Any luck with light bullets in .308, maybe 125 or 130 grain?

[tacotime]

Just wondering if anyone has found good accuracy with light bullets in .308?  This will be in a 77 Compact.  Might go with a light load for reduced recoil.  I have heard .308 is not well suited for light bullets.

[omegahunter]

Not the current manual, but Sierra's next to last manual had an "accuracy" load of 45.4 grains of IMR4895 for a 125 grain bullet.  In my rifle it shot 1/8th inch 100 yard 3 shot groups on one occasion, but would always put them well under 1/2 inch each and every time.  I didn't have a chrony at the time, so I have no idea what the velocity was.
 
Good luck.

[Larry L]

The family probably has over 15 308s that I load for. A load that works in all of them is the following:
45.0grs IMR4064 under a 125gr TNT bullet. I use Federal match primers but the Remingtons work exactly the same. Accuracy is well under an inch and some are almost one hole rifles with this load. It will also disassemble a coyote pretty good.

[simplicity]

I have had luck with the Hornady 110gr. vmax's. Granted they don't give the best accuracy out of my AR10 but they still shoot under a inch. getting 2800fps out of a 16' barrel. It's my coyote load for that rifle. 110gr vmax over 52.0 grains of BL-C2.

[ferryboatcaptain]

I load 125 grain sierra pro hunters for my rem.  700  and my dads rem. 760 pump  with h4895 powder .  The groups are good and recoil is light.
      FBC

[charles p]

Many years ago before I started reloading, Rem loaded some 125 gr bullets for 30-06.  I tried them on deer.  I also loaded some 130 Hornday.  They worked but I liked 150 better.  Still do.

[1armoured]

Hi,
I don't know what you're shooting at, but for some bench and offhand plinking and varminting,
I did a bit of an experiment with V-Max 110gr for a reduced recoil load.


I didn't get the recoil down as low as I would have hoped, for consistent velocity and accuracy, but it was less than the 155gr MK's that I was shooting.
I use only H4895 in my Sako 75 Stainless/Synthetic sporter bolt, 1:11" twist, 22" sporter factory barrel
with Lapua brass and Federal primers.


I was very pleased with the results,
have a look at some of the results below.
Didn't shoot many, because of the cost. (I have to watch my pension pennies !)


Also going to try some lead cast, with 60% H4895, and also some even lower velocity700x loads (but haven't got around to it yet !)


-







cheers,
SS

[the jigger]

My 308 shoots 125gr Bal Tips to MOA out to 200yds. the load is 49.5gr of Varget, CCI primer, and Rem brass.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

[tacotime]

Excellent info, thanks to all.  Really this is a varmint application, with the occasional unexpected hog encounter.  I would probably go IMR if this was my only hunter, but since I have some H4895 that is not otherwise employed, I think I will try that and see what happens, though I have not had very good luck with it in the past in other cals. 

[Brithunter]

That's 3 shot with the Hornady 130 grain SP. Powder is BLC-2.


The other three spread out holes were an old load with the Speer 200 grn semi spitzer I loaded years ago for another .308 and this Parker-Hale 1100 Lwt did not like it one bit. It does like the Hornady 130 grain bullets though.

[irold]

When I had my .308 Encore ( 15" ), I loaded 130 Hornady spire points with IMR 4895 ( sorry can't recall the exact formala ).  It shot sub moa groups at 100 yds , my boy also used the same load in his Ruger Compact....2-3 inch groups I think.....If the load interests you , pm me , I'll look it up in my records. For what its worth....He shot several deer with that load.....didn't like the results , now uses 150 gr Sierra Spitzer flat base....much better terminal results.
 
regards , irold

[bilmac]

I got about 1" 5 shot groups at 100y with either 125s or 130s in a Mossberg 800. I used them on doe deer shot for the meat because they seemed to do less damage.

[tacotime]

Thanks!

[SHOOTALL]

I use Hornady 130's in a Ruger M77 International with a short bbl with good results . I'm sure I used winchester powder and a light load from the Hornady reloading manual. It was for my daughter in law to shoot .