Powder for .308 plated bullets

[tcoz]

I've been holding off buying a Mossberg .308 primarily because of the cost of ammo even though I reload. I've just recently realized that I can use plated bullets (Xtreme 150gr) as long as I hold the velocity down by using an appropriate powder which will also add to the cost savings. My question involves Trail Boss which seems to come highly recommended for this use. Hodgdon also has a published load which would yield a velocity right where I want it to be. Has anyone used Trail Boss with plated bullets and did you find that you sacrificed accuracy by doing so? My shooting is target and currently limited to 100 yds.

Edited September 29, 2014 by tcoz

[Graham Smith]

I really question the advice of using any pistol powder as a .308 rifle powder. They are extremely fast burning compared to traditional rifle powders. You can use it, but at reduced loads and I would expect that even a small variation in charge could result in a large change in velocity.

Are you certain that the Trail Boss loads you have read about are not sub-sonic loads? This type of load is a whole different ball game.

A lower velocity should not effect accuracy (or more correctly, precision) that much at 100yd as long as you have a consistent load. That said, some rifles like some bullets and powders while others like something else. The trick is to start with a low load and work up and look for the sweet spot. That is the place in the load where you get good precision and where small variations in charge have very small variations in velocity.

If you are going to use plated ammo, then don't go cheap. The Xtreme bullets have a good reputation so you should be fine with them.

Just to cover all the bases, the Mossbergs are good hunting rifles, but don't expect the kind of precision you would be getting from a target rifle.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Graham Smith

[ToddKS]

I have used Trail Boss to download ammo so that my son could shoot the "big gun". I have not found these reduced power loads to be terribly accurate. Trail Boss can also be a bit of a pain to deal with as the flakes are like flattened mini cherios. It did not meter well.

If you are looking for and experiment to see what happens then go for it. If you are looking for superior accuracy, I do not think this combination is likely to yeid great results. YMMV.

[rboyes]

For a cheap close up paper punching 308 load I use 110gr FMJ's (M1 carbine bullet). They can be used with most any 308 powder successfully. I recently made a batch with reloder 7 just because I had extra of that and they work well for close 3 gun stages.

[Intel6]

There are lots of "standard" loads for shooting cast lead bullets in rifles and those could be applied to the plated bullets.

The reference for this is the Article by C.E. Harris called "cast Bullet Loads for Military Rifles" His "standard" load is 16 grains of Alliant 2400 and he has found it works well in lots of different rifle loads mainly because it is bulky enough to fill up the cases well and it is position insensitive. I shoot lots of cast lead/gas checked bullets in my military surplus rifles and I use this load a lot as it is a reduced load and I can shoot them all day. I have looked at the plated 150 gr bullets and have been thinking of trying them as a plinker load to shoot steel plates with when I don't have any cast bullets made up to load.

I will try and attach the article to this post, hopefully it works.

Neal in AZ

Cast bullets for Mil Rifles.pdf

[Graham Smith]

I have used Trail Boss to download ammo so that my son could shoot the "big gun". I have not found these reduced power loads to be terribly accurate. Trail Boss can also be a bit of a pain to deal with as the flakes are like flattened mini cherios. It did not meter well.

The idea behind these loads is to give the bullet a sharp punch right off rather than having a slow burn that runs the length of the barrel. You get a lot less velocity but by it's very nature you don't get nearly the same consistency. I've seen some recommendations for using pistol powders with lighter weight bullets as you describe but they are a very special purpose load.

I believe that Trail Boss was originally developed for low velocity cowboy shooting loads. These can be used in both pistol and rifle.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Graham Smith

[ToddKS]

I believe you are correct on the development.

Per the IMR website: "Trail Boss is designed specifically for low velocity lead bullet loads suitable for Cowboy Action shooting. It is primarily a pistol powder, but has some application in rifle. It is base on a whole hew technology which allows very high loading density, good flow through powder measures, stability in severe temperature variation and most importantly, additional safety to the handloader."

As for special purpose loads, my special purpose was to turn a .308 Winchester into something more like a 22LR so my son could shoot it and think he was cool. I did the same thing using Clays in .223 (these were not very accurate either, but did better when I increased the powder charge a little). I dealt with the lack of accuracy by simply providing him a larger plate to shoot at

Edited September 30, 2014 by ToddKS

[Graham Smith]

This is something that I had only run across in passing until you brought it up, but I've been reading more about it and it's actually quite an interesting study of internal ballistics.

Normally you don't want to use a pistol powder in a rifle because it won't work well and if you use the volumes required for most rifle powders, you will blow the rifle into the next county (and pieces of you with it). It seems that with Trail Boss, it's hard to use too much because the powder is quite bulky and rapidly fills the case. You can, apparently, fill the case up to where the base of the bullet is and still have a safe load.

[tcoz]

Graham, that's exactly what I read and plan to do if I buy the rifle. Up to the bottom of the seated bullet is max charge and 70% of that for min charge. Gives a velocity of approx 1100 to 1400fps with 55gr .223. FMJ

Edit-- I just realized my error. I meant that it gives a velocity of 1100-1400fps with 150gr .308 FMJ..SORRY.

Edited October 1, 2014 by tcoz

[toddrod]

You could also use 4895 and use the 60% rule listed by Hodgdon for reduced loads. That should work good for a plated bullet