.308 Ammo?

DukersDad14 · October 28, 2011, 02:09 PM

Hello All,

I recently purchased a Marlin model X7S as my first hunting rifle

and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on a relatively inexpensive yet decent scope and what would be the best ammo to use for not only sighting the rifle in but also for deer hunting. Any advice is appreciated.

Rob96 · October 28, 2011, 03:19 PM

If you are looking at factory ammo good ol' Remington Core Lokt will do the trick.

tahunua001 · October 28, 2011, 03:19 PM

I always had luck with federal powershoks

PeterTitan · October 28, 2011, 03:43 PM

This is the scope I have on my .308, I'm happy with it....

http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-3-...flescopes.html

Hope that helps.

publius · October 29, 2011, 12:37 AM

Don't cheap out on the scope, it's every bit as important as the rifle. A low end Leupold or Nikon can be had for around $175.00. I'm a handloader, but back when I shot factory stuff, I used Rem. Corelokts with 100% success. 165 gr. will do nicely.

FrankenMauser · October 29, 2011, 03:25 AM

For the scope, your best bang-for-your-buck right now is the Redfield Revolution. If you'll be shooting at less than 200 yards most of the time (or live east of the Mississippi), I'd suggest the 3-9x40mm. For longer shots (or if you live out West), I'd suggest the 4-12x40mm model.

It's a great scope for the money, and has an unbeatable warranty.

For ammo... I'm with everybody else. It's hard to beat the Remington Core-Lokt.

jmr40 · October 29, 2011, 04:27 AM

Redfelds new scopes are around $160. Pretty good glass for the money. Nothing less expensve is worth considering. Nikon, and Burris also make sub-$200 scopes that are pretty decent too.

Try Remington, Winchester and Federal's lines of lower end ammo. You shoulld be able to find at least one of the 3 that will shoot well in your rifle. They work just fine.

quepasakimosabe · October 29, 2011, 05:27 AM

It may not have been specifically said but buy one box of each brand of hunting ammo mentioned and 3-5 shot group them and see which one works best in your weapon. Then go back and buy a new box or two of that ammo and sight in your scope and your set. every ammo manufacturer produces ammo slightly different that then next and those variables will affect your accuracy. Just because you friends weapon likes x dosent mean yours will. My 223 hates remington corelokt but loves the cheaper PMC bronze stuff for example.

Mobuck · October 29, 2011, 06:04 AM

On the ammo question, I'd second the recommendation to try several brands of 150 grain ammo. I'd start with Remington then Hornady then Federal. I've had best luck getting good groups from the major makers in that order. The 150 grain is best suited to deer hunting and gives good performance and is most available(usually).
On the scope question, I'm going to buck the trend. If you bought the $250 Marlin, you're probably not wanting to spend almost that on a scope. A 3-9x40 is always a good choice, the best seller, and usually a lower price. I've had good luck with Bushnell Banner and Sightron S1 series. The Bushnell should be in the $75 range and the Sightron S1 in the $100-125 range. Sportsmans Guide has Pentax Gameseekers for $70 and I just ordered two of the 4-12x40 scopes.
I can understand that the guy with 1 or 2 rifles may be able to spend hundreds on a scope but I'm not that guy(I bought 7 scopes last week) and I get very good service from the more economical lines.

Kreyzhorse · October 29, 2011, 07:48 AM

An expensive decent scope is the Bushnell Banner series. They are clear and pull in a lot of light. Mine held a zero very well even when it was on my 7mm Rem Mag.

As far as ammo, it's hard to beat Remington Core-Lokt as lower priced, effective hunting ammo.

Jack O'Conner · October 29, 2011, 09:14 AM

I've also had very good luck with hunting ammo by FEDERAL. My Savage rifle has worn the same TASCO 4X compact scope for over 20 years. Simmons also builds sturdy scopes for less than $100.

The less spendy scope of 2011 are brighter and better built than top-of-the-line Redfields of 45 years ago. Don't be afraid of Simmons - their warranty is lifetime and they mean it.

Jack

mapsjanhere · October 29, 2011, 09:27 AM

Don't forget to grab a box of Tula or similar to get the scope on paper, to break in the barrel and get used to the trigger. No reason to pay top dollar for that task.

Art Eatman · October 29, 2011, 10:51 AM

Sight in for about two inches high at 100 yards. That puts you right at dead-on at 200 and about six inches low at 300.

No argument against the variables, but a decent fixed 4X scope will do plenty okay for deer hunting. When hunting, most folks set variables down on the lower magnifications for the wider field of view. The advantage, mostly, is to see bullet holes in the target when sighting in.

You don't need the higher magnification to judge a deer. That's supposedly already been done with your binoculars. Sometimes what's thought to be a deer turns out to be a person. Me, I get sorta grumpy if I see somebody checking me through his scope, looking to see if I have horns.

The great majority of deer are killed inside of 200 yards...

FrankenMauser · October 29, 2011, 04:48 PM

Don't forget to break in your barrel, before shooting for accuracy (groups).

Whether you choose to use a "real" break-in method, or just get it nice and dirty with 20-30 rounds, is completely up to you.

Art Eatman · October 29, 2011, 11:08 PM

Well, what has always worked for me with a brand-new rifle is to get the scope mounted and bore-sighted and then shoot one round at a time at 25 yards and adjust the scope as necessary. It usually takes maybe three shots to get it to dead center. Sometimes four, with appropriate griping.

That gets me on the paper at 100 yards, not far off the center, and I do three-shot groups and get the group center to two inches high. Commonly takes maybe three groups. Then I'll shoot a five-shot group to check just how the rifle does. By the time I've done all this happiness, I've usually run fifteen to twenty rounds through the rifle.

If I feel I need to tweak the rifle a bit to get better groups, I'll do stuff like clearance the forearm and then shim, or maybe work up a different load. Then, back to testing.

That's always worked out to Bambi's detriment.

Tomas · October 30, 2011, 08:41 AM

For goodness sake don't buy your scope at a gun store either, unless it's on clearance. I bought my son a Nikon Prostaff on ebay, 3x9x50mm for cheaper than I could have gotten a 3x9x40mm at Cabelas or a local store.

This is an excellent scope for the money.

I hand load everything now, but Core-Lokt is tough to beat for factory. Sometimes Nosler has sales on their stuff...worth a look. I bought 3 boxes of Accubonds from them for $20 a box. that's a good price for premium stuff.

Tom

ltc444 · October 30, 2011, 11:30 AM

One thing to remember. Prior to your hunt, sight in with the ammo you will use for the hunt. I have found significant variations between target ammo and the "premium hunting ammo."

Legionnaire · October 30, 2011, 11:51 AM

Lots of good advIce here. I'll second the Remington Core Lokts. My Rem Model 7 likes 150 grainers.

Echo Art's recommendation of a fixed 4x if you're on a tight budget. I like Leupold, but Burris or Nikon would be adequate. And might look for used glass on this and other sites. I picked up a nice Leupold compact 2-7x for $225 if I remember correctly.

Cowboy_mo · October 30, 2011, 12:32 PM

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/p...ge=pentax89740

The folks at cameraland are great to deal with and I love my Gameseeker II.

These scopes may not be well known, but Pentax has a great reputation for camera glass and the scopes are assembled at the Burris plant in Colorado.

I bought the $99 variation and picked up the scope cleaning tool because Camerland provides FREE shipping if your order is over $100.

As for your ammo question, I suggest you get a box of Federals, a box of Remington, and a box of Winchester standard loads in 150 grain. You rifle will tell you which one it likes best

bamaranger · October 31, 2011, 10:15 PM

Redfield is back and being made by Leupold (?), go figure. That would be a solid entry level scope, and +1 on the fixed 4x.

Another good entry level scope is the Burris. I have no experience with the Timberline models, but a Fullfield II 4x or 6x would be another good choice.

I have always used 150 gr slugs for whitetails in the .308, and W-W Power Points were a good factory load for me before I started reloading.

October 28, 2011, 02:09 PM	#1
DukersDad14 Junior Member Join Date: October 28, 2011 Posts: 2	.308 Ammo? Hello All, I recently purchased a Marlin model X7S as my first hunting rifle and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on a relatively inexpensive yet decent scope and what would be the best ammo to use for not only sighting the rifle in but also for deer hunting. Any advice is appreciated.

October 28, 2011, 03:19 PM	#3
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	I always had luck with federal powershoks __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

October 28, 2011, 03:43 PM	#4
PeterTitan Member Join Date: June 7, 2010 Posts: 26	Scope This is the scope I have on my .308, I'm happy with it.... http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-3-...flescopes.html Hope that helps.

October 29, 2011, 12:37 AM	#5
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	Don't cheap out on the scope, it's every bit as important as the rifle. A low end Leupold or Nikon can be had for around $175.00. I'm a handloader, but back when I shot factory stuff, I used Rem. Corelokts with 100% success. 165 gr. will do nicely. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain

October 29, 2011, 03:25 AM	#6
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	For the scope, your best bang-for-your-buck right now is the Redfield Revolution. If you'll be shooting at less than 200 yards most of the time (or live east of the Mississippi), I'd suggest the 3-9x40mm. For longer shots (or if you live out West), I'd suggest the 4-12x40mm model. It's a great scope for the money, and has an unbeatable warranty. For ammo... I'm with everybody else. It's hard to beat the Remington Core-Lokt. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

October 28, 2011, 03:19 PM	#2
Rob96 Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 1999 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 1,969	If you are looking at factory ammo good ol' Remington Core Lokt will do the trick.

October 29, 2011, 04:27 AM	#7
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,808	Redfelds new scopes are around $160. Pretty good glass for the money. Nothing less expensve is worth considering. Nikon, and Burris also make sub-$200 scopes that are pretty decent too. Try Remington, Winchester and Federal's lines of lower end ammo. You shoulld be able to find at least one of the 3 that will shoot well in your rifle. They work just fine.

October 29, 2011, 05:27 AM	#8
quepasakimosabe Member Join Date: October 10, 2011 Location: Camp Lejeune, NC Posts: 79	It may not have been specifically said but buy one box of each brand of hunting ammo mentioned and 3-5 shot group them and see which one works best in your weapon. Then go back and buy a new box or two of that ammo and sight in your scope and your set. every ammo manufacturer produces ammo slightly different that then next and those variables will affect your accuracy. Just because you friends weapon likes x dosent mean yours will. My 223 hates remington corelokt but loves the cheaper PMC bronze stuff for example. __________________ To sum it up: Somewhere there is a TRUE BELIEVER training, he will not stop in his mission, he knows only the cause. What have you done today? For your brothers at arms, friends, family, your country, yourself?

October 29, 2011, 06:04 AM	#9
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	On the ammo question, I'd second the recommendation to try several brands of 150 grain ammo. I'd start with Remington then Hornady then Federal. I've had best luck getting good groups from the major makers in that order. The 150 grain is best suited to deer hunting and gives good performance and is most available(usually). On the scope question, I'm going to buck the trend. If you bought the $250 Marlin, you're probably not wanting to spend almost that on a scope. A 3-9x40 is always a good choice, the best seller, and usually a lower price. I've had good luck with Bushnell Banner and Sightron S1 series. The Bushnell should be in the $75 range and the Sightron S1 in the $100-125 range. Sportsmans Guide has Pentax Gameseekers for $70 and I just ordered two of the 4-12x40 scopes. I can understand that the guy with 1 or 2 rifles may be able to spend hundreds on a scope but I'm not that guy(I bought 7 scopes last week) and I get very good service from the more economical lines.

October 29, 2011, 07:48 AM	#10
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	An expensive decent scope is the Bushnell Banner series. They are clear and pull in a lot of light. Mine held a zero very well even when it was on my 7mm Rem Mag. As far as ammo, it's hard to beat Remington Core-Lokt as lower priced, effective hunting ammo. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

October 29, 2011, 09:14 AM	#11
Jack O'Conner Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Manatee County, Florida Posts: 1,976	I've also had very good luck with hunting ammo by FEDERAL. My Savage rifle has worn the same TASCO 4X compact scope for over 20 years. Simmons also builds sturdy scopes for less than $100. The less spendy scope of 2011 are brighter and better built than top-of-the-line Redfields of 45 years ago. Don't be afraid of Simmons - their warranty is lifetime and they mean it. Jack __________________ Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.

October 29, 2011, 09:27 AM	#12
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	Don't forget to grab a box of Tula or similar to get the scope on paper, to break in the barrel and get used to the trigger. No reason to pay top dollar for that task. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

October 29, 2011, 10:51 AM	#13
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Sight in for about two inches high at 100 yards. That puts you right at dead-on at 200 and about six inches low at 300. No argument against the variables, but a decent fixed 4X scope will do plenty okay for deer hunting. When hunting, most folks set variables down on the lower magnifications for the wider field of view. The advantage, mostly, is to see bullet holes in the target when sighting in. You don't need the higher magnification to judge a deer. That's supposedly already been done with your binoculars. Sometimes what's thought to be a deer turns out to be a person. Me, I get sorta grumpy if I see somebody checking me through his scope, looking to see if I have horns. The great majority of deer are killed inside of 200 yards...

October 29, 2011, 04:48 PM	#14
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Don't forget to break in your barrel, before shooting for accuracy (groups). Whether you choose to use a "real" break-in method, or just get it nice and dirty with 20-30 rounds, is completely up to you. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

October 29, 2011, 11:08 PM	#15
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Well, what has always worked for me with a brand-new rifle is to get the scope mounted and bore-sighted and then shoot one round at a time at 25 yards and adjust the scope as necessary. It usually takes maybe three shots to get it to dead center. Sometimes four, with appropriate griping. That gets me on the paper at 100 yards, not far off the center, and I do three-shot groups and get the group center to two inches high. Commonly takes maybe three groups. Then I'll shoot a five-shot group to check just how the rifle does. By the time I've done all this happiness, I've usually run fifteen to twenty rounds through the rifle. If I feel I need to tweak the rifle a bit to get better groups, I'll do stuff like clearance the forearm and then shim, or maybe work up a different load. Then, back to testing. That's always worked out to Bambi's detriment.

October 30, 2011, 08:41 AM	#16
Tomas Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 1999 Location: Blue State Posts: 441	For goodness sake don't buy your scope at a gun store either, unless it's on clearance. I bought my son a Nikon Prostaff on ebay, 3x9x50mm for cheaper than I could have gotten a 3x9x40mm at Cabelas or a local store. This is an excellent scope for the money. I hand load everything now, but Core-Lokt is tough to beat for factory. Sometimes Nosler has sales on their stuff...worth a look. I bought 3 boxes of Accubonds from them for $20 a box. that's a good price for premium stuff. Tom

October 30, 2011, 11:30 AM	#17
ltc444 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Vernon AZ Posts: 1,195	One thing to remember. Prior to your hunt, sight in with the ammo you will use for the hunt. I have found significant variations between target ammo and the "premium hunting ammo."

October 30, 2011, 11:51 AM	#18
Legionnaire Senior Member Join Date: July 25, 2000 Location: Central TX Posts: 1,503	Lots of good advIce here. I'll second the Remington Core Lokts. My Rem Model 7 likes 150 grainers. Echo Art's recommendation of a fixed 4x if you're on a tight budget. I like Leupold, but Burris or Nikon would be adequate. And might look for used glass on this and other sites. I picked up a nice Leupold compact 2-7x for $225 if I remember correctly. __________________ Cogito, ergo armatus sum.

October 30, 2011, 12:32 PM	#19
Cowboy_mo Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,039	Check this out for a scope. http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/p...ge=pentax89740 The folks at cameraland are great to deal with and I love my Gameseeker II. These scopes may not be well known, but Pentax has a great reputation for camera glass and the scopes are assembled at the Burris plant in Colorado. I bought the $99 variation and picked up the scope cleaning tool because Camerland provides FREE shipping if your order is over $100. As for your ammo question, I suggest you get a box of Federals, a box of Remington, and a box of Winchester standard loads in 150 grain. You rifle will tell you which one it likes best Last edited by Cowboy_mo; October 30, 2011 at 12:34 PM. Reason: forgot something.

October 31, 2011, 10:15 PM	#20
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,306	Burris or Redfield Redfield is back and being made by Leupold (?), go figure. That would be a solid entry level scope, and +1 on the fixed 4x. Another good entry level scope is the Burris. I have no experience with the Timberline models, but a Fullfield II 4x or 6x would be another good choice. I have always used 150 gr slugs for whitetails in the .308, and W-W Power Points were a good factory load for me before I started reloading.