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Hi folks

Can you recommend me a bullet weight and a powder load/charge for the following, preferably using N140 powder as I already have that for .303:

.223/.556
.308

I see a 55gr bullet is popular on the .223 but not sure on the .308.

I'm just starting out with both so not looking for expensive high end FTR target loads, .223 will be for use in a lever pull for CSR & .308 for target probably good for 600m for now.

Thanks

Primer. For hunting with the .308 I use 42.5 Grns of N140 over a 150Grn Nosler Ballistic tip. I also find that 40.5Grns of N140 with a Hornady 150Grn SST bullet to be very accurate as well. For the .223/5.56 I use 24.6 Grns of Varget over a 55Grn Hornady V-Max . I know you asked for N140 but I've found Varget to be the most accurate powder for the .223/5.56

I have most of the major reloading manuals for Speer, Hornady, Sierra and Nosler plus a few others. If you want any more load data give me a holler.

Blu

What do your reloading manuals suggest?

For CSR the most popular bullets, if you hand load, are 69 & 77 SMKs not many reload 55 grain bullets. However, shooting with Milsurp GGG ammo may work out cheaper than reloading. If you do reload the 69s or 77s there is plenty of data out there about what charge weight to start at.

dromia wrote:What do your reloading manuals suggest?

Alsorts of different bullet weights, really looking on advice on what weight most people use, then I will see what my manuals suggest, I have Lee, Lymans & Vihtavuori manuals but just confused at the moment as to which bullet weight to look at/purchase.

In .223 I use 53gr VMax over Benchmark powder for hunting and 77gr Nosler over N140 for target. You'll need a 1:8 barrel for the latter. I would recommend milsurp for CSR unless you particularly want to reload. I was surprised how accurate the good milsurp was. EDIT: I used a cheap 69gr bullet for CSR reloads, bought from Wentworth Shooting Supplies: it worked very well but I switched to milsurp for convenience.

.308 I use 150gr Hornady SST for hunting and 155gr Lap Sc. for target. Both with N140. 155gr and 168gr Sierra Matchking also work well (at different seating depths and powder weight.)

My target 155 Lap Sc N140 load is 39.1gr for short range like McQueen's and 45.5gr for up to 900yd (transonic between 900-1000yds). These are loaded longer than SAAMI spec.

As always, you must not go straight to these loads in your gun: work up in increments watching for signs of high pressure. Use a reloading manual, etc.

Blu wrote:Primer. For hunting with the .308 I use 42.5 Grns of N140 over a 150Grn Nosler Ballistic tip. I also find that 40.5Grns of N140 with a Hornady 150Grn SST bullet to be very accurate as well. For the .223/5.56 I use 24.6 Grns of Varget over a 55Grn Hornady V-Max . I know you asked for N140 but I've found Varget to be the most accurate powder for the .223/5.56

I have most of the major reloading manuals for Speer, Hornady, Sierra and Nosler plus a few others. If you want any more load data give me a holler.

Blu

Thanks

Primer wrote:confused at the moment as to which bullet weight to look at/purchase.

For .308 target usage the 155 grainers are very widely used, are readily available in many variants, range from cheap to mid-range in price, are mostly easy to tune, don't require special throating and will perform well back to 1000 yards in suitable rifles without pushing very high pressures with a number of common powders including N140. 155 grain options include the basic Sierra 2155 (and clones such as Speer and Nosler), the Sierra 2156, the Berger Hybrid, VLD and BT Fullbore, the Lapua Scenar, Dyer HBC, and others. Even the most basic and cheapest of these are capable of shooting very tight groups.

..

Primer wrote:confused at the moment as to which bullet weight to look at/purchase.

69 and 77 (min of 1 in 8 twist required) in .223 for CSR and for the short range practices what ever is the cheapest available.

223/5.56 I use25 grains of N140 with 55 grain sierra sp or nosler 55 grain balistic tip so far no fox or roe deer have got back up.

Sam