king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Best of 2007 Feb-March 2008 - Index

The sky is the limit when it
comes to choosing a rifl e. I would
dare say that there are more models
of rifl es available in .308 than any
other cartridge. I researched every
rifl e manufacturer I know of and all
of them chamber for the .308. Most
have several models to choose from.
Of course, the “police” and “sniper”
variety are available in .308 with
most only in .308. Its popularity is
worldwide. In the short action class,
it is by far the most widely used
cartridge among hunters around the
world.
The .308 is an extremely
easy case to reload for. It performs
well with a wide assortment of
powders and is not fi nicky to charge
weight. I have tried hundreds of
different combinations of powders,
charge weights and bullets and,
without question, my powder of
choice is Reloder 15. I have also
had great results with N140 and
IMR4064. Many load manuals will
give Varget as a top pick. Conversely,
I have had some substantial changes
in pressure when using differing lots
of Varget. IMR4064 has been a long
time favorite but, with its long grains,
goes through a powder measure about
as well as pea gravel.
Much like propellants, the
.308 will shoot well with darn near
any bullet you stuff in its case. Most
of my experience has been using
WILD BILL’S BALLISTICS
Is it true that keeping your magazines
loaded and leaving them that way for
a long period of time can cause the
magazine spring to weaken its ability
to push the cartridges into chambering
position with 100 percent reliability?
In my experience I have yet to have a problem. My rifl es
Here is the author’s pet load that
is the #1 on the chart below
match grade pills. Sierra 168-grain
HPBT Matchkings are the most widely
used pill with its brothers the 155 Palma
and 175-grain Matchkings as runners
up. Although not widely known in the
competition arena, my most accurate
and consistent bullet has been the Nosler
Custom Competition 155-grain HPBT.
Most match grade, and all hunting
bullets, are designed to be tolerant of
jump (when the bullet is seated off the
lands of the barrel, not jammed into the
lands). When the throat of the barrel
allows it, my best accuracy has come
with .010-inch to .025-inch of jump.
But, once again, the .308 shoots well
when slugs are seated anywhere from
touching the lands to factory overall
length. A complete listing of my favorite
loads can be found in the table.
At the range, no matter
when, where, or with what, the .308
is a dream to shoot. Recoil is felt but
quite manageable, unlike the beating
you take when shooting a magnum.
This makes it a great choice for the
young, the elderly, and everyone
in between. It has remarkable
repeatability. I can sit down at the
bench in any condition (with the
exception of heavy winds), dial the
scope up 3 ½ MOA from zero and
put my fi rst shot in a two-inch target
spot at 300 yards. I can’t do that with
any of my other guns. Considering
its capacity, it has an incredible
effective range. In addition, barrel
heat seldom becomes a problem.
It is fun to shoot prone, from the
bench, off a bipod, at prairie dogs,
even at a rock over the hood of the
truck. They shoot well when they’re
clean, fi lthy dirty, copper fouled,
powder fouled, with a cold barrel,
with a hot barrel, with brass on the
verge of self-destructing, and all this
regardless of the outside temperature
you’re shelling in. No wonder it’s in
a class of its own.
Above all, the characteristic
of the .308 that impresses me the
most is the inherent accuracy it
demonstrates. Most will agree that of
all commercial cases larger than 6mm,
the .308 is the most accurate cartridge
ever produced. I know it is.
Powder Grains Bullet Primer Author’s Comments
Reloder 15 44.2 Nosler CC 155 gr. HPBT Fed 210M #1 most consistent load
Reloder 15 42.0 Sierra 168 gr. Matchking Fed 210M #2 (also Sierra’s published accuracy load)
N 140 43.5 Sierra 150 gr. Matchking Fed 210M smallest group ever (.188 MOA @ 500 yds)
IMR 4064 44.0 Nosler CC 155 gr. HPBT Fed 210M stumbled onto this while out of RL-15 (hand weighed charge)
Reloder 15 45.5 Berger 125 gr. Varmint (MEF) Fed 210M benchrest accuracy, explosive varmint performance
are loaded only when I am at the range or hunting and
when fi nished for the day they are unloaded. I do keep a
Glock loaded at all times and from time to time I do unload
the magazine and reload it into a different magazine just
to be sure. As I said, I have never had a malfunction due
to magazine failure. If it makes you feel better, switch
around every so often as I do.
5GUNS/OPTICS5 February/March 25