.308 nosler Accubond results/advice

[oosmanch]

HI All,

i am new to reloading, i have a Tikka T3X SS in .308, for hunting, i am a little recoil sensitive and the usual 150-168gn bullets(sako and Outback armour) were a little bit too much for me so i decided to reload, Hornady make a custom lite low recoil load (with 125g projectile)for 308 but it is not available where i live. so i decided to reload my own, i used,

once fired Sako brass(washed/prepped etc)
Federal 210 LR primer
Nosler Accubond 125gn
ADI 2206H powder
COAL 2.75

ADI website states starting load of 45gn for 2206H for a 125g projectile(sieera softpoint) (nosler doesn't have data for ADI)
as i wanted a low recoil cartridge i started a little low, as follows
5 groups each of;

43gn
43.5gn
44gn
44.5gn
45gn

Results: scratching my head as there is quite a variable spread, i was expecting shots to group better for a certain load and than i can work on that a bit more. the recoil at 45gn was similar to the factory Sako 150gn(superhammerhead).
i am probably happy to go up projectile weight and suck up the recoil

so what am i doing wrong.
thanks

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[Bello]

Hi mate
I used the some heavier accubond projectiles in my 308 and 300win mag. I think they were 165 and 180gr projectiles
Very accurate.
Just didn’t get the expansion in the field I wanted at close range (within 100 to 150 meter ranges) so I changed projectiles.
In my 308 I use AR2208 works for me.

You could also try the pre loaded 135gr OSA rounds. I find them to be very accurate out to 200 meters and have stopped everything that has managed to walk in their way.
My light walk around 308 rifle is sighted in for these bullets.

You can also consider a muzzle break. It will reduce the recoil significantly. Get a decent one like a terminator T3 or a grisly.
My 2c

[animalpest]

I think your answer may be in your post.
Being recoil sensitive may well be the problem with your groups.

Suggest you try some factory ammo and compare. If that doesn't group then it may not be the rifle.

Or have someone else who is good shooting a .308 to try it.

[oosmanch]

Yes I think it's me more than the rifle,. Need more time at the range, or perhaps should.look at 243 or similar...

[Bello]

Hi Mate
Can I ask what other rifles you have.
Or is the 308 your first rifle

It just that I have seen so many "well meaning mates" advise new shooters to get a 308 or 30-06 or bigger.
It usually ends in tears.
A guy at the range not long ago asked me to help him sight in his 30-06. I felt his barrel and it was HOT. I asked what other rifles he had and he explained his mate said a 30-06 was a good calibre for hunting. It was his first rifle. He had developed a flinch.
I can sight the rifle in but with a flinch it wasn't going to be any use to him.

My advise.
Get a 22LR and learn the basics. Cheap to run, loads of fun. Then move up to a 223.
You will find a well placed 223 round with a well constructed projectile placed correctly will, within 150 meters, will bring down most varmints.
Most pro shooters use them with great success.
You have to get to know your rifle. Be comfortable with it. This means practice at the range.
223 is cheapish to run, low recoil.
Sorry if i have rained on your parade.

Just my experiences

[Oldbloke]

Federal 210 LR primer
Nosler Accubond 125gn
ADI 2206H powder
COAL 2.75

ADI website states starting load of 45gn for 2206H for a 125g projectile(sieera softpoint) (nosler doesn't have data for ADI)
as i wanted a low recoil cartridge i started a little low, as follows
5 groups each of;

43gn
43.5gn
44gn
44.5gn
45gn
‐---------
Oosmanch,
That load should be very low recoil.
In my 30.06 I load 49.0 gr of AR2208 behind a 130gr siera bullet. Pretty dam mild.

Some comments, suggestions.

1.What is the bullet jump to the lands? IMO 20 thou is a good starting point. You may need to experiment a bit.
2. It's a light rifle, perhaps consider putting a few Oz of lead shot in the stock to add weight. This will reduce felt recoil.
3. 150 to 180gr bullets are traditionally more accurate. Light bullets less so. 125gr may not be long enough to be stable in your rifle. Twist rate is the key here.
4. Check for loose screws, bedding etc.
5. As mentioned earlier have someone else try a group.
6. If its for hunting usually 1.5moa will do the job.

https://bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

[oosmanch]

Hi Mate
Can I ask what other rifles you have.
Or is the 308 your first rifle

It just that I have seen so many "well meaning mates" advise new shooters to get a 308 or 30-06 or bigger.
It usually ends in tears.
A guy at the range not long ago asked me to help him sight in his 30-06. I felt his barrel and it was HOT. I asked what other rifles he had and he explained his mate said a 30-06 was a good calibre for hunting. It was his first rifle. He had developed a flinch.
I can sight the rifle in but with a flinch it wasn't going to be any use to him.

My advise.
Get a 22LR and learn the basics. Cheap to run, loads of fun. Then move up to a 223.
You will find a well placed 223 round with a well constructed projectile placed correctly will, within 150 meters, will bring down most varmints.
Most pro shooters use them with great success.
You have to get to know your rifle. Be comfortable with it. This means practice at the range.
223 is cheapish to run, low recoil.
Sorry if i have rained on your parade.

Just my experiences

Admittedly i had not fired 308 before
i have used 22LR, and 12g shotgun (quite a bit for some years) for birds before,

appreciate the advice

[oosmanch]

Federal 210 LR primer
Nosler Accubond 125gn
ADI 2206H powder
COAL 2.75

ADI website states starting load of 45gn for 2206H for a 125g projectile(sieera softpoint) (nosler doesn't have data for ADI)
as i wanted a low recoil cartridge i started a little low, as follows
5 groups each of;

43gn
43.5gn
44gn
44.5gn
45gn
‐---------
Oosmanch,
That load should be very low recoil.
In my 30.06 I load 49.0 gr of AR2208 behind a 130gr siera bullet. Pretty dam mild.

Some comments, suggestions.

1.What is the bullet jump to the lands? IMO 20 thou is a good starting point. You may need to experiment a bit.
2. It's a light rifle, perhaps consider putting a few Oz of lead shot in the stock to add weight. This will reduce felt recoil.
3. 150 to 180gr bullets are traditionally more accurate. Light bullets less so. 125gr may not be long enough to be stable in your rifle. Twist rate is the key here.
4. Check for loose screws, bedding etc.
5. As mentioned earlier have someone else try a group.
6. If its for hunting usually 1.5moa will do the job.

https://bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

i have not gone to the point of measuring ogive depth etc yet, i will definitely try the heavier projectile and practice more to overcome the flinch, i did take the rifle apart, adjusted the trigger and everything seems in order,
when i bought the rifle my initial ammo was sako superhammerhead 150g, and outbackammo 168gn, sako has better accuracy imo and i was getting close to an inch at 100m for 3 shot groups mostly (except the occasional flier which were my fault), Outbackarmour, not as accurate(again probably my fault as the felt recoil was more). sako ammunition has been out of stock for the last 4 months here so i decided to reload, and while at it i thought i would try some thing light.

thanks foe the advice.

[Greenbeast12]

Oosmanch,

For awhile I thought my 308 was a bit of a rough ride and I had been shooting 168 smks.

I fitted a brake to it and it was great but over time the people that I shot with hated the brake so I removed it and got used to how it shot,

Making sure that your rifle handling is good will benefit you greatly in handling the recoil aswell. Im no guru on it but I do what works for me and I happily can shoot my 308 for however long I please.

If trying to hold the rifle differently doesn't help, try a brake or maybe even a smaller cal and work back up to the full power loads again.

Beware though with a brake you may cause yourself more flinching due to the muzzle blast from them - goes with design though.

Good luck and I hope you can get yourself comfortable around it

Cheers,

[SCJ429]

There is a lot of horizontal dispersion in your groups, was it windy?

[solarpak]

I agree with Bello .......spot on.

Lots of new shooters get poor advice from so called "mates"

A new hunter/shooter using a big 30 calibre or a magnum is a recipe for flinchitis .......

My advice for a shooter wanting their first centre fire - hone your shooting skills with a rimfire - then opt for a 223 or 243 first up. Learn your centre fire skills with these two calibre then progress to whatever you want.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY - dont attempt to hunt any animal with a calibre which is inadequate - the 223 is great for small game / varmints / goats whilst the 243 will handle small/medium pigs, goats and deer up to fallow (where legal).

Enjoy.

C.

[oosmanch]

There is a lot of horizontal dispersion in your groups, was it windy?

No, barely 1-2 Knotts of wind.

[bladeracer]

AR2206H is sold in the US as Hodgdon Varget, and I would expect all manuals to list it.

Being new to reloading, and new to shooting centrefire rifles, it would be very difficult to guess if there is a problem. It may be in your reloading technique, consistent method is critical, it may be in your shooting technique (ditto), it may be a deficiency in the rifle (what groups were you getting from the factory ammo?), or it may just be that the specific rifle and bullet don't play well together. If you have a light barrel profile, five-rounds may be more than the barrel can cope with in a session, try slowing your shooting way down and minimise barrel heat.

I finally got some of Hornady's 190gn Sub-X on Friday, designed to expand at 900fps in the 300BLK. I want to try them in reduced loads in .30-30 and .30-06, but also in full-noise loads in both. Some basic research shows that the bullet is quite accurate regardless of velocity. I don't know what you're shooting at, but a subsonic, or reduced load at around 1700fps might be an option for reduced recoil and noise, while still having a bullet that doesn't become an FMJ under 1600fps.

HI All,

i am new to reloading, i have a Tikka T3X SS in .308, for hunting, i am a little recoil sensitive and the usual 150-168gn bullets(sako and Outback armour) were a little bit too much for me so i decided to reload, Hornady make a custom lite low recoil load (with 125g projectile)for 308 but it is not available where i live. so i decided to reload my own, i used,

once fired Sako brass(washed/prepped etc)
Federal 210 LR primer
Nosler Accubond 125gn
ADI 2206H powder
COAL 2.75

ADI website states starting load of 45gn for 2206H for a 125g projectile(sieera softpoint) (nosler doesn't have data for ADI)
as i wanted a low recoil cartridge i started a little low, as follows
5 groups each of;

43gn
43.5gn
44gn
44.5gn
45gn

Results: scratching my head as there is quite a variable spread, i was expecting shots to group better for a certain load and than i can work on that a bit more. the recoil at 45gn was similar to the factory Sako 150gn(superhammerhead).
i am probably happy to go up projectile weight and suck up the recoil

so what am i doing wrong.
thanks

PXL_20210623_031606328.jpg

PXL_20210623_031546834.jpg

PXL_20210623_031503230.jpg

PXL_20210623_031442999.jpg

PXL_20210623_031304194.jpg

PXL_20210623_031409041.jpg

[mchughcb]

AR2206H is sold in the US as Hodgdon Varget, and I would expect all manuals to list it.

From the ADI website.

When I see people with 6000+ posts on a forum like this giving advice to noobs. I shake my head in disbelief.

[animalpest]

Yep.

[ZaineB]

stick to the tightest of those groups, and enjoy, a lot of older rifles struggled to have that accuracy when strapped into a lead sled or similar, plenty of game still went down as a result, your groups will improve as you get let squirty.

most of all my reloads shoot clover leaf holes at 100m but then I dont care about recoil and have been shooting/reloading for a long time now. its something you will hone in with time, part math, part experience.

[bladeracer]

Just saw this.
I should have checked it before posting, big mistake.
Thanks for picking it up, mchughcb!

AR2206H is sold in the US as Hodgdon Varget, and I would expect all manuals to list it.

From the ADI website.

When I see people with 6000+ posts on a forum like this giving advice to noobs. I shake my head in disbelief.

[SCJ429]

There is a lot of horizontal dispersion in your groups, was it windy?

No, barely 1-2 Knotts of wind.

Try shooting off a rest and rear bag, add some weight to the rifle. Try a lighter trigger pull. Slow down and try a repeatable shooting position, good trigger control and then let the riffle settle after the shoot goes off and regain your sight picture.

Try some wind flags?