Best round for deer & hog hunting

Hi folks, I'm posting this here because I did not know where else to. I'm am about to buy a new rifle for deer and hog hunting. Was thinking .308, but I wanted to get some input if you all thought there was a better caliber for these types of hunts. Thank you in advance for any information.

Many options out there but the .308 is never a bad one. As for bullets, your options are endless for deer. Best place to start is deciding if you want a bullet that expands rapidly (VLD, ballistic tip, standard soft point cup and core, etc.) or do you want a tougher bonded bullet (Accubond, partition, monolithic, grand slam, etc.) that will expand but stay together and keep going through?
Anything in the 150-168 grain weight will do just fine on deer and hogs. For hogs though, I'd go with a tougher bullet personally.

.308 for all around bullet choices and now 6.5 Creedmoor now that options are everywhere. ...............308!

RSRW said:

Hi folks, I'm posting this here because I did not know where else to. I'm am about to buy a new rifle for deer and hog hunting. Was thinking .308, but I wanted to get some input if you all thought there was a better caliber for these types of hunts. Thank you in advance for any information.

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I think a .308 with the 162 grain Hammer Hunter would do everything you need it to. But you need a 10.5 twist for full stability.

You didn't say where you were but yes the 308 can be bought with factory loads and hand loaded to take a lot of different types of game. You can even play the long range steel game to a certain limit. For a smaller frame person recoil might come into play.

CVCOBRA1 said:

You didn't say where you were but yes the 308 can be bought with factory loads and hand loaded to take a lot of different types of game. You can even play the long range steel game to a certain limit. For a smaller frame person recoil might come into play.

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Thank you,
I'm in Maryland and I am anything but a small person.

....Bullets have improved so much it's tough to make a choice that can't have decent terminal performance. Used to be .308 diameter was somewhat unique in having a bullet for every niche, most calibers today come with a wide range of bullets to choose from.

....I would find a rifle I really like, and choose a cartridge based on what was available.
Any of the mid class cartridges have their following, and all are capable of what you want.

I have used a 308 win, 260 rem, and 6.5 cm for both deer and hogs. The 308 win gives you some room for error.

Another option is the 6.8spc. I run Accubond bullets when hog hunting and they drop in their tracks with the correct placement within 150 yards; same with deer. The ammo is a little harder to find locally so I mostly order it all online. I won't bore you with the ballistics, but the 6.8spc has about 80% "knock down power" of .308 and about 50% of the recoil. If you can pair the 6.8spc with a suppressor, it is similar to shooting a .223.
68forums.com has a ton of info. if you want to do more research.

the .308 and hammers will be a great choice.

I agree with HARPERC, bullets of today are much improved with numerous quality options. The 308 is a good option for deer and hogs with many bullet sizes and types of construction. I have guided deer and hog hunts for years and when I ask a client about what they are shooting I would also ask what type of bullet. When the would say 308, and also had a quality hunting bullet it came down to bullet placement after that. I personally use a 300 RUM and change bullet weight and construction for different species up to and including elk, moose and many African species.

6.5 Grendel gives roughly the same trajectory as the .308 Win. Plenty of good medicine for deer and hogs.

The higher velocity of the 6.5 Creedmoor gives slightly flatter trajectory, less drift and about a 100 yards further reach for minimum expansion velocities if one wants to reach out further than 400 yards.

Glad to see most of you agree on the 308. That is what I chose in an AR for hogs. Shooting factory ammo suppressed. I am having a hard time finding a bullet that will do mass damage but pass through. Would love to use Accubonds. They won't cycle. Hornady hollow points shoot great but leave no blood trail. No pass through on hogs. I am sure they would be great on deer or steel. Remington pointed soft points would not hit the side of a barn. Thinking of trying Winchester. Suggestions please.

I like the 308 because it's very easy to load with many powders, and range of bullet weights which can be used and very accurate. I've taken deer and hog with mine using nosler part, and there accu bond. You can find a lot of store bought ammo for it anywhere in case of emergency. Good huntin