308 Winchester

[alloutsmith3]

I've decided that before I jump into the long range shooting/hunting game by buying a new rifle that I would learn more by using my Savage 10FP in 308. I know it is capable of punching paper to a 1000+ yds but wanted to get some experienced opinions on what you feel is the capabilities on different North American game animals and which load/bullet you feel is best for that animal.
I'm curious about:

Moose, Elk, Black Bear, Deer (Mule and Whitetail), Feral Hogs

I know alot more goes into it than just bullet and yardage so I'm just looking for opinions on what you would feel is best for the 308 round. Thanks

 

[diriel]

For hogs and deer the 130gr Barnes is pure DRT Poison to around 400 yards. Don't Laugh, it seriously hammers!

Good Hunting,
Gary

 

[rscott5028]

I have no specific experience with 308 past 200 yards.

But, one rule of thumb I heard for Whitetails is supersonic and 1,000 ft-lbs of energy.

That would make 308 viable out past 550yds at least.

Hogs can be a tough animal to kill. But as they are so destructive, I'll take just about any shot I can get.

 

[loosesniper2000]

I've owned several 308's and currently shoot one now. You'll find the general opinion is like the previous post, no less than 1000 energy ft pounds. That's true for any rifle. For whitetail, you don't want the animal to run off never to be found. For ground hogs...who cares! Having lived on a farm my whole life and seeing the damage they cause to tractors, wagons...etc I say kill em with anything!
I've taken groundhogs out to 700 yds with a 308 but never took a deer past 300 yds with it.

 

[liltank]

With the right bullet, powder combination you can make the .308 a legitimate 800yrd rifle for deer. There are some really good bullet out there that will perform admirably. A suggestion made to me is the 200SGK will do nicely to 850yds due to its ability to open at lower velocities (1500fps). If you go to the 208 A-max then you can go a bit farther. This is all for deer.

For bear probably 3-500yds, elk 5-600yds, moose 4-500yds. That is about as far as I would want to go. Though with a bear head, its pretty big. If you are pretty sure of your self you could go further with a well placed shot. For these three animals I would probably use the 200grn Accubond, or 200SGK for its durability to pass through.

Tank

 

[loosesniper2000]

With the right bullet, powder combination you can make the .308 a legitimate 800yrd rifle for deer. There are some really good bullet out there that will perform admirably. A suggestion made to me is the 200SGK will do nicely to 850yds due to its ability to open at lower velocities (1500fps). If you go to the 208 A-max then you can go a bit farther. This is all for deer.

For bear probably 3-500yds, elk 5-600yds, moose 4-500yds. That is about as far as I would want to go. Though with a bear head, its pretty big. If you are pretty sure of your self you could go further with a well placed shot. For these three animals I would probably use the 200grn Accubond, or 200SGK for its durability to pass through.

Tank

Hello liltank, I wanted to ask you the other day, what powder would you recommend using for the 200SGK? Do you think a 1 in 10 twist would handle that?

 

[ScottB]

Last weekend was the 'last weekend' for the youth to hunt whitetails with a firearm in the State of Arkansas(bow hunting from now until Feb 28th now!!). Son got a doe during this hunt with a Savage 10FP .308Win. I ranged her at 428 yards, twice and 429 yards once(not sure what is up with that-he used info on the drop chart for 425yds) and she hadn't moved. Although not quite what I'd consider to be long range, but she bang-flopped in her tracks.
Load was his favorite Win case with Varget powder, CCI primer, and Nosler 150grBalTip. The extreme spread on this load during development was 9! Drop chart made and a rangefinder with fresh battery will put meat in the freezer out to 800 yards.


I'm going to go with the figures from the US Army of effective range of 800meters on the 308Win cartridge.(Marines call it effective to 900meters...possibly a "mine is better then yours thing?")



Scott

 

[liltank]

Hello liltank, I wanted to ask you the other day, what powder would you recommend using for the 200SGK? Do you think a 1 in 10 twist would handle that?

I'm going to use IMR 4064, RL17 (Most likely candidate for use), and IMR 4320. I don't have the 4320, but it may be worth a try. Ramshot Big Game is showing promise as a viable powder and N550. So what ever you have of any of these would be a good choice. I have not had a chance to play with the 200SGK yet as I have been waiting for my barrel to get here. I probably won't start playing with it until mid summer when Groundhog hunting slows a bit.

Tank

 

[Oliveralan]

I have shot 190 VLDs and 208 A-maxs from my .308. With the 208 A-max I'll shoot deer to 900 in good, 1000 in perfect conditions. However that's really the limits of the round. You really need to know how to dope the wind and dial in a slew of
atmospheric conditions before thating that shot.

I use RL17 however H4350, W760, VV-N540 (190s in shorter barrel), VV-N550, Ramshot Big Game, are all viable for heavy weight .308s.

Also, I shoot a 28" 1-11tw hart and it will stabilize 208 A-maxs and 210 VLDs no problem.

 

[alloutsmith3]

Thanks for the input guys. It sounds like the little 308 will do fine until I learn and get some experience.

 

[rdsii64]

I'm no expert by any stretch but I do know what my eyes tell me. Some will disagree with what I am about to say next but here goes. If you (a) keep your shots inside 350 yards, and (b) drive a 178 grain Hornaday Amax bullet at 2600 FPS, no animal that is legal to shoot in the lower 48 states will survive a well placed shot from any .30 caliber rifle. If they dont drop where they stand, they won't go far.

 

[liltank]

I'm no expert by any stretch but I do know what my eyes tell me. Some will disagree with what I am about to say next but here goes. If you (a) keep your shots inside 350 yards, and (b) drive a 178 grain Hornaday Amax bullet at 2600 FPS, no animal that is legal to shoot in the lower 48 states will survive a well placed shot from any .30 caliber rifle. If they dont drop where they stand, they won't go far.

No argument from me!

Tank

 

[zupatun]

I'm no expert either, and probably only an average shot and reloader, but if you're going to go AMAX why not 175 Gr SMK or larger over the AMAX. Right now I'm shooting 165 SST and Interbonds and 175Gr SMK's. Interbonds for hardier beasts, but I think the SST is fine for deer out of the 308 (28inch barrel 11.5 twist) as far as it will run down to 1100fps...can't remember the distance off hte top of my head...

At some point I'll try something heavier, either 180's, or the 208gr beasts...

Matt

 

[jthod]

I fell in love with the 150 Grain Hornaday SST's. They are accurate as hell, and hit as hard as a ballistic tip, but has serious penetration and knockdown. three deer dead this year ranging from 70 to 210 yards.