Looking for Help Picking Factory .308 for Whitetails

[DLJ6]

Buy a box of each and use whichever one your rig shoots the best. They are all capable of meeting your specs.

 

[Nomosendero]

If you can find them, federal fusion 150's or 165's have made my hand loads look embarrassing in most rifles. They are cheaper and amazingly accurate as well as devastating on deer!!! Could not recommend a better factory load than those

I handload for my 308's most of the time but my brother has used the Fed Fusion a good deal with perfect results on Deer and they are one of the best factory loads in accuracy with the 165's. But as many have stated about any factory load will do from 300yds and in as the OP suggested he would do. Match bullet/Berger BC's will not be important inside 300yds.

 

[Beamonk]

The Barnes 130 grain at the high velocities with TAC powder are spectacular killers on Alabama deer. However, 150 grain interlocks do very well too and are a heck of alot cheaper. I am beginning to realize as much as I like fancy bullets that standard coreloks and cup and core bullets work just fine at our distances.

 

[BenelliHunter]

150 PowerPoint Winchesters or 150 Corelokt Remington are where I would start. Federal Fusion is another good option. Hornady SST also. 308 and whitetail is pretty simple, hit them decent with just about anything 150 grain and you will find them in less than 30 yards if they don't pile up sooner. I use 168 A-max handloads lately but that really is only because my 308 shoots them very well and I have a bunch of them, my son has shot a handful of deer with 150 PowerPoints and not one has made it over 20 yards, 3 out of 6 dropped on the spot. The PowerPoints are less damaging to the meat as well if you get a little too far forward going in or out, the A-max will ruin shoulders quickly.

Every 308 I own love the 150 Power Points.

 

[whhood]

Any hunting load will meet your criteria. I hunt the southeast with 16" & 18" 308s and have the same criteria. Any cup and core bullet that groups well out of your rifle will work. Deer are not hard to kill and expensive ammo is not not necessary. At the same time premium ammo isn't that much more with the amount of rounds most people shoot during hunting season. Federal blue box kills as dead as my premium ammo for half the price.

 

[Emuckfwa]

Same here; I agree with the 150g Rem Core-Lokt for 300 Yards or less. They're cheap and there's plenty of them on the shelves right now. And they do the job just fine on Blackbelt Whitetails.

 

[azarcher10x]

Accubonds but I would drop to 150 grain with the shorter barrel. 150 grain Partitions would be another good choice if you can find factory loaded ones.

Remington core lokt or the new tipped core lokt (which is likely the Sierra Game Changer bullet) would also be good choices. I killed a mountain of deer using core lokt bullets when I lived in Mississippi.

I like Barnes bullets but they need velocity to perform best and they don't typically leave the blood trails that a cup/core bullet does.

I have to disagree with you on the Barnes. They almost always leave a better blood trail just from the fact they get full penetration, leaving an exit wound. As always, you need to match the bullet to the size of the game. The 130 TTSX is a great choice for whitetail shot out of a .308!

 

[Sealesniper]

I hunt the thick stuff in eastern NC. While all of those mentioned above will obviously kill a deer, I like the accubond for it's dead right there performance. Now, with that said, many bullets are blamed for lost game, when it was not the fault of the bullet. Shot placement is key. For under 300 yards, I normally shoot the neck where it meets the body, or if the deer is very relaxed and looking away, a head shot is not out of the question if the odds of the deer moving during bullet flight are minimal, meaning deer eating or looking straight away. Even with this I seldom take a head shot as so much can go wrong. Find a round your gun likes, practice with it, know your limitations and make sure you place the bullets where that bullet is designed to perform the best. Few deer carry off an Accubond with neck/shoulder hit, or heart lung.

 

[docdempster65]

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/308-win-165-gr-sst-superformance#!/

 

[Rebell]

I totally agree that Nosler Balistic Tips take them down better. I can deal with a little lost meat if they don't take a step

 

[jlarose85]

Appreciate all the responses y'all! I think I'll definitely go more towards the 130-150 gr loads since I'm shooting such a short barrel. Going to buy a box of each and see what it eats best.

 

[BHP9]

I've had good luck with Winchester Deer Season XP. It's a 150gr. Also Browning BXR. It's a 155gr, but I believe that it's the same as the Winchester Deer Season.

 

[SEGARE]

I've used Nosler's exclusively for 30+ yrs. First it was Partitions, then Ballistic Tips, and now Accubonds for the last 10yrs or so. I've used both the 150 and 165, and the deer have never known the difference. I use the AB bc I prefer shoulder shots due the lack of trialing that is needed, but I wouldn't have any qualms if I HAD to use either of the others.

 

[MOOSE39465]

If 300 yards was maximum range I wouldn't consider the last 2 you listed.