Im going hunting late september in Tennessee for ram and boar. The rifle im going to use is my Remington R25 .308. The bullets that i normally use is the Sierra Matchking 168 gr. It shoots roughly .5" groups at 100 yards and 1" groups at 200 yards with that bullet. What are your opinions on hunting with a match bullet? Ive never hunted with one and am kinda unsure about the expansion and penetration issues. They are handloads. Ive tried the Sierra Gameking 180's and it shot horribly. So did the Hornady A-Max bullet. By horribly i mean 1 to 2 inch groups at 100 yards. I know i could have to shoot a ram from 3 or 400 yards so im wanting an accurate game bullet. Does anyone have any suggestions? Remember, im also going to be shooting a boar. Thanks guys
Long range ram hunt with Remington R25 .308
- Thread starter jpitch33
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barnesuser28
Well-Known Member
Give then Barnes 175 grain LRX a try if you have a 1:10 twist or faster. if not try the 168 grain TTSX. Either of these will take a ram and boar with ease.
angus-5024
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for 400-500 yards you have no need to shoot a match bullet. You simply dont need the B.C. I would pick a good hunting bullet that will feed well in your rifle. Hornandy Interock, Hornandy GMX, anything barnes, Nosler Accubonds, Scirrocco swifts, and the list goes on. I would put berger in there, but I think that you'll have OAL issues.
All the bullets I mentioned have decent B.C's , they just dont have what berger and the maatchkings usually have.
All the bullets I mentioned have decent B.C's , they just dont have what berger and the maatchkings usually have.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
I'm not a fan at all of the SMK as a hunting bullet in general.
However at the velocities you are running it should suffice as long as you do NOT try to shoot through the shoulders. On the Ram go for a Heart/Lung shot, on the hog 2-3" below the ear and about 3-5" back towards the shoulder (do not shoot through the shoulder with that bullet, it'll end ugly) on a large boar should put you dead into the spine.
I'd encourage you though to try some Hornady 165gr Interbonds or Hornady 165gr SST's . They shoot phenomenally well in both of my M1A's; even buying the factory ammo at that.
Both are ideal hunting bullets.
However at the velocities you are running it should suffice as long as you do NOT try to shoot through the shoulders. On the Ram go for a Heart/Lung shot, on the hog 2-3" below the ear and about 3-5" back towards the shoulder (do not shoot through the shoulder with that bullet, it'll end ugly) on a large boar should put you dead into the spine.
I'd encourage you though to try some Hornady 165gr Interbonds or Hornady 165gr SST's . They shoot phenomenally well in both of my M1A's; even buying the factory ammo at that.
Both are ideal hunting bullets.
Okay, thanks alot guys! Ill definitely order a couple of those and see what happens. Yeah, my barrel is a 1 in 10 twist. Although it did not like those GameKing 180's for some reason. I appreciate all the info guys. What is it about that SMK that makes you say not to shoot through the shoulder? Like i said, i have never tested that round on game, so i have no clue. Lol
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Hit something hard with it like a hog's shield or thick shoulder bones and the target bullets will come completely apart on you frequently after next to no penetration.
They will work at long range because at low velocity/energy they lack the energy to do so as easily but will still open up.
I'm not a fan of any match bullet for hunting other than just killing predators.
They are very thin jacketed bullets and most are not really truly bonded bullets even if the manufacturer claims otherwise. One exception to that is the Amax.
You might also give the swift sirocco a try. It is a phenomenal bullet and my bet is they will perform well for you as they are shooting lights out for me even in my AR-260.
Do a little googling and see if you can find anyone loading them in .308 and/or call Grizzly and see if he does or would load you a box to try. Stick with the 165's for your first go if they don't shoot well gry a few of the 180's.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Keep in mind that when I'm talking about "big boars" I'm talking over 400lbs. I've killed some that we've dug 30-30, and 308's out of their shoulders that had never penetrated the shield.
What is the weight of the boar you are going after? I quit the boars and using a 45 acp and go after feral pigs in the 100- 350 pound class. 350's are actualy on the edge of way to much work field dressing and muscling around to load up. Feeders and stands. Or even drive by field hunting. The big laser illuminators make night hunting fun. either the ND3 or the ND3x50
but anyway my weapon of choice is the 150 grain spbt out of a 270 going 3100 fps. I agree with the head shots, but it is fun to do the classic heart lung. I've never had a pig stop the round. It just blowns big chunks of lung and rib bone out on the ground on the far side.
http://www.lasergenetics.com/nd3x40-laser-designator_hunting.aspx
but anyway my weapon of choice is the 150 grain spbt out of a 270 going 3100 fps. I agree with the head shots, but it is fun to do the classic heart lung. I've never had a pig stop the round. It just blowns big chunks of lung and rib bone out on the ground on the far side.
http://www.lasergenetics.com/nd3x40-laser-designator_hunting.aspx
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Outlaw6.0
Well-Known Member
I had extremely good luck with the 165 Nosler Ballistic Tip pushed by IMR-4064 in my AR-10 in 308. Your SMK will probably kill both of your intended animals. The problem is consistency, one may be a total bang flop-holy crap it's been hit by lightening!
& the next you may never recover....
As wildrose said, they were never intended for game, some people LOVE them & have had resounding success. The SMK is heavier jacketed than the Berger VLDs that many love, neither are "bonded". Of course neither is the Sierra game king that has been killing animials for DECADES.... If I were only hunting hogs, I would have zero issues with using a SMK, but i'd be playing with 175's or bigger.
& the next you may never recover....As wildrose said, they were never intended for game, some people LOVE them & have had resounding success. The SMK is heavier jacketed than the Berger VLDs that many love, neither are "bonded". Of course neither is the Sierra game king that has been killing animials for DECADES.... If I were only hunting hogs, I would have zero issues with using a SMK, but i'd be playing with 175's or bigger.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
If you're asking me, what I consider to be large is the 500lbs and up. We've killed some in this area exceeding 900lbs over the years.
Well, since it is a semi auto .308, I wouldn't have an issue with putting more rounds into the boar or ram. I wish the Gamekings would have shot better. My barrel is a 1 in 10, so shouldn't it have stabilized that 180 gr bullet? How do I get samples of different bullets without buying a whole box? I have 168 amax's and 180 game kings that are pretty useless now. Lol I'm not sure about the sizes of the animals yet. I want to try those Berger vld's, but i will probably have oal issues won't I?
barnesuser28
Well-Known Member
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