Thread: Varmint 308 loads

I've aquired a box of (old) hornady 100g SJ varmint bullets for the 308 for some longer range rabbit/hare/possum shooting. Can't seem to find any solid load data for this projectile, and it's not listed in the last few hornady manuals. Has anyone had experience with loading this? Rifle is a 22" suppressed tikka. Have a heap of 2208 lying around that I'd like to use if possible.

Data – Rifle – ADI World Class Powders and Ammunition

Use 110 loads as a guide

Speer made a similar projectile and listed loads in their old manuals, pretty much the same as 110 grain projectiles. Played with them in the early eighties but found it hard to get them to shoot anywhere near the 150 grains. What do you intend to use them for?
GPM.

Hornady SJ bullets of 100 grains are listed in my Hornady vol 11 book using 4227,4198,n200,3031 pwdr. All a bit faster than 2208. Top load is N200 45.6 grains for 3200 fps. seating depth 0.225"

2208 is not going to be a good powder to use. Far too slow burning for 100gr bullets.

tell you what they would be good for...subsonic or low speed loads ,being so short they should be very stable.

Greetings again,
Fished out my records. The projectile I used in most of the light loads was the 110 grain Speer Varminter. I managed to get them to shoot to the same elevation at 90 metres as my full power 150 grain loads with 40 grains of the long gone AR2201 which was a bit faster than AR2206H. Unfortunately they shot about 60mm left. I had good accuracy with 29 grains of IMR4227 (from the Speer manual) which shot to about the same place. I did load some of the 100 grain plinkers but I don't have targets for them. This was all in 1981 before the days of easily adjustable scopes so went no further with them. There are still a few of the 100 grain plinkers and near full boxes of the 100 grain Hornady and 110 grain Speer Varminters so I should have another crack at it.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

tell you what they would be good for...subsonic or low speed loads ,being so short they should be very stable.

might even have a chance of expansion if they are lightly built varmit bullets used on larger game too
probably not tho most of my recovered normal bullets look like you could use them again

Greetings yet again,
This does move away from the question posed in the opening post but some recent tests I did showed that the 125 grain Speer TNT shot a little right and only a little higher than the 150 grain. the 125 grains were 47 grains of BM8208, AR2206 and AR2206H chronographed at 2,950, 2,940 and 2,900 respectively. These could be adjusted to bring the POA down level with the 150 grain load. The rifle was a Rem 700 in a Hogue stock suppressed and a 10 power scope. The BC of the 125 grain is closer to that of the 150 so the trajectory would be similar.
Too many things to test and not enough time.
Regards Grandpamac.

Thanks for the input gents, sounds like the 2208 may not be ideal. Managed to find some 2219 at the local H&F which sounds like it might be a bit more suitable, and could maybe do some loads for the 6.5 grendel too

Originally Posted by taking_the_gun_for_a_walk

Thanks for the input gents, sounds like the 2208 may not be ideal. Managed to find some 2219 at the local H&F which sounds like it might be a bit more suitable, and could maybe do some loads for the 6.5 grendel too

Correct, not ideal. But you could try 44gr 2208. But I wouldn't like to reduce it much further.

Possum shooting? Do you mean on the paddocks?

Originally Posted by McNotty

Possum shooting? Do you mean on the paddocks?

well 75% of possums are shot on the ground..any in trees you have to be cautious of background/backstop with anything bar a shotgun,a varmit type projectile makes it a LITTLE safer