

[RP]

Well just got done shooting the rest of those PC loads and the mold is a lyman not ideal and the number is 311410 true cast weight with my alloy is 135 grs but for trail boss I was not to worried about it being lighter then 150gr. Barrel also is a 1in 12 twist but for what I was doing I thought they shot great and had fun testing out the PC in a rifle. So cast boolits cost if you figure molds pot sizer dies lead PC and PC gun plus time I got about 75.00 bucks for a loaded round. But I like to look at it for a little casting PC and loading time 200 primers and a lb of trailboss I say the cost for me under twenty bucks I had a good full day of shooting with the breaks for lunch and other things I stopped to do letting barrel cool and just a break. I pulled a bore snake down the bore and it again came out bright clean and shiny which I was very happy about no gunk at the muzzle just a quick wipe and it was clean.
Testing these out was just that a test but as much fun as I had and the low cost I may try out some 170s cast or 220s only other rifle I tested PC in has been my ar 300bo. But I have shot a few in other rifles but not in test mode. Looks like I pulling out the old bolt action 30/30 and testing again soon