.308 smk

[scsims]

I'm shooting 168gr SMKs @ 2750fps out of my .308. Should I be hesitant to use these on deer out to 350 yards?

 

[rdsii64]

I'm shooting 168gr SMKs @ 2750fps out of my .308. Should I be hesitant to use these on deer out to 350 yards?

Bullet choice is your personal preference but a .308 Winchester is enough gun for anything you man enough to hunt if 350 yards is your max distance. With that said, My choice for deer out to 350 yards would be a 150 grain ballistic tip at 2850 FPS.

 

[WildRose]

I cant' recommend using an Match Holow point on game. There are better, more reliable, and certainly more predictable bullets.

If you hit'm right it'll certainly kill him but you're going to make a hell of a mess of him in doing so.

The odds of him running off to die are also far higher using such bullets.

 

[edge]

Bullets are always a personal choice and often dictated by how you hunt and what shots you will take.

If you want a bullet that you can shoot through a deer from all angles then the SMK is probably not your best choice.
The 150 Accubond is only slightly lower in it's BC and it should retain much more mass should you decide on a raking shot or one passing through big bones on the way in.

I have taken 2 deer at 100 yards and under with a 200 grain 8mm SMK and the results were simply incredible! You could lose a lot of meat if you hit at high velocity.

Here was one of my results: http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f32/8mm-smk-458-ml-scores-65659/

edge.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Scott,

You might want to bump the velocity back 100 fps or so with this bullet, since 2550-2600 is the "sweet spot" for the 168s out of a 308. As to their use on game, Wild rose covered it pretty nicely. Yes, they'll work, no, they aren't designed to, and yes, they'll often act like FMJs. They can also behave like varmint bullets (depending on range, velocity and any bone encountered) due to their fairly thin jackets. Bottom line is, they're designed to punch holes in paper, end of story. Listen to what Edge said here, too; the 8mm 200 SMK is very similar in design to the 168s, and his results don't surprise me at all.

 

[Jackal11]

Bullets are always a personal choice and often dictated by how you hunt and what shots you will take.

If you want a bullet that you can shoot through a deer from all angles then the SMK is probably not your best choice.
The 150 Accubond is only slightly lower in it's BC and it should retain much more mass should you decide on a raking shot or one passing through big bones on the way in.

I have taken 2 deer at 100 yards and under with a 200 grain 8mm SMK and the results were simply incredible! You could lose a lot of meat if you hit at high velocity.

Here was one of my results: http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f32/8mm-smk-458-ml-scores-65659/

edge.

X2 on Edge's comments

 

[scsims]

Thanks for the replies guys. I shot this gun today althought just at 100 and 200 yards. Checking the scope out to 200 adjusting the scope up 1.75 moa and back to 0 at 100. At 100 I shot .5 moa and at 200 I shot about .75 moa but the wind was about 10mph and variable. Adjusted back to 0 at 100 yards and shot .5 again. I love this gun and load that's kind of why I wanted to use it for deer this weekend.

The good news is I found 6 rounds loaded with 165gr Accubonds that I had left from load development. I shot 2 of them and they grouped right in there with the SMKs at 100 and 200 yards. So I think I'll take them for the first round of shots.