Building a .308 need some input

C

craig

Guest
I am planning to shoot 200 to 300 yards. Thinking of using a 1-15 twist for 150 grain bullets in a med heavy barrel 24 to 26" on a Rem. 700 SA action with a 8.5x25 scope. Would appreciate any input. Thanks craig
 
That twist is marginal, 150's might get raggedy.

200-300 is a gimme for that gun, you might consider a 10 twist so's you can reach out.

al
 
.308

I have a .308 I built on a 700SA with a McMillian 1:12. I don't know if that is considered proper or not, but it does real well with 150 Gr bullets.

Dale
 
Back in the day the AMU did a fair amount of research to find the most accurate combination to 300 meters. (think 300 meter 3 position as it was the rage back then)

From what I've been told the most accurate combination was the 308 Winchester loaded with 168 grain Sierra bullets and set up with a 12 twist barrel.

That's what I was told so take it for what it's worth.

A 15 twist barrel will not tame a 150 grain 30 cal bullet. I know this to be fact. You need a 12 or 13. A 13 will want a stoked load for it to really get happy. This is the everyday life of a Palma gun. They are built this way to go all the way out to 1000 yards so if you head down that path, you should be hammering at 2-3 hundred.

If it were me and that's as far as you want to go, I'd look at the 150 grain Berger flat base bullets. I have been loading some in my 34" 12 twist 300-338 Lapua. We'll see how they do in the next few days.


Cheers,

C
 
I know this is not a favorite way to go, but the use of a twist calculator should not be discouraged. Pick your bullet and you should have a good idea of the velocity you will be working with. Now you measure the bullets for length. The caliber you already know, these are the numbers you plug in. I got to tell you the twist for the .30 caliber in the one in ten was picked with a whole different bullet than you will probably ever use, they work best for the 220 grain boat tail and was first used fr the .30-03 chambering, remember in that time the major concern in that day was to get what we know to day as the maximum ordinance or the longest yardage for the battle field. Of all the .30 I have messed with my all time favorite twist for the range of lengths I use worked out to be the one in eleven twist for the .30 caliber. But then my primary use was at 600 and 1,000 yards. Today I use the one in twelve twist and do not feel I've done any more than be able to use button rifle barrels. It used to take a lot of rounds on the tube before a cut rifled barrel really start to would shoot. Now a days it doesn't really matter as much as the cut rifle guys make them with the vary best of lapping.
 
don't do it

I am planning to shoot 200 to 300 yards. Thinking of using a 1-15 twist for 150 grain bullets in a med heavy barrel 24 to 26" on a Rem. Would appreciate any input. Thanks craig

Finding a barrel in that twist will be a challenge. Even if you can, why would you choose such an oddball?

Go for 1:12", or 1:11.25", or 1:10". Way more versatile, and certainly not less suitable for 150 grain bullets.
 
If you are only going to 300 I would think the 134 grain BIB's in a slow twist would work great... with a lot less recoil.
 
.308 craig

Thanks for the information. Sounds like the 1-12 twist sounds about right. I shoot a .222,6mmppc,204 ruger a lot at 200 yards with a 36X scopes and use mostly Berger bullets. I shoot them kind of hot loads and get good groups. I have always like the .30-06, but have a lot of .308 match brass and did have a .308 with a machine gun barrel years ago and it did well but let a guy talk me out of it. Now 5 of us get together every other week and shoot at a 3/4" circle at 200 yards mostly and have a lot of fun and shoot 50 rounds at 10 targets. Thanks for the help! craig
 
Building a 308

I have 2 rifle for those distances.
Both are 12 twist . and shoot really well.
I have a 14 twist that i use for benchrest also.
Any where in this range should shoot for you.
I have shot 168 gr bullets with the 14 twist.
I believe the new group record at 600 was a 14 twist also.
 
Hold on, are we living on different planets !!???

For the typical 150 Gr. FB Benchrest qualtiy bullets, made using the 1.150" long J4 jacket, the 1:15" twist rate is IDEAL!:eek::p At sea-level, and standard conditions, this twist rate produces 1.5 Sg.:) Further, even today, with the growth in popularity of slower twist rates and shorter/lighter bullets, the 1:15" twist remains the STANDARD twist for super precision Hunter Class benchrest rifles! ;) A 15" twist will provide all of the goodies, plus some 'hidden' benifits, including reduced torque and a shallower precession slope. Good shootin'! RG
 
I was just re reading Whelen's "American Rifle".
He wrote that the higher the quality of the barrel the better the results obtainable with a slow twist. He said that Harry Pope's barrels using a slower twist than the Government .30 barrels gave much better accuracy, but you couldn't expect the same results from a mass produced slow twist barrel.
 
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