.308WIN Reloads

[Anonym]

Where to start!  I used to do a lot of competitive military shooting about 15 years ago.  Just recently, one of my old team members who used to do a little reloading for the team gave me quite a few .308WIN reloads since he had gotten out of the sport and didn't own a .308 anymore.
 
Well, I shot a few out of my bolt action rifle and found that these rounds were showing signs of being too hot, even splitting the neck/shoulder or blowing out at the base, so I've decided to pull the components for reloading.
 
This ammo was loaded with 168gr Sierra HPBT bullets in FC brass with what I think is probably a Winchester primer.  The powder charge weighs pretty consistently at 43.2 grains.  The powder is pretty compacted in the case once the bullet is pulled.  It is black in color and extruded, looking similar to my Reloader 15, but not quite right.  I am curious if he was using IMR4895, since this was a common powder for match rounds.
 
Would IMR4895 at this load be pushing the pressure limits?  Is there any way to figure out what kind of powder it is?  My buddy no longer remembers what he used (rounds are dated 1995), but did put a label on the box listing the cartridge size, bullet weight, and the following numbers:
 
NSW94E001-001
DODIC A170
NSN 1305-01-018-1541
 
Any of that mean anything to you guys?  If there is no way of finding out the details of this powder, should I reduce the load by 20% or so and see if there are any overpressure signs, or should I scrap the powder and work up a load with something I know will work?
 
Any help would be much appreciated!
 
Thanks,
Anonym

[Anonym]

Measured OAL to be 2.785-inches...

[Ranger99]

if your asking for opinions,
i'd have to say pull 'em all
and inspect the brass.
if they're showing obvious
pressure signs, there's no use
in continuing to shoot and take
a chance. if you friend doesn't have
a record of exactly what powder
was used, i'd scrap the powder.


i had to pull quite a few a good while
back that were given to me that
showed pressure signs, and the guy didn't
have a clue as to what they were.
he told me he just looked up max
and used that for a load.


i always keep a written log of all
my loads aside from marking the boxes.


always err on the side of safety.

[Larry L]

Yeah, I can read the code but it apparently has nothing to do with the ammo you have. The NSW94E011-001 is the powder maker, which in this case is North West out of Australia, made in January 1994. DODIC A170 denotes that the ammo in the box meets Department Of Defense Identification Code A170. A170 is the number given to 7.62x 51 match ammo but is not loaded with a 168 Sierra bullet but a 174gr bullet. The powder used would have been IMR4895 for a stick type powder or BL-C2 if a ball powder. Both are loaded as per performance or velocity rather than pressure but at max pressure of 415MPas. Kindly remember that military powders are not exactly like the canister powders we buy from gunshops. Military powders have an acceptable range of burn rate wider than the canister powders we buy. The ammo is trimmed to a specific performance with each run number of powder so weighing the powder in the case is only a ballpark of that powder and a different run number can be as much as 10% different.
If you were making an attempt at salvaging the powder, I wouldn't. It's old and the burn rate may not necessarily be the same when the ammo was made. There's also no guarantee that the powder in the case is indeed IMR4895 and may be a canister powder or possibly a different military powder of an unknown burn rate. It's best to turn it into fertilizer for the yard. For sure it'll be safer.

[Lloyd Smale]

i agree with larry. If it shows pressure signs pull them down and use the powder for fertilizer. i personaly wont shoot anyone else handloads or even ammo that is supposidly factory unless its in a factory box and i know for sure it was the original ammo. i personaly know some shooters who have pulled ball ammo down and stuck in a match bullet to save money. who knows if they used the same weight bullet. Its sure not worth risking your gun or your eyes on.

[Anonym]

Thanks for the info and opinions guys!  I am definitely pulling all of them and will probably just fertilize the flower beds with the powder.  I agree, too much unknown to be reasonably safe.
 
The good news is that I've now got several hundred primed pieces of brass as well as some 168gr Sierra BTHP bullets to reload with!  I love reloading!!
 
Anonym