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Pet Loads for the 16" LR 308


jkarlsruher

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fr3db3ar

What is your rifling twist rate ?

If you want a longer barrels performance , as far as velocity , a heavy bullet is not going to do it . The heaver bullet will be slower in all barrels , if loaded to proper safe conditions .

If you have a 1-10 twist the 175 gr. may not be the best choice .Not saying it won't shoot good at long range ,but some find the lighter 168 gr. bullet shoot better in a 1-10 & even 155gr. seem to work very well . Which will bring velocity up quite a bit .

NoFail

The loads for a 24" barrel will work & probably get good accuracy from them ,but the are for a 24" bbl., which has more barrel to burn the powder & wring the most out of it .

I have a 16" HB AR 308 & I have some chro data if you want it . I use mil spec powder so my loadings will not be of use to you , but there are great powders out there now for AR's .

The short stiff 16" bbl. will hold its own against any longer barrel out to 500 yrds. , after that the longer barrel will out group it & maybe terminal performance would be better ,but I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of a 16" 308 @ 800yrds.

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NoFail

The loads for a 24" barrel will work & probably get good accuracy from them ,but the are for a 24" bbl., which has more barrel to burn the powder & wring the most out of it .

I have a 16" HB AR 308 & I have some chro data if you want it . I use mil spec powder so my loadings will not be of use to you , but there are great powders out there now for AR's .

The short stiff 16" bbl. will hold its own against any longer barrel out to 500 yrds. , after that the longer barrel will out group it & maybe terminal performance would be better ,but I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of a 16" 308 @ 800yrds.

survivalshop, thank you for the offer!!! I am all over that and would very much like your data you offer for the 16". My barrel twist is 1-10 and I was already stuck on 168 gn bullets before I bought any components. From allot of reading & talking I just came to the conclusion that that is what I should try first, I bought hundreds of them (Nosler Ballistic Silver Tips, A-MAX, SMK's) when we went to Reno. Shopped at Cabella's, Sportsmans Warehouse and this very cool store called Sheel's. But anyway I copied my brother in law's load that he loves in his 24" SR25. He told me to use it and it seems very good accuracy wise. But I don't think I went went about it correctly, I did not work up my own load. I have been wondering if all that charge is being burned off before 16" is used up and I bet that it is not. I feel I short changed myself in the experience of developing my own load. Yes I realize the shorter barrel will compete with longer up to a point, but beyond that point is not to be found around these parts so......

Nosler BST, A-Max, SMK, 168 gn

IMR 4064, 43.5 gn (also is this too slow a powder for my 16"?)

Cases; Nosler Custom, Hornady Match, Winchester.

Remington No. 9 1/2 large rifle primer

2.815 average, or where they just fit in the Pmags.

I need a chrono!!! bro in law's are broken  :'(

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Survivalshop...I would like to know how the WC 846 is working for you.  I have a place here in the St. Louis area that I can get that powder at a very good price.  I have been using RL15 which I get at a good price, but the WC 846 is a little cheaper.  I have a DPMS 16 in with 1x10 twist.  All that I have read and seen on video is with my barrel length 155gr bullets is about the heaviest to use.  Also My range max at 200 yds.  So I using 40 grain RL 15 with CCI primers and rem or win brass.  The rifle is new so I am using commercial ammo until its broke in good.  I have a M1A and looking to use 168-175 grain bullets, which ever works best in the rifle.  That weight bullets is what alot of shooters are using for that type of rifle.

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I need some way to reliably speed my load up.  I'm shooting near max load of Varget and 175 SMK.  Strelok says I'm shooting around 2450 out of my 16" barrel.  I'd really like to speed that up a bit with a temperature stable powder.

Might try CFE 223 I'm getting around 2650fps with 168gr A-max in my 16" barrel I'm still in load development right now but the accuracy looks promising at this point.

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Might try CFE 223 I'm getting around 2650fps with 168gr A-max in my 16" barrel I'm still in load development right now but the accuracy looks promising at this point.

<thumbsup> 2650!!!!!! Wow maybe I gotta try that stuff too. How much powder in there to get that with them A-MAX's?

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<thumbsup> 2650!!!!!! Wow maybe I gotta try that stuff too. How much powder in there to get that with them A-MAX's?

That was with 47.9gr of powder but I had an issue of not bumping my shoulder back far enough so I'm going to rework the load because this had to change case capacity when I set it back farther. When I get it developed I'll chronograph the load and post them in my OCW thread.

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how sensitive is this powder to temperature change.

To be honest I'm not sure yet since I'm still in development and changing one thing at time to see what the difference is. After I get done I could test it by keeping some rounds in a cooler with a couple of Ice packs if the weather is warm still when I'm done.

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Here in AZ this time of year Seasprite, by the time you got the mag in the rifle, they would be up to 60* or more.

Jon

Here in MO we get the 90*+ temp. with 90% humidity makes for a nice thick day. Don't know if I would like AZ heat either since your temps get higher.

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A friend from NYC came out to Phoenix, we then went to another friend's house, about 50 NW of Phoenix.

Us AZ boys were talking about it being hot, but not as bad as '89, and the dude from NYC said "Bullcrap!  You can't tell me there is any difference between 114 it is now and 121 it was in '89!  Once you are over 100 it is just HOT!"

Jon

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I can tell you from personal experience.  I don't care how dry the heat is.......114 is still HOT

Hell yeah.  Dry heat, my ass.  What I tell other people, that give me that "dry heat" excuse about humidity...  To get a feel for some "dry heat," turn your oven on to 200, wait 10 minutes, and stick your head in there - that's a "dry heat..."  :o

Few years ago, when I lived in Phoenix - this was in the shade, about 3pm in the afternoon, too...  <thumbsup>

S3000008.jpg

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I hear ya - I think the whole "Heat Index" BS that's out now is so the people where it's KINDA hot, can try to relate to the people where it's REALLY hot...  <lmao>

Weather Newscaster: "Temps today will hit 99 degrees, with xx humidity, bringing the HEAT INDEX up to 106 degrees..."

Go grab some REAL 106 degrees, or something another 10 degrees REALLY hotter, and tell me about your Heat Index...  <laughs> <lmao>

Pavement over 135 degrees.  Ride a motorcycle.  It's actually cooler when you STOP at a red light, because you're not moving through that living-oven...  :o

I have no mercy on the "Heat Index" people.  None.  I grew up on SE Ohio, so I do know about humidity.  Basic Effin Training in Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  Done some of the nastiest training on earth in Fort Benning, GA starting in July and August...  Humidity don't have poop on the real "dry heat," once it's pretty far into the triple-digits...  Just sayin'... 

Me thinks...  :threadjack:

:tweed:

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I was out at the range Monday from 11 am to 2 pm and it was 109* with gusts of dust, kinda like a sand blaster oven ! Yeah its a dry heat ( gritty )! Thats in the shade.  8)

When I first moved to AZ back in 82' ,I was roofing in PHX and Tucson we didn't get off the roofs unless it got 165* on top. Now that was hot !!

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Yeah, Tom, people like to scream about wind chill but don't think about that convection oven effect out here.

Roofing as a newcomer?!  You got a big brass set my friend!!  <lmao>

Back in the '90s Phoenix rebuilt the area where their "official" temperature station was at the airport...GOOD shade (there is a difference), lots of grass to keep it cool.  The official Phoenix temperature dropped to about what Tucson's was...until the Tucson weather people pulled the same stunt.

It is a given fact here:  if you are at a picnic in July, just gotten your plate of food stacked high, drink and EVERYTHING else in your other hand, and are walking to the nearest shade to sit and eat, you WILL be attacked by a Dust Devil that has at least enough force to bend your plate. PLOP

Sandblasted AND still hungry.

Jon

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Plan on going to the range Sat. but it doesn't open till noon and the weather man is telling me its supposed to be a nice 97* with the humidity to go with it. Love when sweat runs down and into your eyes when your about to squeeze a shot off, then when your shooting glasses fog up from sweat because they get pushed to close to your face thats just a plus right there. ::)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Except when teaching classes, there are rarely more than 3 people on this range per RSO.

No facilities (but a port-o-potty), only the dedicated shoot in summer or winter.  That number drops drastically when conducting dynamic shooting drills (move yer fat ass NOW! Shootshootshoot!!...is that a hole in the top of your shoe?).

Had a day last year, horizontal rain in January, totally muddy rang, me and a couple of giant twins playing in the mud.  Nothing like testing a barely bendable cold trigger finger.

Clothes routinely come home this time of year tie-dyed with salt stains in all the wrong places ("Are you LACTATING dude?!").

Jon

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