Closing in .308, TAC, 168gr Nosler CC

General Firearms Reloading & Ammunition
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Hi guys,

A word of thanks for the good advice here, and an update.

I loaded 5rnds each from 40.0 (starting) to 45.0 (almost max, per Hodgdon).

I shot all eleven groups “round robin” style at 100yds, so that no one charge benefitted or suffered as the gun heated and cooled.

I have nice groups with 43.5gr and 45.0gr, and the 43.5gr group is the same POI as GGG surplus that I use to warm up (45.0gr is 1" higher).

(40.5gr was a nice group, too, but POI was 1-2" lower.)

Next, load some more with the same powder charges (or maybe a bit more or less), and chrono them…

(I didn’t use the chrono today, because getting stats when shooting round-robin would’ve been impossible for my little mind.)

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I forgot the photo…

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The hotter the berry, the sweeter the juice!

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Yes, and of course I’d like more veloicity (flatter-shooting).

I’ll chrono both the 43.5 and the 45.0, and if the latter isn’t crazy fast, then maybe I’ll keep pursuing that, too…

FWIW, even the 43.5 rounds impact higher than FGMM, which IME are very consistent but slooow.

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It is amazing how versatile tac can be. Nice work up.

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Absolutely yes.

I use TAC for 6mm Max in an AR15 and .308Win in a POF Rogue. 103s in 6Max and 178s in .308.

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Well, so far, so good…

My goal was ammo that would consistently shoot 1moa 5-shot groups.

That’s what FGMM will do, but I paid 85¢/round for FGMM, and I aim to reload for less than half that (Nosler CCs, Wolf primers, TAC).

I’m loading for a $500 Savage with a $350 Nikon. I have a full-time job, family, and other hobbies (and a mortgage).
So, I’m purposefully NOT going down the ultimate accuracy rabbithole, because I simply don’t have the time or money to become obsessive about this.

That 5-shot group with 43.5gr is 7/8", and without the one oddball shot the other four rounds are a <3/8" center-to-center cloverleaf…

Next time I’ll shoot some groups at 200yds or even 300yds.
(I can’t hang paper past 300yds at my local range.)

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[quote=“Krazykarl, post:5, topic:484877”]It is amazing how versatile tac can be.

Absolutely yes. I use TAC… [/quote]

And part of that “not going down the rabbithole” strategy is that I wanted a powder that would meter well (consistently, easily) through my Dillon 550’s powder dispenser.

I measured out these first charges on the functioning scale of my otherwise defective RCBS ChargeMaster, but one of my projects while I have some time off around the holidays is to get the Dillon’s powder dispenser set up and check its consistency.

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Another update here… I loaded 15 rounds each at 43.3, 43.5, and 43.7, and then 10 rounds at 45.0, just because.

Today I shot groups of each (rather than round-robin) and took along my chrono.

It was a chilly day (in the 40s F). I kept the barrel warm but not hot, but I do wonder how much the temperature-sensitivity of TAC played a role.

I chrono’ed 10-shot strings of all four loads.

The first three were 2612, 2633, and 2607, respectively.
(That’s right, 43.7 grains was slower than 43.3 or 43.5 grains.)

SD for the first was 16, and SDs for the second and third were both 20. Given that I used the Dillon powder drop on my 550, I’m satisfied with the consistency.

Given that 43.3 and 43.5 grains both shot nicer groups than 43.7, I think that’s the answer.

45.0 grains was 2738fps, and more consistent (SD 10), and it shot a nice 5-shot cloverleaf at 100yds, but the group opened up at 200yds.

By way of comparison, FGMM 168 does only 2508 out of the same gun: obnoxiously slow but very consistent (SD 12).

Oddly enough, FGMM’s 175 load is significantly faster, 2618 (SD 22), and IME, just as accurate.

Lapua’s factory load with their 167 Scenar does 2645, and it’s the most accurate factory load I’ve found. (SD 21)

In case 45.0 grains of TAC under a 168gr HPBT seems too hot, SSA’s factory 168 chrono’ed even faster at 2778.
That SD was only 20, but that SSA ammo has never shot well for me.

Next I’ll load up some more at 43.5 and then go shoot some more…