308 WIN 154 HHT Range Report

[DiscoSteve]

Thank you and I don't blame you. I was kind of hoping somebody would come on here and say yeah I had one and it shot like crap or I had one and I did this. A blanket swag is tough. I was looking more for experience.

SWAG. Scientific Wild A$$ Guess

Thank you

Joe

I have a 16" christensen arms MPR in 308. It shoots 1" groups with certain hammer hand loads. Most groups were in the 2-3" range with factory ammo. I sent it back to CA and they said it met their accuracy guarantee with 168 Sierra SMK (if I recall correctly) target ammo. Their customer service was reasonable enough, but I haven't been blown away with it's accuracy.

I also have a 280AI CA ridgeline. It shoots bugholes with factory hornady precision hunter 162 gr. It shoots worse than the 308 with everything else. So I stopped messing around trying to load hammers in it, and just stuck with factory ammo because I couldn't get anywhere close.

 

[joe16]

Thank you for your time. I've got four 175 TMKs loaded up with 42 grains of IMR4895. I also loaded four with tac and four with benchmark. Those are with 150 power hammers.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow morning I'll be shootin.

 

[BFD]

Thank you for your time. I've got four 175 TMKs loaded up with 42 grains of IMR4895. I also loaded four with tac and four with benchmark. Those are with 150 power hammers.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow morning I'll be shootin.

Oh goodie! IMR4895 has been an across the board performing powder for 308 WIN. TAC is the devils powder. LOL! It gives high velocity, accuracy, but the ES/SD don't settle till you dance right at the over pressure mark. I suspect you will pressure out with Benchmark before desired velocity, but still fun to experiment.

 

[LightTheTower]

Oh goodie! IMR4895 has been an across the board performing powder for 308 WIN. TAC is the devils powder. LOL! It gives high velocity, accuracy, but the ES/SD don't settle till you dance right at the over pressure mark. I suspect you will pressure out with Benchmark before desired velocity, but still fun to experiment.

What have your ES numbers been with TAC? My ES with 47.6 gn and the 151 AH has been just shy of 50 fps with close to 80 rounds and temps from 25° to 85°… I don’t see this as ideal, but it seems reasonable!

 

[BFD]

What have your ES numbers been with TAC? My ES with 47.6 gn and the 151 AH has been just shy of 50 fps with close to 80 rounds and temps from 25° to 85°… I don’t see this as ideal, but it seems reasonable!

Pushing at the cusp of overpressure I can get them in the 20s prior to pressure its 50s.

 

[joe16]

There is no desired velocity I'm trying to see why this gentleman's rifle shoots 3-in patterns that's why I was asking for loads that y'all thought would be accurate in most rifles and pressure wise for sure. I'd be really surprised if any of these loads top 2750. But we won't know until I pull the trigger.

I wrote this last night and I guess I didn't post reply

I might as well add this morning's results to it.

We had a storm rolling in so I shot these loads in four shot groups with approximately 8 to 10 minutes between strings. It was pretty hot this morning temperature in the high 70s feels like was 88°.

This was all an accuracy evaluation of this Christensen Arms Mesa 308 with a 20-in barrel the kids said it wouldn't shoot and he gave me two boxes of cheapy ammo I didn't even take it to the grove this morning.

Brass used was FC and fiocchi primers we're also used.

First up was 42 grains of IMR 4895 under a 175 TMK. Average velocity for the load was 2560 extreme spread was 30. no crimp was used on these. The bullets were loaded with .007 jump. First two shots were fired without the small o-ring applied for pressure at the end of the barrel. that group was an 1 3/8 then I applied the smaller of the two diameter O-rings for tip pressure and shot two more that group was an 1 1/8.

Next up was the 8 150 power hammers with a 1/2 FCD in the top Valley. four of these were loaded with 42 grains of Benchmark. Average velocity was 2,760 with extreme spread of 19. Other than the first shot being high to the right opening the group up to inch and 3/4 the other three landed in a nice 1-in group. just wondering if the Moly off the 175 tmks might have affected the first shot? this load was also shot with the small diameter o-ring approximately 1.5 in from the end of the four end.


Pic of both Orings.

Next up was Tac. This load was shot with a large diameter O-ring for tip pressure. it had an average velocity for four shots of 2700 with an extreme spread of 22. This load shot the best with a inch and a half group and the first three being in 3/4 of an inch.

I don't think this rifle shot too bad for the first time out considering I shot it hot and I experimented with tip pressure I'm going to hand it back to Chad and tell him to buy some premium bullets.

Thanks for the suggestion fellas I appreciate it, Chad does too

This place is awesome

Joe

 

[BFD]

This was all an accuracy evaluation of this Christensen Arms Mesa 308 with a 20-in barrel the kids said it wouldn't shoot and he gave me two boxes of cheapy ammo I didn't even take it to the grove this morning.

Wisdom

First up was 42 grains of IMR 4895 under a 175 TMK. Average velocity for the load was 2560 extreme spread was 30. no crimp was used on these.

That's right in the pocket of velocity there.

The bullets were loaded with .007 jump. First two shots were fired without the small o-ring applied for pressure at the end of the barrel. that group was an 1 3/8 then I applied the smaller of the two diameter O-rings for tip pressure and shot two more that group was an 1 1/8.

I wonder if applying cut out pieces of credit card would also work. I have heard this technique before. All of the fully bedded barreled rifles I've shot have been tack drivers. So, it's either rely upon a free float to vibrate the same every time, or you make the daggum thing stay still. I kind of like the latter. My full stocked, Man-licker, CZ 550 9.3X62 for instance.

Next up was the 8 150 power hammers with a 1/2 FCD in the top Valley. four of these were loaded with 42 grains of Benchmark. Average velocity was 2,760 with extreme spread of 19.

Oh, I see promise right there.

Next up was Tac. This load was shot with a large diameter O-ring for tip pressure. it had an average velocity for four shots of 2700 with an extreme spread of 22. This load shot the best with a inch and a half group and the first three being in 3/4 of an inch.

Good ES for TAC

I don't think this rifle shot too bad for the first time out considering I shot it hot and I experimented with tip pressure I'm going to hand it back to Chad and tell him to buy some premium bullets.

YUP

Thanks for the suggestion fellas I appreciate it, Chad does too

You bet

This place is awesome

YUP

 

[aratliff]

For anyone following this thread with interest…
Within the past 48 hours, I tested the 154HHT in my .308. Load data has been posted in the share your load thread.

IMR 4895 compressed very early. Did not pursue it much.

IMR 8208XBR and Benchmark showed a lot of promise. I stopped on Benchmark because I got just a little bit more velocity out of it…and because it was already in the hopper of the Chargemaster.

As for groups, I won’t say much other than all were suitable for my <300 yard whitetail hunting needs. I am not a crack shot, the barrel gets warm easily, and I was shooting off a crappy table. That said, first two shots in each group touched each other, then it started walking.
There’s too much crap to do around here for me to wait on the barrel to cool!

Edit to correct typos.