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crawldady wrote:What is the best dies for the 308. after using the RCBS Im wondering if the Lee dies might be the cause of my accuraccy issues. Im getting into competition shooting now and need the best accuracy I can get.
MSH would you mind giving your thoughts on this. Ive been having trouble getting the groups to 1MOA. they are about 1 1/8 to 1 1/4?
The barrel is 26" krieger, match.
If you really mean that, then better accuracy is possible. What you need to do is optimize your ammo manufacturing process in an attempt to manufacture what is essentially match grade ammunition. I don't know about your personal abilities, your reloading system, or anything. But let's assume you are a decent shot and have a basic knowledge of reloading. (When shooting by the way, do everything exactly the same, like cheek weld, sling pressure if any, trigger squeeze, etc. Consistency is key.)
First I would see what your rifle will do.
1. Purchase a box of .308FEDERAL MATCH GRADE AMMUNITION, probably 175 grain match. Take it to the range and after cleaning shoot a series of five shot groups. Shoot on a day where there is little wind or mirage.
This stuff is fairly consistent and accurate. Then, if you get under 1" at 100 yards then go to step 2.
If not, TRIGGER JOB, BARREL ALIGNMENT CHECK, etc. or different rifle.
2. Ok, so you have proven that it's not the shooter or the rifle. The next step is to try to manufacture match grade ammunition.
Purchase the following:
1.
Sierra 175 Grain Boat Tail Hollow Point Match (HPBT) I usually buy 1000 of same lot number, but I would suggest at minimum 200. Remember consistency is the key.
2. Federal(!) Large Rifle Match Primers (Buy minimum 1000)
Specification: Fed GM210M Large Rifle primers
3. 100 Quality Cartridge Cases. I like Lapua, but if you can get Federal or similar, OK. Do not under any circumstances use MIL SURPLUS (Like LC or LC Match). 200 or more is even better if they are sold in bulk.
Most of the .308 Win precision shooters we've interviewed do prefer Lapua brass, but others are very happy with Norma, Winchester, Hornady Match and even Remington. Black Hills uses Winchester-made brass for its match ammo, which is capable of .5 MOA or better in many rifles. The main advantage of Lapua brass is consistency and quality. Case-wall thickness is very uniform and most lots have shown less variation in weight than other headstamps. But Winchester brass performs very well in the .308. And, at $24/100, Winchester costs 40% less than Lapua brass. Even if you can potentially get more loadings out of a Lapua case, Winchester brass offers more bang for the buck
4. 100 Round cartridge boxes. Process ammo in 100 round lots, and keep them together. Protects cases from damage and is a convienient quantity for processing.
5. RCBS Primer Uniforming tool and Inside/Outside neck deburing tool. Cases are stamped and often have burr in primer hole which can play havoc with ignition consistency(that word again.)
6. .308 Match Dies.
7. If Funds permit, RCBS or similar case trimmer with pilot.
8. Similarly vibratory case cleaner with corncob media. I like the one from Dillon and their rotary media separator.
Loading:
Many loads are possible. Always verify anonymous recommendations like this one with reloading manuals for saftey. Use standard load work up proceedures per reloading manual. I generally load 5 shot groups of a variety of loads, as every rifle is different and groups will change as a function of small changes in load weight.
42.5 gr IMR 4064 2,680 fps Case overall Length: 2.800" Federal GM210M
The above is the exact replication of the Federal Gold Medal Match 175gr Load minus the gold primer they use which is not available to reloaders. Use the Fed GM210M Large Rifle primers instead. Trim case to 2.007. Fed cases use 42.5gr of IMR 4064. If you use brass with thicker case walls than Fed (ie, Win, Lapua, LC, and just about anything else) drop charge to 42.2gr.
Another very popular load is:
44.7 or so gr Varget 2,680 fps Cartridge overall Length: 2.875" Federal GM210M
Remember, this is match grade ammo, so I weigh every single charge on scale. The 168 BTHP Match is also an excellent bullet, but I would recommend it for use range not to exceed 600 yards. The Sierra 175 BTHP recommended here is the standard Long Range bullet in .308 and has a fairly decent B/C.
More on this and other subjects:
home.comcast.net/~jesse99/caseprep.html
Note on supplies: You will not find some of this stuff at K-Mart, so you need a really decent dedicated FFL (Gun Store)
Here is a 100 yard load development target from my 7WSM M70.
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You will see us in the following picture wherein we were attempting to shoot the ubiqitous PD at over 700 yards. This is where 1/2 moa ammo really comes into its own. Note the previously discussed 100 round ammo box and long range target varmint scope here with custom M70 target rifle.
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