[rogue007]

I just purchased a small lot of 400rds of Hornday 168 A-Max red-tip bullets.


I'm going to be using LC, MKE, FC mil brass but I have never used this particular Hornady bullet yet in my reloading.


To give me a controlled start to help me get straight into a good recipe, what powder and charge do you reccomend for the Hornady 168gr A-Max bullet?



I have a Hornady 8th Edition (service rifle) and see what they use, but what do you use?

The powders I have for .308 are..... H4895, IMR-4895 and IMR-4064.




Sorry, one last thing...... What COAL's do you use for this bullet with great success?..... 2.800, 2.810, 2.820 or 2.830?

I'm always on edge when using new components.

 

[Nomad]

41.5 IMR4895 seems to be a good load........With a 168gr bullet.....

 

[TheTinMan]

A COAL of 2.82" is about the max I'm comfortable with in terms of fitting in the magazine and is more accurate in my Scout than shorter COALs using a Sierra Match King 168 grain HPBT.

I had a conversation with RAMMAC recently about my Scout and my LRB, and there's a distinct possibility that the LRB chamber has a significantly shorter throat than the Springfield. Based on a call to Long Island last week, LRB cuts their chambers with a Winchester .308 reamer, not a 7.62 Nato reamer even though they headspace somewhere in between the two.

I'm comfortable suggesting 2.82" COAL for an SAI Scout; however, IMHO you need to check the leade of your rifle if it has a different origin. I ordered a Hornady OAL gauge today...

I load H-4895 under SMK 168 grain HPBT which is fairly close to the 168 grain AMAX to the best of my knowledge. With H-4895, I'd start working up from 39.0 grains based on the "Service Rifle" section of Hornady's 7th Edition.

Keep in mind that you do lose some velocity due to the 18" barrel. How much is a matter of some debate.

 

[bricktop]

I had a conversation with RAMMAC recently about my Scout and my LRB, and there's a distinct possibility that the LRB chamber has a significantly shorter throat than the Springfield.

Same for the Wolf MMW barrels. I like it, since it is easier to get to the lands with a limited magazine length. Especially helpful for secant ogives.

 

[wbm]

In my standard SA M1A I found an outstanding load using 168g A-Max's.

LC-88 Match Brass
Federal 210M Primer
168g A-Max OAL=2.810"
41.7 IMR 4064

This load shot sub MOA at 100 in several 5 shot groups. Tried IMR4895 and it shot just OK but nothing to talk about.

 

[rogue007]

In my standard SA M1A I found an outstanding load using 168g A-Max's.

LC-88 Match Brass
Federal 210M Primer
168g A-Max OAL=2.810"
41.7 IMR 4064

This load shot sub MOA at 100 in several 5 shot groups. Tried IMR4895 and it shot just OK but nothing to talk about.

Really?...... 41.7gr's of IMR-4064?

My Hornady Service manual says that 40.6gr is the max charge at 2600fps..... Did you mean 40.7gr instead?


I just loaded 20 rounds of 168gr A-Max over 40.2gr's of IMR-4064 right now and going tomorrow to see what they print like.

I now have 9 different ammo types to try out tomorrow and going to see what best performance I can get. I also will be loading at my land as well as I just bought the Lee hand-press to seat bullets at the range.

...... On my way now to buy an AC/DC converter at Wally world so my RCBS chargemaster/scale combo can run off my cars cig lighter.


I'm determined right now to find an accurate round my factory SAI Scout likes..... Or I'm going to buy SEI M118LR barrel and call it a day.

 

[XDS]

I have had very good luck (consistently 1-1.25 MOA to 200 yards when I don't pull the shots) with IMR 4064, past 200 I just shoot steel and haven't put any on paper. Nosler CC 168s, 42.0 grs IMR 4064, CCI BR2 primers in commercial Winchester cases. I need to run them through the chrono again, but I show no pressure signs and the rifle appears to be functioning smoothly.

I tried the recommended H4895 and IMR4895 powders and experienced less accuracy than the 4064 in my rifle. My best bullet has been the Nosler Custom Comp in 168, and the price on them isn't too painful either. This was comparing against Sierra MK 168, Hornady Match 168, and Hornady AMAX 168s.

Rifle is a M1A Loaded, so your mileage may vary with the shorter barrel.