Thread: 18 inch 308 powder

@Flyblown great answer mate cheers. Ive used the same load for 6 years now and it sure works well. I got an itch, now ill go scratch it some other way haha.

Appreciate your feedback everyone thankyou

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Think of it in terms of percentages. How much, in percentage terms, am I going to gain if I change powder?

I guarantee you it will be less than 5%.

That isn’t worth it mate, the ballistics will hardly change and the animal will not report any tangible difference in how its hit.

AR2206H will give you sharper recoil, more bark and more muzzle flash. BM8208 is even worse.

AR2208 (Varget) is the best all round powder for .308 bar none.

My load gives me a genuine and witnessed many times over half MOA from an 18” barrel and a 165gr Speer. Assuming I point it in the right place, the animal is dead. What’s not to like?

The reloader is always tempted to fiddle unnecessarily. Don’t fiddle. Or go fiddle with something else.

Should be not too bad a powder for a shorter barrelled 303 then?

Dont they run on coal?

@Niceandfar ironically when they first came out pretty close lol

Originally Posted by Flyblown

.....AR2206H will give you sharper recoil, more bark and more muzzle flash....

AR2208 (Varget) is the best all round powder for .308 bar none.

AR2208 is a fine powder with 165/180gr bullets but many reloader's have found (myself included) AR2206H to be a better choice with the lighter 125/150gr bullets in shorter barrelled .308 rifles. Higher velocities for similar pressure and less muzzle flash. Fired thousands of rounds with both powders; the downside of living two minuets drive from a very good range.

Greetings Niceandfar,
Agree with the bulk of the above BM8208, AR2206H and AR2208 will all do the job as long as you can fit enough AR2208 in the case.
Regarding AR2206 and AR2206H. AR2206 appeared about 1980 as an improved version of the earlier AR2201. AR2206 was the first of the commercial powders offered by Mulwex, now ADI, and was the first of the temperature stable powders called extreme powders by Hodgdon. ADI started making powders for Hodgdon in the early 1990's and AR2206 was slowed a bit to match H4895 and given the H suffix. AR2206 appears to have been discontinued some time after 2000. Similarly AR2213 was slowed to become H4831SC for Hodgdon in the mid 1990's and replaced AR2213 as AR2213SC in the Australian market about 2000. ADI also makes the old chunky H4831 only for Hodgdon but not for sale under the ADI brand.
Hope this is clear Grandpamac.

Comprehensive knowledge there @grandpamac thanks very much!

Using a drop tube helps powder to fill and settle in case better if you're filling to not compress loads.

So all you 308 guys. Have a lovely little 14" barrelled Zastava, suppressed obviously and shoot the 150 gn corelocks, Speer, Norma etc I have tins of 2206, 3031, 4895 and w748 from a range shooters estate, are any of these powders going to be better than the others? I'm guessing he was using the powders in long barrelled range rifles. Would be nice to get 2500 fps to work out a drop to 250 yard max

I used H335 with 125gn Abs for 3000fps in a 16" barrel. 2206h will do similar.

Originally Posted by Shearer

I used H335 with 125gn Abs for 3000fps in a 16" barrel. 2206h will do similar.

Yip, got a load for the same using 2206H

Originally Posted by Shearer

I used H335 with 125gn Abs for 3000fps in a 16" barrel. 2206h will do similar.

I second H335 with the lighter pills, also had good speed and accuracy with 2206h

+3 tried both but think 2206H gives slightly better results in my rifle. 2206H seems to have a better bulk density with 125-150gr pills in my opinion.

Originally Posted by nor-west

So all you 308 guys. Have a lovely little 14" barrelled Zastava, suppressed obviously and shoot the 150 gn corelocks, Speer, Norma etc I have tins of 2206, 3031, 4895 and w748 from a range shooters estate, are any of these powders going to be better than the others? I'm guessing he was using the powders in long barrelled range rifles. Would be nice to get 2500 fps to work out a drop to 250 yard max

Is it 2206 or 2206h?
If it's 2206 you can't get that anymore so may not be worth working up a load if you don't have much of it.

I was getting 2473fps 16" 180 sst il have to double check powder it was one or the other hard to say because I have both but i have an old notebook somewhere il go dig out