Just came back from the range. I took my Browning A-Bolt synthetic stalker out today to give it a final Zero check before Season opens. I am shooting 47.0 grains of Varget with the 150 grain Nosler Partition. I am getting 2730 fps average with my chronograph. This is lower than the stats in the Speer Manual as far as velocity but I shot four three shot groups and the smallest group was 3/4 of an inch at 100 yards the largest group was 1.302. inches so I think It should be a good hunting load. The Partition should still open well at that speed and my shots are always in the 200 yard range where I hunt. I can go up 1 1/2 grains more to reach the max but this load is more accuarte and I only go up to about 2820 with the max load. I don't think any critter would notice the difference. My Browning has a 22 inch barrel. I have my old Redfield tracker 2x7 scope on it. It will be about the 25th year for that old scope. I hope it lasts as long as I hunt because I don't know what I would do without it. The new Redfields can't hold a candle to the old ones IMO.
I load my 308's with 39gr of IMR 4064 and a 165gr hornady SST. I shoot them out of my savage striker. At 100 yards I can get all the bullets touching. I haven't shot it any futher then that yet, but plan to this week end to see how it groups.
I used a ton of 4064 in my 308 rifles when I shot steel Silhouttes. I shot the 190 grain Hornady HPBT bullets and a compressed load of 4064. That load worked very well for big game too. I am a poor shooter of paper targets. I think I try to hard with a bullseye target. I can shoot a better group on a plain white paper plate with no aiming point than I can a target. I can hit cans and rocks better to. Anytime I can get a group of 2 inches or better on a target then I know my gun is on the money.
You have a decent bullet and adequeate speed. That will kill the deer. The confidence you have in your load will guide the bullet to where it needs to go.
I am just not a group shooter. The problem is not the gun. I can shoot a 2 inch group at 100 yard. I can shoot a 2 inch group at 200 yards as well. With most guns I can shoot the same group at 300 yards. I can shoot at a deer or other animal at about any reasonable range and my bullet will most likely be within and inch or inch and a half from where I am aiming. I don't shoot a game animals at ranges over 300 yards unless its already hit. Some people can't shoot targets But shoot fine in the hunting field. I am one of those. I have seen a bunch of people while guiding that can shoot groups as long as the have a solid rest but can't judge range or hit an animal worth a crap.
Got my 308 load for this year
