Ot: handloads for AR-10 in .308

Been hand loading for awhile but not for an AR.I
have a palmetto arms 308 which I understand has
an adjustable gas block? Of which I know nothing
about Where in relation to maximum published
loads should I load for this gun-79,80,90,100
percent?oh I used my tractor to clear shooting lanes
where I now hunt with this gun to keep it tractor
related

Start mild and work up until you get a load that functions reliably and groups well.

Cartridge loads and chamber pressures are way more important than you can get from us. From head space to powder type, to bullet weight and 4 or 5 more relevant considerations. Look at accuracy charts and loadings for the action/barrel chamber combination. Creep up by repeated firing from lesser charges to a solid accuracy, then quit below the maximum. High pressures most often result in less accuracy. A .308 will work on all North American game even elk and moose if hit where they are vulnerable. Jim

I don't know about the AR-10, but I load for my M14 and I know for that rifle it's important to stick with faster powders, nothing slower than IMR-4064. IMR-4895 and H4895 are very popular powders for this round and give great accuracy.

Some folks will suggest using a 'small base' reloading die, for easier chambering in your autoloader, but I would not do that. It probably has a fairly loose chamber, and you'll just wear out your brass faster if you resize it too much. You may want to consider using an RCBS X-die, which reduces the need to trim your cases and makes them last longer. Regardless of how you size your cases, you'll want to check for incipient case head separation each time you resize them. Use a straightened paper clip with a 90 degree bend at the end to feel the inside of the case head. If the case head is about to separate you'll feel a definite groove inside the case.

My favorite bullet for my M14 is the Nosler Custom Competition HPBT in 168 grain. They're similar to the Sierra MatchKing, but usually cheaper, and IMO just as good.

I don't know about your AR-10, but many military rifles have floating firing pins and can fire out of battery if a too-sensitive primer is used. For this reason, Winchester and CCI primers are preferred over Federal and Remington.

I've been reloading for decades now and have always used the starting load as per the book in all the rounds I load and that has always worked well for me. I've loaded a good many 308 that way and many other cal. All have been used to hunt deer and all have dropped the deer

I would recommend getting a reloading manual for what bullets you intend to use, and heed their charts. I use 168 and 174 grain Hornady ELD match bullets for my target loads. I have also used Hornady Custom Competition. I have both the Hornady and Nosler, among others. Start at the low end of charge in the table, do some shooting, and read the brass. Also know, you need to reduce the charge if using 7.62 NATO brass. NATO spec brass has thicker walls that will give higher pressure for a given charge over commercial 308 brass.

There is a VERY popular load used in the M1A/M14: 168 grain HPBT bullet with 41.5 grains of IMR-4895 or H4895. That's what I use in my M14. I did a bit of googling and apparently it's also a popular AR-10 load. It's accurate and well below the 60 Kpsi maximum pressure of commercial loads.

Rrman61
Im about to hand load some 308 for an AR10 using Varget powder, mostly because that is what I have. I plan to measure the factory made ammo muzzle velocities of 168g ballistic tip. Then work the powder load up to match the muzzle velocity with the hand loads.

Thanks guys sounds like all good advice.I have imr 4064 and 4895 and was lucky enough to find 600 large rifle primers.intend to use 165 grain sst bullets .this particular gun is for hogs at night (legal here)but I also have a couple bolt actions I use for deer in 308

I would work up different loads for your AR and bolt action rifle and keep the used brass for the two guns separate. The AR will probably be much rougher on brass and will require full-length sizing each time you load it, while the brass you use in the bolt gun will require only minimal resizing and should last forever. Although your AR will probably be fine loaded to commercial .308 Winchester pressures, if it were my rifle I'd keep my loads on the light side to save wear and tear. (Your adjustable gas block will allow you some flexibility in your loads, particularly if you decide to use heavier bullets.) Military brass will last a bit longer in the AR than commercial. I have a bunch of mil-spec IMI brass made in Israel, but haven't been able to find any more for years.

Except for pigs my wife and sons can use the 308s my gun of choice is a first generation Browning A-bolt in 280 Remington.50 grains of 4350 and a 150 grain nosler partition bullet.3/4 inch groups at 100 yds and has never let me down since I bought the gun in 1990.many a deer,hog and a few coyotes have fallen to this gun

(quoted from post at 17:04:05 11/14/21) I've been reloading for decades now and have always used the starting load as per the book in all the rounds I load and that has always worked well for me. I've loaded a good many 308 that way and many other cal. All have been used to hunt deer and all have dropped the deer

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Good advice. I pretty much go middle of the road but I think going with the starting load would work just fine. I've loaded a few to the maximum but the increased recoil does not improve performance.

CCI's No. 34 primer is made for semi autos to reduce slam fires and out of battery fires.