ideal all around 308 win load

long story short. there are four of us and we are going to put together a little community range. I've been tasked with putting together some 308 win ammo for use in several different guns, for target practice and hunting and thought I'd ask opinions on favorites, 200 yard will probably be about max distance and will be used in bolt actions, semi autos and slide actions. I found source for good hunting bullets in both 150 grain and 180 grain. since I'm going to be teaching a couple of the guys how to reload I thought I would start simple with jacketed soft point bullets.
I figure I'll use Imr 4895 for powder.

I found source for good hunting bullets in both 150 grain and 180 grain.

Jacketed or cast bullets?

If cast; GC'd or PB'd?

For deer hunting, I would go with the 150 gr jacketed bullets. Lots of good powders for the .308. I use Varget but it is expensive and not easy to get. 4895 will work and 4064 would be a good choice too.

Yes the 150gr jacket is the sweet spot for 308 & 30/06 deer hunting in general. Also the 4895 is good choice. Works well in BA-pumps-and semi auto.

I've used 3031 and 748. 748 gave me best accuracy with a 130 gr spire point.

I found a great deal on 180 grain Remington accu tips so I got 500 on the way. what I'm wondering is there will be at least 3 different guns its not like I'm working up a load for 1 gun. I'm thinking often working up a load for my savage 110 and should be accurate in other guns. but then again maybe not.
I know in 30-06 I can load at 56 grains with 4350 w 165 gr jacketed bullet and is very accurate in any gun ive shot it in. I' have less experience with 308
how do ammo manufacturers load/ to max or just below?

If it were me, I would not load to maximum. I would look at 5% below max, as every gun is not the same. If someone does something stupid and blows a gun up, the first thing to blame will be your reloads.

COL should be kept at what is listed in the load data.

Any of the 150s shine in .308. Most powders do well, but I find myself coming back to Win748 most often.
The 147FMJ military load for .308--- 7.62NATO didn't come about by accident.

For cast, the Lyman 170GC round nose seems to be well liked by my M1A.
Nothing magic about it, its just what I load for .30-30 and already have the mold.

I’ve found .308 to be very easy to load for. Almost any medium burn range powder will work fine. Some of my favorites are Varget, CFE 223, Reloader 15, and IMR 4064. My son’s .308 likes 748 best though. If you’ve already got H4895 then I’d start with it. It’s probably the most flexible rifle powder around.

I tried IMR4895, IMR4064, H335, RL15 , BLC-2, IMR4320 in my Savage 99DL Win. .308 and 99E .300 Savage. I finally settled on the RL15 for both. Very good accuracy and did not have to run pressure up too high to get good results. Worked for me anyway, james

If I were to load a 150 grain jacketed bullet for use in several .308s, I would go for an M80 ball ballistic equivalent.

Robert

I must be on a different track.

The Sierra 125 spitzer and H380 has
been an accurate and deadly combination
for me in an M1A and a Winchester bolt
gun out to 400 yds. Maybe not for big and
dangerous critters, but anything else in this country.

I have killed most of my deer with the 165 grain Sierra BTHP Game King. It expended all of its energy inside the deer. But, probably the longest shot I have killed one at was around 200 yards. Always hunted in the Ozarks, and no long shots up there.