Who's reloading 155gr. A-Max?

[MrWithasee]

Who's got a good load for Hornady's 155gr. A-Max 308/7.62?
I'll be using non-military brass and firing from a DSA SA58 - 18" bbl. Right now I have some IMR4895 and will be picking up some others for testing.

AA2520 - heard it was pretty good for gas guns
Varget - heard it works for just about everything
IMR4064 - for some 168 match stuff

I'll be firing from an DSA SA58. Any good recipes to share? Thanks

[hagar]

Start at 45 grains of Varget with Winchester or Lapua cases, and do not exceed 46 if you are shooting a bolt gun. 46 grains in a Palma rifle with 30 inch barrel will give you 3000 feet/sec. In a FAL, stick to 44 grains, 308 can handle more pressure than 7.62. Drop another 2 grains for LC cases. I tried 2520 in LC cases, 42.5 grains with 168 Sierras gave me a very hot load.

[grunteled]

I've had nothing but woes with Varget in my SA58. I have a load with the 155 at 43.5gr of H4895 with Federal 210 primers that gives me 2740fps from a 19" barrel and goes easy on the brass. They have been lasting 4 shots with that recipe.

Varget seemed to create timing issues for me but YMMV. I am getting better velocity with the H4895 than I was with Varget anyway.

[GSF1200]

Varget is noted for being VERY abusive on barrels!

[MrWithasee]

Originally posted by hagar
I tried 2520 in LC cases, 42.5 grains with 168 Sierras gave me a very hot load.

Meaning pressure signs on case walls? primer problems? fireball?

[hagar]

Originally posted by MrWithasee


Meaning pressure signs on case walls? primer problems? fireball?

Flattened primers, violent ejection out of a 308 Garand, but no pierced primers or shiny spots on case. Probably a max load for a 308, will not shoot it in a 7.62. Shoots well at 600 yards in my Tikka match rifle.

[PowderDriver]

I'm getting great results with the hornady 150 gr bullets, especially #3033 BTSP, with 40grs of IMR-3031 in my badger barrel fal.

[hagar]

Originally posted by GSF1200
Varget is noted for being VERY abusive on barrels!

First thing I heard about this. Most all the Palma shooters use it or RL15 which is almost identical, and they pay $600+ for a barrel. Any documentation to back this up? If it's true, I would like to know about it.

[MrWithasee]

Thanks for the input.
Any more?

I'd like to know more about how Varget id hard on Barrels.

[hagar]

It's the ball powders that are abusive on barrels, since they burn with a hotter flame. Varget would not be so popular with highpower and 1000 yard shooters if it was abusive to barrels. There is no better powder, period. Except maybe N540/N550, but it is expensive and hard to find, and is a ball powder. RL15 comes close.

[MrWithasee]

That's why what GSF1200 said strikes me funny. I hear a lot about Varget on a number of forums in some serious beaucoup dinero rifles. Granted I do not know an abundance about rifle powders but I do read what I can about it. I'm new to rifle reloading and lots of reloaders seem to be using the Varget. How many of them can be wrong?

[MrWithasee]

Any more load recipes using the 155gr Hornady A-Max in an FAL?

[shootist87122]

I had horrible luck with Sierra 155 Palmas in a SA58 (they shoot great in my bolt gun, however). No experience with the Hornady Palmas.

The Hornady 150 FMJBTs work very well in my surplus barreled FALs (1.5 - 2 MOA at 200 Yds) and I've shot back to back near 1 MOA groups (5 at 100) in an Ishapore with the 150 FMJs. I sold the SA58 several years ago and never tested it with the Hor-150s (great rifle, btw, I just prefer my builds).

I load the 150 Hornadys with Varget to 2,700 fps in 21" FALs. 43 grains or a hair under using Aussie brass and a CCI#34 NATO spec (magnum) primer. For commercial brass and a standard primer you can go up to about 45 grains (2,750 FPS for me), but start at least a grain below that. COL is 2.788".

The bolt gun load (26" Rem VSSF) using the 155 Seirra Palma's in Fed .308 Brass and a Fed Match primer is 46.2 grains and chronos 2,880 FPS. (COL is 2.775".)

Varget being harder on barrels is BS.