Which VLD in .308

[HawkeyeFan]

I planning on hunting whitetail does in southern Iowa. They are nice big corn fed deer for sure. My question is I am wanting to try Hunting Shack VLD loads and am not sure if I should go with 168's or 185's. I hope to be able to shoot to 500 yds, maybe 600 if conditions are perfect. Is this possibly a mute point as the new superformance 165 SST loads are cheaper and would seam to offer good performance. Thank you for any advice or personal experiences you relate.

 

[Miller Outdoors]

What is the twist rate of your barrel?

 

[HawkeyeFan]

According to company literature it is a 1 in 10 twist.

 

[sniperjwt]

both will do you fine but here are some things to consider. The heavier bullet will come closer to being spun the optimal amount because it will need the faster twist. That being said the .308 really shines with the 168 grain bullet. Really i think it is going to be a personal preferance as to which one. Although its spendy it might be best to buy a box of both and see which one shoots better in your gun and then go with that one.

im in the process of finding a load with my .308 but im useing the .208 grain A Max. I dont have any experiance with the lighter bullets in the 308 but hope you find a good load and fill the freezer.

 

[trebark]

easy....choose the 210VLD and find a load of RL17 that works for your rifle. A buddy of mine loads 48grains of RL17 and gets 2700+fps with it. That's enough velocity and energy to take deer at 800 yards.

 

[Miller Outdoors]

Definitely stick with the heavier bullets.

That's the same twist rate as my .308 and I settled on the 185gr Berger Hunting VLD's. It shoots them great at .02 off the lands. I wouldn't consider anything under 180's. Mine shoots the Sierra Gameking 200gr great also and the thinner skinned Gamekings will expand with the lower velocity of the .308 out at 700 to 900 yards.

 

[shortgrass]

I'd use the one that was most accurate from my rifle.