.308 Win Hunting Ammo- what grain bullet should I use?

[Old Grump]

That brings up another question whats your twist rate?

Remington 700 in .308 Winchester is 12/1

[natman]

Originally Posted by natman

What if the most accurate bullet is a match bullet that is completely unsuitable for hunting? I'll trade an extra 1/4" group size for consistent expansion any day.

Originally Posted by Palmetto-Pride

I have killed deer just as dead with Match ammo as I have with any other ammo. So my experience is all the education I need!!! There is no magic bullet I have lost em with 30-06 and dropped em with .223 the only difference was shot placement.

I certainly agree that shot placement is the most important factor in a clean kill. However, the OP asked about bullets, and using a match bullet for hunting is risky, regardless if it has happened to work out OK for you so far. Hunting bullets are carefully designed to expand without blowing up to give the best odds of success. Match bullets are not and you're asking for trouble using them to hunt.

Originally Posted by natman

Anyway, back to the OP's question, any 150 grain hunting softpoint, such as the Remington Core Lokt, the Winchester Power Point or Federal Power Shok will be just fine for whitetail. Pick among them and then find the one that's most accurate in your gun.

Originally Posted by Palmetto-Pride

My point is don't think because you are shooting the latest greatest super duper, $69.00 a box ammo that you aren't going to be in for a search if you make a bad shot.

No one has argued that any bullet is a substitute for shot placement. BTW, the bullets I recommended are not "super-duper, $69.00 a box ammo", but regular hunting bullets designed for hunting deer and available at Walmart for >$20 a box.

[mrawesome22]

Match bullets are designed with very thin jackets did promote rapid fragmentation when a hard surface is struck. This reduces the chance of richocets and possible injury to other people at a range.

They are great for ground hogs, p-dogs, coyotes etc. For deer... (rolleyes)

[JKump]

Just like everyone said, any hunting 150, 165 or 180 grain bullet from the Main factory companies (Remington, Federal, Hornady, etc.) WILL get the job done on deer. I personally shoot Federal Fusions 180 grain bullets. I went to the 180 grains beacause they "buck" the wind better and hit a little harder. However, over distance they do drop a little faster. Comparing Federal Fusion 150 vs. 180 with a 100 yard zero, drop for the 150 grain is -3.6" at 200 yards and -13.4" at 300 yards, vs. 180 grain -4.4" and 15.7" yards. For the other info Energy at 100 yards 150 grain = 2252 with wind drift of 3.2" vs. the 180 grain = 2354 with a wind drift of 2.9". As I said this is my personal feelings on this subject.

[GeauxTide]

There have been extensive tests on "brush busting", including 338Mag and 375Mag. As Emcon5 stated, there is no such animal. If you're limited to factory, Remington, WW, Federal are good standards. Federal, Nosler, and Hornady make excellent premium loads. I'd stick with 150s. Longest shot my 308 made was 274 steps by my 6'7" neighbor, using 150 Sierra handloads. DRT.

[44 AMP]

In .30 caliber, 150gr and up are considered deer and big game bullets. 150s, 165s and 180s are the most commonly used for deer. Any hunting load in these weights from a quality manufacturer will do the job well.

The key is how well you can do the job with your rifle and ammo combination. Rifles are individuals, and some are really individual. Each one has its own quirks when it comes to what ammo it shoots best, and worst.

A "good" rifle won't show a lot of difference between its best and worst, but if it does, its not the end of the world. You just use what it likes (within the class of ammo suitable for the task) and avoid what it doesn't.

Most often a rifle will have a different point of impact for different bullet weights. Sometimes they will show a different point of impact between different brands of ammo of the same weight. These are things you need to know, before going afield. And they are only found out by shooting.

Buy a box of each of the available brands and weights. You don't have to do it all at once. Shoot some brand A, 150s and see how they do. Then try brand B, C, etc. the next time. If one is more accurate than the other by a significant amount, use it for hunting.

Next time try a different weight, going through the brands, as time and funds allow, Eventually you will find the brand and weight that shoots best in your gun. What I am trying to say is that say you have your rifle dialed in for Rem 150gr corelokts, but when you go get shells for your hunt, all they have is Win 180s. Finding out that they print 3 inches left and an inch low from where you are sighted in with the Rem ammo, (for example) might be a vital thing when you line up on a deer at distance.