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Very small percentage fill in a 308 case but that is of no consequence with fast pistol powders.

Please read what has already been posted and linked to, reduced loads with cast boolits and fast pistol powders has been done to death.

There is absolutely no need to drill out primer pockets if you go by the tried and tested simple route as laid out here and in other threads that the links lead to.

Sr4759 is listed in the load data book and is a bulky powder i use it for downloaded 303 and 308
I have some if you'd like to try some

I tried drilling flash holes for subsonic loads but it made zero difference , apart from ruining the cases for other use.

phaedra1106 wrote:No, use the correct powder and there's no need to. N140 is not suitable for downloaded 308s!.

As Dromia says, a fast pistol powder is ideal, I used TiteGroup and Trail Boss in 308 subsonics then switched to N310, much better results and a lot cheaper!.

Current loads are 4.9gr in .308 and 3.4gr in 300 Blackout, both using 115gr cast boolits. Both loads run around 980fps and are very accurate at 25m.

I wasn't going to use N140, I only mentioned it regarding to price per load. Originally I was leaning towards TrailBoss but after the posts about the N310 rifle powder I'll take a look into that instead

dromia wrote:Very small percentage fill in a 308 case but that is of no consequence with fast pistol powders.

Please read what has already been posted and linked to, reduced loads with cast boolits and fast pistol powders has been done to death.

There is absolutely no need to drill out primer pockets if you go by the tried and tested simple route as laid out here and in other threads that the links lead to.

Cheers, dromia - I have read though the threads linked, but as always on the net everyone has their own idea on what's the correct way to do something and I've been trying to filter out the best way to do it hence the questions.

tackb wrote:I tried drilling flash holes for subsonic loads but it made zero difference , apart from ruining the cases for other use.

for the info, that's one less job to do

Rburro2 wrote:Sr4759 is listed in the load data book and is a bulky powder i use it for downloaded 303 and 308
I have some if you'd like to try some

Cheers Robin, I'll have a chat to you about it at the range :cheers:

old_n07 wrote:

Rburro2 wrote:Sr4759 is listed in the load data book and is a bulky powder i use it for downloaded 303 and 308
I have some if you'd like to try some

Cheers Robin, I'll have a chat to you about it at the range :cheers:

Sorry old no7 but who are you

old_n07 wrote:Just wondering if anyone has any input on down loading for .308 such as any load data. recommended powder, bullets or tips and tricks.

The load in question would be for a 700 SP Varmint on a 25m range, a subsonic load could be quite interesting as one of the main reasons behind this is for noise issues.

TIA

Neil

Except for zeroing a new scope why would you want to shoot .308 at 25 meters
Save it for the Thorpe dates

SR 4759 is a good powder for 14-1800 fps cast boolits being a slow pistol/fast rifle powder of a burning rate similar to Alliant 2400 or Vihtavuori N110. However it is less than ideal for the subsonic rounds required by the OP, to get the boolits down to subsonic levels the low loading density of this powder will mean that there will be a lot of unburnt powder and erratic combustion. Stick with the fast pistol powders for this application.

Rburro2 wrote: Except for zeroing a new scope why would you want to shoot .308 at 25 meters
Save it for the Thorpe dates

Because it is fun, you get to cast and hand load for the calibre more and a whole new set of challenges open up. It also allows you to shoot your full bore rifle more often and cast boolit loads for less than 600 yrds hardly puts any wear on the gun.

Quiet a few of our members shoot full bore down loaded cast boolits at our 25 yard club and thoroughly enjoy it, we have bench rest comps for group size and it is another avenue for bull s*** each other. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. It might not be for you but it gives a lot of other people a lot of pleasure from their rifles and kit.