[nitestalker]

Axx there needs to be an adult on this forum from time to time. Thanks for the post.

[axxe55]

Originally Posted by dustinoif3

Sorry I meant to put the rifle but forgot. I'm shooting a Remi 700 .308 sps tactical. Barrel is 20" with a 1:12 twist. Currently shooting black hills 168gr bthp. I would like to try some 175's. I've had multiple people mention 175gr was prolly the heaviest I wanna go due to barrel length and twist. I have yet to measure the chamber. Currently my reloading stuff is in a box because I'm moving in a week or so. I purchased a set of dies the other day so I'm finally closer to making .308 win. I wanted to get some feedback before I went and bought powder so I'm not wasting money.

Originally Posted by dustinoif3

I haven't picked a bullet style yet and I haven't taken my calipers into the store to check lengths. The closest I've got was a google search that shot me to a forum which showed lengths from many makers. I applied the green hill formula to some measurements a guy gave for some Sierra mk and came up with a 1:11 twist for 175gr bullet.

first of all what type of accuracy are you getting with the 168 gr Black Hills ammo? what ranges are you wanting to shoot at? hunting rifle or target rifle? why wanting to move up to 175 gr bullets?

another thing to consider is that the twist ratio determines the accuracy of the weight of bullets you intend to use. off the shelf rifles use a twist that allow decent accuracy with a broad range of bullet weights. custom barrel makers can make a barrel in a different twist ratio tuned specifically for a narrow range of bullet weights that can be very accurate. so a factory rifle barrel will be more accurate with some bullet weights over others. this is why if you only shoot factory ammo, you try out different brands and weights of bullets to find out what works the best. reloading allows you to fine tune to your specific rifle. so unless you plan on changing the barrel from the 1-12 to a 1-11 twist, you need to work with what that barrel likes and it may or may not like bullets that weigh 175 gr.

[dustinoif3]

The rifle shoots the black hills great. Will shoot 1/2 moa at 100 on one of my good days. At 200 it will around 1.75. Haven't seen it on paper at 300. Took a course awhile back and we shot from 300 to 800 in 100y increments on 12x18 steel. When I first bought the rifle I fed it gmm and it shot very well. Just got tired of paying for it. It was also a 168gr bthp. Right now the rifle just punches paper. I thought maybe at some point I'd kill something with it so that's why I was going to see what the max weight would be. Obviously it likes the 168 so I should prolly stick with that. When I start loading I'd like it to be a ballistic tip of some brand. The big reason why I'd like to hand load for it is that if I can make a round that would out shoot the big brands I'd feel like I really did something awesome on the bench. I wanna max the potential of this rifle.

[axxe55]

Originally Posted by dustinoif3

The rifle shoots the black hills great. Will shoot 1/2 moa at 100 on one of my good days. At 200 it will around 1.75. Haven't seen it on paper at 300. Took a course awhile back and we shot from 300 to 800 in 100y increments on 12x18 steel. When I first bought the rifle I fed it gmm and it shot very well. Just got tired of paying for it. It was also a 168gr bthp. Right now the rifle just punches paper. I thought maybe at some point I'd kill something with it so that's why I was going to see what the max weight would be. Obviously it likes the 168 so I should prolly stick with that. When I start loading I'd like it to be a ballistic tip of some brand. The big reason why I'd like to hand load for it is that if I can make a round that would out shoot the big brands I'd feel like I really did something awesome on the bench. I wanna max the potential of this rifle.

stick with the 168 gr bullets as they seem to be doing just fine and even will work fine for hunting if you use the correct type of hunting bullets. just find the load data for the 308 and start working up some loads for the 168 gr bullets. personally i use IMR 4350 powder for my 308 and have had good results.

[Intheshop]

JMO,and it may seem obvious but.........

Once a rifle/shooter starts getting under MOA things get interesting....duh.But what I've noticed is folks aren't spending enough time and effort on their shooting accessories.IOWs....as your accuracy "requirements" go up the scale,so should your shooting equip and technique.

If I had a .308 in factory trim shootin 1/2" groups,consistantly off of "make-do" rests.....would work on my technique and upgrade the rest system BEFORE making changes to fire system.Then windflags,then chrono,then scope upgrade.

"Then" I'd start foolin with loads.Otherwise you're either chasin bullet holes or having inconsistant results.Shooting one group in say the 2's or 3's out of ten or so groups is not consistant.

[dustinoif3]

I'm confident in my equipment and shooting technique. I'm ready to make a round that is perfect for that rifle.

The battleship target was at 100. Pitted my rifle against a 22-250 one day.

Future plans are to change the stock to a competitive edge gun works stock

[1hole]

"I've read that you want a slow burning powder in a longer barrel rifle so you can maintain higher pressure longer till the bullet leaves the barrel. Faster powder for pistols and shorter barrels. So what's the deciding factor on length?"

Pick your most effective powder from a loading manual by bullet weight, not from a powder burn rate chart. Regardless of bullet weight, whatever powder will give you the highest speed in a 26" barrel will also be fastest in a 16" barrrel.

Muzzle blast is a wholly different question. If you want to decrease muzzle blast use a reduced charge of a faster powder to lower the bore pressure at bullet exit.

[dustinoif3]

I've had some really good feedback on this post. I thank everyone that's shared there piece

[steve4102]

Steve i beg to differ. when you get that huge muzzle flash out of the barrel when shooting shorter barreled firearms, that combustion.

Sorry, no. The powder burns completely in the chamber and a few inches into the barrel. The gasses created by the burn travel down the bore generating bullet velocity. Some of these gasses will ignite when reintroduced into an Oxygen rich environment as they exit the barrel. The powder has burned and done it's job, the gasses created by the powder burn are what cause the flash.

[1hole]

"The powder burns completely in the chamber and a few inches into the barrel."

Not quite. Peak chamber pressure occurs within a very few inches of bullet travel but few charges are completely burned before bullet exit even in long barrels.

From ignition to bullet exit typically runs around 3-5 thousants of a second so the burn couldn't possibly be started and completed and the fire go out in such a brief time. With powder burn continueing the whole time there's no need for a secondary ignition when freed into the air and muzzle blast is determined by the remaining pressure at bullet release. Once the burning gases are released, most unburned powder kernels will extinguish; it's easy to find them in snow.