New to reloading and have a question.......

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B-MAXX

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Hoping you guys might point me in the right direction here. I just ordered the new Lyman Reloading Manual and this may be covered in there, but it doesn't get delivered till Tuesday. :( I recently inherited a full reloading setup (RCBS Rock Chucker, die sets, scale, etc.) Until now I have been shooting factory .308 and 7mm rounds and have been saving the brass to reload and the time has finally come! I only shoot off the bench and a little off hand, no hunting. So the "knock down" power of these factory rounds holds no specific benefit for me.
The question I have is which direction should I be looking to load a round that would be more mild on the recoil yet maintain the accuracy? The two things that I have held back on purchasing until I get some answers are powder and bullets. With the bullets for the .308 ranging from 110gr to 240gr, there is a lot to choose from. Any info would be great. Thanks.
 
Lots of factors can affect accuracy & perceived recoil. A light gun will kick hard with 190 grain bullets. Twists in your barrel rifling will dictate the grains of bullets you will need to stay within, for stabilization. Heavy bullets with heavy charges will generate lots of recoil. Smaller bullets with a consistent load will shoot with great accuaracy if you hit the right tuning point. A chronograph is a good tool for tuning different loads. Different primers can affect loads greatly. Consistency is key for accuracy.....

My .308s love 168 grain Sierra HPBT Match, 4064 powder, Fed Large rifle match primers, & lapua brass.....
 
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Pre '64 Winchester Model 70 Featherweight .308.
Remington Model 700 7mm Rem Mag. Based on the barrel stamp 1968.
 
B ...

B-MAXX said:
Until now I have been shooting factory .308 and 7mm rounds! I only shoot off the bench and a little off hand, no hunting. So the "knock down" power of these factory rounds holds no specific benefit for me. The question I have is which direction should I be looking to load a round that would be more mild on the recoil yet maintain the accuracy?
Click to expand...

Since you're not hunting, get rid of those big old cannons and get yourself a 6mmPPC. It the most accurate cartridge in the world, has mild recoil, is much less expensive to reload and you'll have more fun. Art
 
I would load for the 308, but in a lightweight gun your not gonna' want to spend much time at the bench, and the 7Mag is even worse.
I agree with abintx, sell the other 2 and get a 6MM BR. Very accurate, easy to load, low recoil and brass that that is ready to load.
Check into a Savage.
Mark
http://www.6mmbr.com/6mmbr.html#6BRVarmint
 
If I had a - - -

Pre 64 Featherweight I certainly wouldn't be wasting the barrel on shooting @ targets. I would keep it for a family heirloom! ;)
 
I agree with many of the recommendations, but I notice that almost no one has given you concrete recommendations with specifics.

Here goes. For the .30 caliber, I would select bullets in the mid-range -- such as 168 gr. Strictly for target, look for configurations such as "boat tail hollow point match." As for a 7mm bullet weight, how about the 139 grain? Here again you have a mid-weight bullet. Not the lightest, not the heaviest, probably correct for your rifling twist, and moderate on the recoil.

For powders, for moderate loads, look for powders in the mid- burning range, such as IMR 3031.

Do not take a very slow powder and load it four or five grains light. I know such loads can be found in manuals. Problem is, the resulting loads are very sooty. Pressure peak is not adequate to get a good, cleaning kind of burn.

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As far as "inappropriate rifles" -- the guys are right. Like a featherweight is not a good bench gun. However, you have to shoot what you have, not what you want, right? I can't remember how you inherited these guns, but it does not make much sense to criticize "uncle Bill" because he didn't buy the rifle you personally would like. Just be grateful he remembered you in the will

My son and I have had a lot of fun shooting targets with a little Remington "Classic" .243. That's because -- that's what we HAVE --

To misinterpret a popular song of a few years ago, "love the one you're with." I mean, the rifle you HAVE.
 
My $.01 worth of advice

For target shooting the 168 Sierra Match King would be an excellent bullet with IMR 3031 powder (39 gr. as a starting point). Reloading is a process of discovery, and your rifle may prefer flat base bullets or another powder. My best advice is to get a light recoiling rifle if you intend to shoot from a bench. The 7mm will just plain make you flinch, that is a very bad thing for target shooting. A target or varmint rifle in 20, 22 or 6mm would be something to trade that 7MM for, unless you start thinking of 1000 yard targets. Keep that pre-64 308! A last bit of advice: buy the best scope you can, plan on spending at least $500.
 
On the topic of reloading...

Hello everyone,
I am new to Benchrest Shooting, and even newer to reloading, and am slowly getting the necessary items I'm going to need. There has been a slight snag, however.
I live in Fairbanks Alaska. I don't have the luxury of going to 16 different gun stores across town to find what I need. With the mad rush on reloading components since the Presidential Elections, I am having a bugger of a time getting brass/primers/powder.
My question is this: I was able to buy 2,000 Remington 9.5 M Primers. Are the Magnum Primers going to make a difference for me when reloading when the loads that are worked up for the gun I'm shooting?
My rifle is a 6.5 x .308 AI. I'm reloading Lapua Brass that was new and fired once to fire form it to my action. I use Nosler Custom Competition 6.5 140 grain bullets and 44 grains of H4831 SC.
Any help and insight would be fantastic folks.
 
Icyinalaska said:
Hello everyone,
I am new to Benchrest Shooting, and even newer to reloading, and am slowly getting the necessary items I'm going to need. There has been a slight snag, however.
I live in Fairbanks Alaska. I don't have the luxury of going to 16 different gun stores across town to find what I need. With the mad rush on reloading components since the Presidential Elections, I am having a bugger of a time getting brass/primers/powder.
My question is this: I was able to buy 2,000 Remington 9.5 M Primers. Are the Magnum Primers going to make a difference for me when reloading when the loads that are worked up for the gun I'm shooting?
My rifle is a 6.5 x .308 AI. I'm reloading Lapua Brass that was new and fired once to fire form it to my action. I use Nosler Custom Competition 6.5 140 grain bullets and 44 grains of H4831 SC.
Any help and insight would be fantastic folks.
Click to expand...

In this case the magnum primer could be worth up to two grains equivalent of powder......load accordingly by dropping your powder charge 2gr to accommodate the magnum primer.

al
 
ok so recoil is realitive, i regularly shoot my 35 remington with 200 gr cast bullets, yes my girl friend hates to shoot it but it doesn't bother me. you could bench the 308 or the 7mm (if your like me and a new gun isn't in the buget till next summer) i would recomend starting out with reduced loads maybe 1 or 2 grains below the stated min. This can work depending on the powder or it colud cause the powder to burn with less efficency (pardon my spelling) i would say that you could bench both rifles one thing to consider would be a lead slead with up to 100lbs of dead weight for the rifle to recoil aginst even in my 375hh in a 700 classic the recoil is manageable. just my .02 cents
 
Magnum primers can effect preasure and powder burn rate. Now some loading manuals use magnum primers (depending on the load), so be sure to look at that. I would agree that a magnum primer would be worth at least 2 grains. I dont see the fluctuation being so much with remington primers now someting like mag tech primers were the quality control isn't the best thats were i would go down more than 2 grains (i have had mag tech large rifle primers cause large fluctuations in velocity up to 50fps, i have also had 3 duds inside 100 rounds, i even tried the rounds in multipe guns)
 
guns

Were it me, I would put the model 70 away, sell the 7 mag and buy a heavy barrel 700 in maybe 243 or stay with a 308. The reduced recoil will make bench shooting a lot more pleasurable and either round should be more accurate.
There is no magic formula for loads. Pick a light load the appeals to you and start at the botttom end and work up. I really like Berger bullets, although they are pricey they are very accurate. Stay in the 165 grain range.
 
If you plan to sell.......

the 7Mag., you might consider a Rem 700 BDL or ADL, if you can find them, or a CZ, in .222. Yeah, you can get a BR, or a PPC, or a BBQ, a BVD, or PDQ, too. BUT, if money, not only for the gun purchase is somewhat restricting, think of this; the .222 was THE gun to beat when the others came of age, & it still holds its own. Even Lapua brass(which is supposed to be available next year), is cheaper than other Lapua cases, & if you check brass prices anywhere else, from any mfgr., the .222 is still one of THE cheapest to buy. You don't mention where you live, & I don't know if you are ever going to hunt, so that can be addressed when the time comes. The .222 with the cheapest Hornady SXs will teach you loads about shooting whether you get a heavy barrel or a sporter; but once you get your education from shooting & reloading, then you'll have a better idea as to what you want, or need. The advice about scopes is good (not that the rest isn't) buy the best you can afford, you won't regret it. When you go to the range, you'll do your best work, if you only take ONE gun. When you're finished, unless its winter, clean at the range(unless there are others who need your bench) because you have plenty of room on all sides, plenty of light, too; and it adds to the experience of the day to finish, knowing everything is CLEAN(Dang!! I thought I done cleaned thet th' year b'fore Ruthie graduated!!) & ready to be put away. After that, maybe get a good .22 Long Rifle, & you are set, as the rimfire can teach you a bunch,too. Good Luck.
 
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