Low-recoil 308 Load For 3gun "major" ?

[Zak Smith]

I'm going to shoot my FAL (21") at a couple local 3Gun matches, so I'm looking for suggestions for a good reduced-recoil load that will still make Major (340PF). I figure I'm going to be using a 150 or heavier bullet.

So far, I've tried 150gr Nosler BT's with Win748:

44.0gr W748, 150gr BT: 2558 fps

41.0gr W748, 150gr BT: 2487 fps

38.0gr W748, 150gr BT: 2340 fps

The 38.0gr load has low recoil and still ejects cases over 15'. The stddev was around 30fps.

What loads do you guys recommend for this purpose? I also have some 175gr SMK's and 155gr Palma's on hand.

Since local matches don't have shots over 200 yards, I can live with the 4 or 5 inches of drop.

-z

[benny hill]

nosler 125 gr. blistic tip/ 45 gr. IMR 4895

[gm iprod]

I'm with Benny. Definetly go with the 125gr.

I have used IMR3031 and Hodgdon 322. Refer the relevant manuals.

I found the H322 to be a little more accurate in my rifle (an old Sako). 41gr = 2805fps

The lightest recoiling of the lot was H4198. But it may not cycle your rifle at less than 2900fps. We had problems in an old L1A1 (NZ Milspec FN-FAL) unless we opened the gas port up close to full.

Sight in at 2" high at 100yards and you should be very close at 200 and about 10-12" down at 300y.

[Zak Smith]

Hmm. I am a little surprised by these suggestions. I had this impression that for the same PF, a heavier bullet would produce less recoil.

Which will have less recoil? A 125gr at 2720fps or a 150gr at 2267fps? (OR going heavier, it's 175gr at 1943fps.)

I'll give the 125's a try, though.

-z

[George]

I don't have any bigtime .308 loading/shooting experience, but I do know that the lighter bullet will be the better choice for it's flatter trajectory alone. The heavier projectiles will exhibit lot's more drop at the very low velocities they are moving than will be acceptable in any real distance shooting compared to the 125 grainer @2800ish.

Regards,

[Zak Smith]

I was just going to use this load at a couple local matches until my AR upper is back from JP... so I probably won't have any shots over 150 yards. Even at only 2300fps, the 150 will only drop about 4". I can live with that.

-z

[gm iprod]

I have a couple of freinds who can only afford to own one or two rifles. One of them in particular has a son who is particularly recoil sensitive. Hense the loads list previously. He cannot shoot the 150 and 265gr loads that we use. So to ensure low recoil and still be able to kill deer we tried the 125gr Sierra and a few others that I forget. After we tested the loads on goats and a couple of smaller deer species we let the young fellow loose on big reds. If he hit them right they went down fine and he could handle the recoil. More importantly, as George points out, the trajectory was better for him than slowing down the bigger projectiles.

If you go with the slightly faster burning powders you get good accuracy and low recoil.

Now before anyone says we are getting close to what the 270 does, the fact that it needs a long barrel to perform as people percieve and the amount of powder burned in a 270 all end up as a rifle that recoils a fair amount more than a down loaded (or light loaded if you prefer) 308. At less than 250y you will do fine.

Try the 125gr as Benny and myself suggest and see for your self.