Got any recommendations to start with?

Way too much info to go on.
Bullet/powder combo?  Or are we making a shopping list for you? If that's the case, I'm partial to 46 grains of BL-C(2) and hornady 150's.



 

buy some pulls like the 147's from longdayjake on the EE here and whatever powder you can come up with. they are good bullets for the price with hardly any evidence of being pulled

I load with Varget but that is pretty much unavailable now.

or these, 175gr SMK look a likes

these are new bullets and my 308 AR with a 1in 10 barrel loves them with 43.5 grains of Varget

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_7_114/1358295_Bulk_Newly_Manufactured__308_175_grain_BTHP_Match_bullets__250_for_1000_shipped.html

I wouldn't waste my time, powder or barrel life on fmj ball bullets, pulled or otherwise.

Buy a bulk box of 1000 Nosler 168 grain Custom Competition bullets for $232.00 and live happily ever after. Around .25 cents a bullet delivered to your door beats the pants off any fmj on the market.

For what it's worth, .308 brass can't be loaded blindly without regards to head stamps, internal cases capacity and empty case weights.

Weigh your empty unprimed brass and keep them separated when developing load data. Heavy cases get the lightest powder charges.

Right here, but I like 155gr CC with 44gr. of IMR 4064.  It meters like crap, but I've got a bunch of it.

Not everybody wants to spend that kind of money on projectiles that are punching paper at 100 yards.  I've got a ton of ammo I made extra cheap so that I can take friends and gun newbs out shooting with and not bust my budget letting them waste ammo.  While not currently available,  I'm still sitting on a few more 147gr pulled projectiles that I paid ~ 9¢ a piece for.  I have some bulk 175gr bullets too for when I want to make a nice load for sailing out a distance,  but that's a different stash.  Yes,  you've got nicer bullets,  but I think OP was looking for a cheap shooting option.



While this is the best way to create a precision load,  I again disagree with the subject at hand.  As long as you aren't getting close to max load with powder,  I have not seen any reason to sort by head stamp and year for make 100 yard killing an afternoon rounds.  They aren't dangerous to shoot,  just not as accurate.  

I've got rounds that cost over $2 each to load in my garage and rounds that cost 13¢ a piece.  I can shoot both in the same range trip,  but don't blindly let somebody blast away $20 worth of ammo to have fun.

I'm currently using 147gr fmjs (not pulled) and WC-844 powder. They are less than 2MOA from a M1A "Loaded"

I don't think you could do better for the same money.

Motor1

How much do they cost? My experience with full metal jackets has been a disappointment. If I routinely shot 2 moa at 100 I could live with them, I get closer to 3" or 4" as a rule.

Most of the full metal jacket 147 grain bullets I see for sale are closer to .16 or .17 cents apiece. For a little more money 1 moa or less is the norm, not an anomaly. Money well spent in my book.

A full 2.0 grain reduction is needed when loaded Lake City, IMI (Israeli) or IVI (Canadian) 7.62x51mm brass. I never load "blasting" ammo. I shoot for groups. Every outing is an accuracy experiment for me.

A much lower standard is acceptable for fmj's.

I got lucky with the fmjs. They were new but not in their original boxes. I got them on gunbroker.

I agree most pulled bullets are a mixed bag. I also agree it's probably worth it to spend a little more if buying new to get a better bullet.

I wish I knew what brand the ones I have are.

I don't know what the current price is for WC-844 either but I do know it works very well in 4 different rifles in 3 different calibers.

Motor1

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165163765/hornady-bullets-30-caliber-308-diameter-150-grain-full-metal-jacket-boat-tail-with-cannelure
40 to 42 grains of 4064 in LC brass. I don't use the cannule as my oal is 2.800. Better accuracy. 20 cents per round.

My plinking load is 42 grains of 4064 under the Hornady 150 gr fmjbt's as well.

No specific combo, just curious as to what the folks here use.


Thanks for the replies folks.

I use once fired LC brass, 147gr FMJ pulls, and IMR4895 loaded to mag length for my M1A. I'm still working on a load for my AR10 since it does it like the lighter bullets as much.

Even in bulk, these are ~20c each + shipping.
You can get RMR branded 175grs for 25c/each shipped, and can sometimes find sales on Hornady BTHPs or Nosler Custom Comp bullets in the same range.
I'm with border patrol here - false economy in this case, IMO.  You'll have to trust me when I say I'm a cheapskate on components - I keep a spreadsheet on hand of the various pistol bullet companies prices by the case including shipping, and have dropped my per bullet cost in 9mm from 9.8x c/each using Montana Gold (great bullets) down to 6.x c/rd using Bayou HiTek coated by the case...but in the case of .308, I'd rather spend a couple more cents, although I'm sure the Hornady's above are decent...as far as FMJs go.
Some other options:
Hornady 155gr BTHP Match
Hornady 168gr BTHP Match
Nosler 155gr BTHP

Another option, perhaps of interest if you want a reduced recoil load: