.308 168gr bullet for LR whitetails........

[JDJHNTR]

I did a search guys but did'nt find the info I was looking for? I'm putting together a 700 LTR in .308 for LR whitetails (650-700 yards +/-) and have it topped with a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x50 30mm side focus in TPS rings riding a 20 MOA base. The gun has been bedded in the factory stock and the triger worked to a crisp 3 lbs. My question is this.........
I have always and I do mean ALWAYS got excellent accuracy in my .308's using Lapua brass, GMM primers, varget and 168gr Nosler CT's pushed at around 2750fps. I have put together 3 other rifle using the same recipe and have gotten from 1 ragged hole 5 shot groups to .465 5 shot groups @ 100yrds. I love the accuracy but have never used them on LR game animals?
I would like to hear from someone with experience on this bullet at the mentioned ranges and/or hear suggestions for other bullets suitable for my intended use?

Again........I know this has been run in the ground before but I just could'nt find the info I was looking for? Thank you for all your help and advise!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Desert Fox]

We're in the same page. I myself have been contemplating on using it on games. I haven't heard nor see any report of an animal taken using this bullet yet. The jacket on the Nosler is a bet thinner when compared to Sierra MK, which led me to believed that, it will expand, and probably hold together, at lower impact velocity. A few months ago, I was practicing with these bullet at long range and I recovered a few from the dirt. At a distance of around 716 yards, there's a complete separation of the jacket from the core. The lead core, although deformed, was still intact though; typical of a swaged type bullet or any bullet for that matter when impacting dirt. The jury still out on this one so I guess further testing on wet newspaper or phone books is in order. Accuracy wise, there's no question the bullet is accurate. Here's the result I've got from my rifle.

Ten shot group @ 100 yards:

Here's the 3 shot group @ 535 yards. My first shot hit the gong towards the farthest left. The last two shots, hit 2 inches apart (one inside the center crater) in the center of the gong after giving it a quarter MOA correction. The 3 crater was made by 155 grain Scenar at 250 yards. I used them as my aiming point at 535 yards.

 

[Ian M]

My friends and I have killed a good number of whitetails and mulies with Nosler Competion Supremes or J4's as we used to call them. Worked perfectly, none bounced off or went through like a sword, there were good exits in most carcasses. Several other guys have used them with equal success. Consider some 168 AMAX's if you would like an option, or the tried and true Matchkings, or the Bergers, they are nasty killers. In other words match bullets really do kill critters nicely - even at very close range. Might be a nasty hole but the critter will be down. I have killed more than my share of deer with match bullets and never seen an example of a bullet not opening up, except for the odd one out past 700 yard from my .308 Win. Should have been using more cartridge past 650, simple as that. We want precise shot placement, accuracy that will ensure vital hits out to longer distances than average shots are taken. In my old age I have tended to quit worrying about the bullet's final appearance as much as how quickly the critter died. This came about after determing that many bullets that shed their cores also killed the deer, even at longer ranges.

 

[LWolken]

I shot a buck with the 168 Ballistic Silver Tip CT several years ago. The shot was only about 75yds. Deer ran maybe 75-100 yds and went down. Performance was adequate. The shot did not hit any bones just sift tissue so I'm not suprised with the expansion even at such a close range. It was a complete pass through with about a quarter sized exit hole. rifle is a VSSF 308 Win. The 168's seem to shoot better than the 175 MK in my rifle. Not alot of kills with this bullet but they work.

Lance

 

[Nomosendero]

Funny, I have been thinking about this bullet also. I just traded a 700VS in 22-250 for a 700VS in 308. I wanted a volume shooter in addition to a 223 that I shoot alot. Like you, I want to do some target/tactical/hunting with this gun. I felt that I wanted to use a 165-178 gr. bullet that would serve for all functions. I have heard enough info about the 175MK to know I could go with that, but I noticed that Nosler says that the 168BST has a BC of 490, which seems good for a hunting bullet of this wt. I have used enough BT bullets to believe it will work good on Deer, I killed 25 or so with the 180BT in an '06 & my cousin killed a bunch with the 165BT in a 308,but here is another concern.
With the Lubalux coating, I am not sure how to take care of the barrel. When you remove all carbon/copper & go at it again with a clean barrel, you have to shoot it some for top accuracy. How much more can you shoot it before you clean again? I know you must get some copper fouling, even with the coating. Any experience along thos lines will be appreciated.

 

[Nomosendero]

Ian, what kind of resuts did you see on game with the 168 Berger? Was this bullet accurate in most 308's that you are aware of? I have a M700VS with a 1-12.

 

[Ian M]

I have shot a lot of Bergers on paper and steel but have not made any kills with them yet. Definitely plan on doing so, hopefully this season with the 6.5 or .308 WIn. They are great bullets and many guys speak very highly of them for game killing. Biggest problem with loading the .308 WIn. is that there are so many superb bullets available. I have also hunted with the 168 gr. Combined Tech. Ballistic Silvertip and it seemed to kill better than Ballistic Tips as far as not grinding up as much meat on closer shots. So many bullets, so little time it seems these days.
Good luck to all you guys in selecting a bullet for next hunting season!

 

[val1967]

Contact pete @ Roedale rifles .He sure knows about LR hunting as he made several shots beyond the 500 meters.

Val

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

My friend uses the 168g Silvertip out of his 30-06 and hes had great results from deer to elk with that bullet. He picked it because of the relatively high BC .490, for a hunting bullet of that weight. Pretty good ballistics for a 30-06 or 308 w/that bullet. Not sure how fast hes pushing them, my guess would be around 2850 or so...Hes shot a few deer and 1 or 2 elk with the bullet and has gotten complete passthroughs on everything, including the elk...I would look hard at using this bullet versus a designated "match" bullet..

 

[val1967]

I shot several deer with the Hornady SST-interlocks. Excelent performance & the game dropped @ the place that they were standing. Some from 200 meters, some from 15.
Even foxes out of the 200 + range are no problem. I uses the sako-trg 21 for this.

Val