Sierra 2156 load infor

[theoldfart]

Hi, relatively new to this forum and after over 30 years away from Target Rifle shooting, I have decided to have a crack at either FTR or F Standard/open. I have purchased a 2008 Barnard P from a very experienced shooter who is a tad older than me and unfortunately unable to continue. The setup was for a 308w Target Rifle with iron sights and I have added a rail and scope. The rifle came with 200+ rounds of ammo which was great, however, the time has now come to commence reloading my own. So, to the question, the ammo supplied was Berger 155 with magnum primers in Winchester and Lapour cases, powder was 2206H at 46.0Gr with Chronograph readings of 3035ish fps. Of course, Berger projectiles are no longer accessible, magnum primers are not available. So, I have Sierra 2156 155gr projectiles and will use the same (but mainly Winchester) cases and have managed to scrounge up some Winchester and CCI large Rifle primers. Would the 45.0 Gr 2206H still be a reasonable propellent for the components listed. Open to any and all the help I can get as reloading is something totally new to me. Last time I shot a target rifle was the late 80's and have to say I am loving it. Also, I have a Joypod X for FTR and have a Bald eagle with a joystick top to so can go either way (rifle, scope and Joypod = 8kg) but would really like everyone’s view on which way to go. (This could open a can of worms ). Thanks, and I enjoy the learning provided by many experienced members of this site. If I have dumped this in the wrong area Mr moderator feel free to put it elsewhere.

[macguru]

yes that load is fine 45gr 06h (or 46gr 08) is a very common load. You may want to start a bit under but accuracy wise thats in the ballpark. i use those projectiless and they are fine... oh, if you have ADI brass its thicker and you may want to back off half a grain. b ut i use winchester or lapua brass.

[Blindbat]

A word of warning about brass. Winchester cases are less uniform and have thinner walls than Lapua. Consequently they will have lower pressures with more variation than Lapua for any given powder charge. Being basically lazy I load them both with 45gr of 2205h but I would approach a 46gr load with a little caution, especially in a Lapua case. As far as quality goes, Winchester cases are OK but not considered up to standard for precision/long distance disciplines. Lapua (and Alpha if you can get it) are the best available and Lapua is the most popular choice in the Target/Fclass game. If you are looking for a case that represents good value I would suggest ADI. In my opinion they are almost as good/consistent as Lapua but are available for almost half the cost. If you look after your brass by not running overly high pressures and annealing every reload there is no reason not to expect 20+ reloads from each case meaning 200 cases can last the life of a barrel. If you think about it in these terms brass is possibly the cheapest component of a reload although it may not seem like that at the time you buy it.
Projectiles - Bergers are considered the superior projectile however if honest there is little difference most people will notice on target.
Powder - A load of 45gn of 2206h for both 155.5 Bergers and 155 Sierra 2156s shoot to the same point of impact in my Barnard. This load gives 2970fps from a 30" Maddco barrel. 2206h is generally regarded the ideal powder for a 308 although Bench Mark 8208 on the faster burning side and 2208 on the slower side both have their adherents.
Primers - There is absolutely no need to use Magnum primers with a 308. Standard/match primers in CCI or Federal are the goto primers however with the the shortage these are very hard to find at the moment. One primer that is currently available and seems to give low SDs is the Indian OFV. I have not heard anything negative about them (bracing for the backlash) but some other brands on the market at the moment are getting less than stellar feedback.
Getting into the reloading game is jumping down the rabbit hole, part science, part black magic and a lot of BS. There are as many differing theories and techniques as there are reloaders out there reloading so listen, learn and absorb the bits that make sense to you and develop your own style.
Good luck, welcome to the scene and above all, enjoy the process.