308 Magic ...

Strikes again. Working on my cape buffalo loads and came across a couple of good ones with Speer's 125gr TNT pills this afternoon. Sometimes you just get lucky! These two, I hope, are repeatable - and I've catalogued them to reconstruct later to give me them another chance to prove their worth. Next time, I'll have 5 rounds to see how they do, to make sure they weren't just a lucky fluke. Hopefully, they'll shoot similarly, and I'll have some coyote and plinking rounds nailed down. One more thing... IMR 3031 is a fantastic propellant in my Featherweight 308. It has proven expectational for lighter weight bullets, up to 168s. Hard not to like how it performs.

Gotta love it when a plan comes together. Nice choootn’!

Love me some .308. Haven’t used 3031 but W748 and Varget seems to put ‘em where they want to go! My favorite pill is a 150gr. SST. They are like sticking a M80 in the chest and lighting the fuse! Boom!!

What’s the velocity and why did you go the srp brass route?

These are upper level charges, but I usually don't chrono with initial testing if I'm not chasing LR velocity. I'll check velocities on the next round of testing. I have more SRPs than LRPs... so I try to capitalize on using them when I can.

10-4. I never do work up without shooting through a chronograph. I don’t want to waste time on a load that ain’t the speed I want.

I never check velocity while developing a load
Only when the load settles in do I chrono them and tweak from there

I have learned the hard way that I need to chrono. Not saying you are doing anything wrong by not using a chrono but if it is a new gun or new load, I don’t necessarily trust the book. To many variations in guns/barrels. Last year when I was building a load for my 6.5prc, I was shocked how hot the retumbo loads were in my gun! .308 is a more agreeable animal I think just from experience.

A 308 is one of the easiest cartridges to load
There are a ton of load variations for it….from lightweight to heavyweight and everything in between

I agree 100%. Funny, when I was younger, I wanted the hottest, fastest, hardest hitting calibers that I could find! Most of my kills came from my .300 Weatherby mag and my .450 marlin (hence the nickname Big Bore). However, lately, .308, .338 federal, and my new 6.5prc are my go to calibers. Along with a 7mm-08 I tote every once in a while. After 40 something years, I realize that for Alabama whitetails, I am just not sure that there is a better caliber than a .308 and it is super easy to make and change loads for it! Not that I am against any other caliber at all! Shoot what you like. But I sure have gotten fond of taking my .308 not the woods!

Just bought a Savage 110 Apex Hunter in .308, any recommendations on bullets and weight? I was looking at 150 gr. remington or the winchester power point also. Just looking to get some to practice with during the summer before I narrow it down before hunting season.

I've had good luck in mine eating any 150 gr you feed it with w748 asy go to powder. Imr 4064 is also a great choice

Well. There has been some deals on 150gr bullets from Midway lately Speer hot cores are good bullets and cheap to shoot for practice. I honestly like to “practice” with the load I shoot for hunting so for me it is 150gr SST over 44.5gr of Varget or 45gr or W748.

Thanks guys......