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New to reloading powder question


Clay

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1 hour ago, Clay said:

Hey guys I am about to start reloading. What powders do yall like to use in you 308 ARs? I will be shooting 168-180 grain. Would Ramshot Tac be a good one to start with?

Thanks 

Please read threads in the reloading section, there is a wealth of info there.

answer: !Varget and IMR 4064

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34 minutes ago, MikedaddyH said:

Please read threads in the reloading section, there is a wealth of info there.

answer: !Varget and IMR 4064

Both those are great powders. Can add Reloader 15 to that as well. Never used Ramshot Tac. Stay away from DeKalb powders, unless you like corn.

:hornet:

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   I may have some Chrono data on Tac with 168 gr, Match Bullets , but I have went the opposite of most , I went to using a lighter 155 gr. SMK bullets . I don't have any where to shoot long range so , loading for it & not being able to test for it , to me is senseless , so I go for the 200yard range , since that would be all I need , as far as range.

  My testing has just began for this Powder ( Tac ) 4064 is a great Powder , just doesn't like to meter well , I use a my Powder measurer to get close & trickle charge ,to get the dead on the weight on the Scale .

  For the past thirty years or so I have used a pull down powder , WC 846 , which is gone & no longer available . I got great results with it in all my testing , in all Bullet configurations , but now having to get new results using Tac , is slow work , since I am using it for 5,56 also in testing . Tac meters very well in my Redding Powder measure , its very rare that the charge is more then a tenth of a grain off from charge weight , which I like .

   

Edited by survivalshop
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17 hours ago, Clay said:

Hey guys I am about to start reloading. What powders do yall like to use in you 308 ARs? I will be shooting 168-180 grain. Would Ramshot Tac be a good one to start with?

Thanks 

TAC is a great powder for the .308... clean burning, great accuracy. AA2520 is as well. If you're just starting out, perhaps you should stay with ball powders, as they meter more easily (less frustration) than stick powder like Varget, Reloader 15 or IMR4064 (meters like Lincoln Logs).

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5 hours ago, mineralman55 said:

TAC is a great powder for the .308... clean burning, great accuracy. AA2520 is as well. If you're just starting out, perhaps you should stay with ball powders, as they meter more easily (less frustration) than stick powder like Varget, Reloader 15 or IMR4064 (meters like Lincoln Logs).

Hearing a lot of good things about these two, looks like 2520 has slight velocity edge 

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On 03/15/2017 at 0:31 PM, Clay said:

Hearing a lot of good things about these two, looks like 2520 has slight velocity edge 

Just a small piece of advice, don't get hooked on thinking that higher velocity equals better powder/load.

Just because it is faster doesn't mean it is necessarily more accurate, better functioning, ect.

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5 hours ago, bubbas4570 said:

Just a small piece of advice, don't get hooked on thinking that higher velocity equals better powder/load.

Just because it is faster doesn't mean it is necessarily more accurate, better functioning, ect.

^^^^^^ Truth

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12 hours ago, bubbas4570 said:

Just a small piece of advice, don't get hooked on thinking that higher velocity equals better powder/load.

Just because it is faster doesn't mean it is necessarily more accurate, better functioning, ect.

I think we all go through that.  Faster faster!!

Then it gets to "Sure would be nice to hit the target consistently."

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Clay, here's some advice:

  1. Read, read, read every loading manual you can get so you can learn about the variables involved. You'll see each manual has different loading data for a given cartridge. That's not unusual. Pick a mid-range load and start there.
  2. Watch a few Youtube videos on reloading and you'll see the idiosyncracies of loading bottlenecked cases.
  3. GET A CASE GAUGE!!! USE IT!!! IT IS THE CHEAPEST INSURANCE YOU'LL EVER BUY!!!
  4. For now, for now, stick with one powder, one bullet, one primer. Make the powder charge the only variable. Load some rounds and practice. Get used to your loaded rounds.
  5. Be patient!
  6. Load up a butt-load of cartridges and have some fun. You're now addicted.
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4 hours ago, mineralman55 said:

Clay, here's some advice:

  1. Read, read, read every loading manual you can get so you can learn about the variables involved. You'll see each manual has different loading data for a given cartridge. That's not unusual. Pick a mid-range load and start there.

^^^  This right here is hands-down the best advice, ever.  :thumbup:

Consult multiple sources, when starting, because you'll find different information for a given load.

There ARE exceptions to that, though - I will take the word of Barnes Bullets and use the Barnes Load Manual exclusively, for their projectiles.

Edited by 98Z5V
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12 hours ago, mineralman55 said:

GET A CASE GAUGE!!! USE IT!!! IT IS THE CHEAPEST INSURANCE YOU'LL EVER BUY!!!

  I just learned this with a new single Stage Press I just purchased ( there is a thread one the MEC press  ) & I've been loading for over forty years !  Never to old to learn , just that I never needed one till lately & now I have one for almost every Rifle cartridge I load for . The 300BLK was out of stock when I ordered .

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I didn't know I needed one until I ran into the problems with my 308 loaded rounds.

I picked up a case gauge for .223 yesterday, MAN is this thing showing me stuff I have been missing for 20 years......

In one step, I am finding ready to load, needs trimming, and slightly unsized  (under sized) brass...time saved compared to just running everything through trimmer. And I am not even considering the saved time from out of spec brass at the firing line.

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On 3/22/2017 at 8:41 AM, mineralman55 said:

Clay, here's some advice:

  1. Read, read, read every loading manual you can get so you can learn about the variables involved. You'll see each manual has different loading data for a given cartridge. That's not unusual. Pick a mid-range load and start there.
  2. Watch a few Youtube videos on reloading and you'll see the idiosyncracies of loading bottlenecked cases.
  3. GET A CASE GAUGE!!! USE IT!!! IT IS THE CHEAPEST INSURANCE YOU'LL EVER BUY!!!
  4. For now, for now, stick with one powder, one bullet, one primer. Make the powder charge the only variable. Load some rounds and practice. Get used to your loaded rounds.
  5. Be patient!
  6. Load up a butt-load of cartridges and have some fun. You're now addicted.

Good stuff sir thanks for the advice!

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On 3/21/2017 at 8:15 PM, bubbas4570 said:

Just a small piece of advice, don't get hooked on thinking that higher velocity equals better powder/load.

Just because it is faster doesn't mean it is necessarily more accurate, better functioning, ect.

This is true

 

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