.308 for varmits?

glockorama · October 31, 2002, 11:56 PM

I was thinking about getting a Savage 110 in .308 for deer hunting. Question is can it also make a decent varmit gun?

Marshall · November 1, 2002, 12:11 AM

I suspect you already have a good idea what the opinions will be. No serious varmint hunter would consider it. However, I have had a lot of fun over the years shooting long range at little critters with rifles that a serious varmint hunter would laugh at. It is excellent practice that can refine your overall shooting skills and keeps the dust from collecting on my .458, .375H&H or .338 during the off season. In fact, just busting rocks at extreme ranges for the cartridge is a blast.(Forgive the pun)

dakotasin · November 1, 2002, 12:25 AM

nothing at all wrong w/ a 308 varminter...many are already out there (rem 700 vls).

you don't need special equipment to shoot varmints, just accurate. i've sat on a dog town w/ a 7 rem mag... busted coyotes w/ a 30-30...popped jackrabbits w/ a 45....

w/ varmints, it usually doesn't take much to kill one... the question is how accurate is it? shooting at tiny, distant targets requires precision...and a 308 is up to it.

Art Eatman · November 1, 2002, 12:40 AM

Serous coyote hunting, something like the 110-grain Hornady spire point. A milder loading with the 100-grain "plinker" bullet works okay for a more limited range on jackrabbits and coyotes and suchlike.

Years back, I killed many a jackrabbit with my '06...

Art

Dogjaw · November 2, 2002, 06:13 AM

Why not? I your doing ground hog / coyote hunting, your not going to shoot that much. The .308 is also pretty darn accurate. I use 130 gr Speer TNT hollow points in my 06 for a little fun. It's obviously more than I need, but keeps me proficient with the rifle. Like Art said, use some light loads.

Poodleshooter · November 4, 2002, 05:59 PM

I use my .308 for a quite a bit of unusual hunting. On saturday, I took a turkey using a 125gr Remington PSP handload that clocked somewhere around 3200fps. Expansion and terminal performance were unbelieveable. Shot was down the throat (unintentional), and blew out all of the entrails. The rib cage was broken into several pieces from cavitation. Ruined some meat, but I was able to salvage all of the breast meat and one drumstick. Accuracy of the load runs around 1" at 100yds in my rifle.

Art Eatman · November 4, 2002, 07:49 PM

Ya get right down to it, a guy is probably a lot better off to use his deer rifle for varmints during the rest of the year, particularly if he's a handloader. Best way I know of to maintain proficiency. Darned good reason to take up handloading, too.

Not that I'm gonna follow this oh-so-wise advice...

Art

dakotasin · November 4, 2002, 08:46 PM

that advice is very wise...

years ago, i was whining to my 'smith about my groups, and how i needed to practice. he told me to 'get after the prairie dogs w/ it - best target practice you will ever get, and it is fun, too'. at the time, we were discussing my 7 rem mag, and as a new shooter, i was quite intimidated by the recoil.

after a couple more months, i took the rifle out on a dog shoot... went through 2 boxes of ammo at over $20/box... not long after, i picked up handloading, and the prairie dog excursions went from annual, to monthly, and now to bi-monthly. my current prairie dog load is 69.5 grains rl-25, fed. mag primer, win brass, and 162 hornady interlock boat tails (for the 7mag). coincidentally, that is the same load that will be deer hunting w/ me starting sunday.

right now, w/ my big game rifles (excluding the 30-30), it is a rare target indeed that gets away unscathed out to 400 yards... and first shot hits out to a long ways are the rule, not the exception.

there is no doubt that 600+ shots (w/ whatever big game rifle i'll be using that year) during the course of the summer will make you an amazing shot come deer season. add in another thousand or so w/ a 22 centerfire to help correct bad habits (flinch, poor sight pictures, etc), and you have no choice but to be a great shot...and you'll know your exact holdover/under and how to dope the wind at any reasonable range.

Greybeard · November 5, 2002, 12:08 AM

Yep, .308 not far from '06, which I've used for prarie dog thinin' for years. West Texas winds affect 'em much less than the 22 centerfires. Sorta expensive, but like an old friend says "I spent most of my money on whiskey, wild women and huntin'. The rest of it I wasted."

Poodleshooter · November 5, 2002, 11:18 AM

.308 isn't expensive if you reload.

My load off 20rds consisted of:
old .308 brass: $0
125grx20 RemPSP .30: $2.00 (Midway,TNT,etc)
51grsx20 WC846:$ 1.58 (Wideners)
CCI primersx20: $.30 (gunshow)
Total cost of box of .308 varmint ammo: $3.88

Sure, I could do it cheaper in .223, but that explosion of fur or feathers wouldn't be so large!

dongun · November 5, 2002, 03:27 PM

I use my .308 on prairie dogs. The lightest bullets I can find in 30 calibler are 105gr Hornady VMax. My M700 VSS shoots them very well and they do make a fine, red mist. I only use the .308 as a backup while the others are cooling off.

LTC_Para · March 5, 2006, 11:21 AM

Quote:

My M700 VSS shoots them very well and they do make a fine, red mist.

Art Eatman · March 5, 2006, 11:46 AM

80-grain, 30-caliber pistol bullets (mike the OD) from an '06 can be driven to near 4,000 ft/sec. Good for red mist at closer ranges.

The old flat-nosed .32-20 bullet is definitely ruinacious.

Art

shureshot0471 · March 5, 2006, 03:00 PM

Your Red Mist factor would be high. The weather report for that day in the pdog town The Red Mist Factor is high today with a falling population of pdogs,this is going to be a bad please stay in !!BOOM!! the town where is the weather dog.

Scorch · March 16, 2006, 08:21 PM

I used to hunt ground squirrels A LOT with a guy that shot a 30-06. I shot a 7X57 (before I got my 22-250). We ruined a lot of the little diggers. No reason a 308 won't work. Try the 125 grainers. They won't kick so hard (before you say it doesn't kick, try shooting 200 rounds a day).

All the elitist varmint hunters forget that the point of shooting the little teeny bullets is to keep from getting beat up. I still smile when I see people shooting deer rifles at chucks, but only because I remember what it felt like at the end of a long day shooting those guns.

October 31, 2002, 11:56 PM	#1
glockorama Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: WA Posts: 515	.308 for varmits? I was thinking about getting a Savage 110 in .308 for deer hunting. Question is can it also make a decent varmit gun? __________________ 10mm; heavy, fast, and powerful, when only the best will do.

November 1, 2002, 12:11 AM	#2
Marshall Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2001 Location: I live in a small bush community in southeast Alaska called Gustavus Posts: 103	.308 Varmint rifle? I suspect you already have a good idea what the opinions will be. No serious varmint hunter would consider it. However, I have had a lot of fun over the years shooting long range at little critters with rifles that a serious varmint hunter would laugh at. It is excellent practice that can refine your overall shooting skills and keeps the dust from collecting on my .458, .375H&H or .338 during the off season. In fact, just busting rocks at extreme ranges for the cartridge is a blast.(Forgive the pun) __________________ marshall

November 1, 2002, 12:25 AM	#3
dakotasin Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2002 Location: south dakota, U.S.A. Posts: 136	nothing at all wrong w/ a 308 varminter...many are already out there (rem 700 vls). you don't need special equipment to shoot varmints, just accurate. i've sat on a dog town w/ a 7 rem mag... busted coyotes w/ a 30-30...popped jackrabbits w/ a 45.... w/ varmints, it usually doesn't take much to kill one... the question is how accurate is it? shooting at tiny, distant targets requires precision...and a 308 is up to it. __________________ Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It is much more important than that.

November 2, 2002, 06:13 AM	#5
Dogjaw Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2001 Location: S.W. Michigan Posts: 560	Why not? I your doing ground hog / coyote hunting, your not going to shoot that much. The .308 is also pretty darn accurate. I use 130 gr Speer TNT hollow points in my 06 for a little fun. It's obviously more than I need, but keeps me proficient with the rifle. Like Art said, use some light loads. __________________ There are three kinds of men: 1) The ones that learn by reading. 2) The few who learn by observation. 3) The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves..........

November 4, 2002, 08:46 PM	#8
dakotasin Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2002 Location: south dakota, U.S.A. Posts: 136	but, art... that advice is very wise... years ago, i was whining to my 'smith about my groups, and how i needed to practice. he told me to 'get after the prairie dogs w/ it - best target practice you will ever get, and it is fun, too'. at the time, we were discussing my 7 rem mag, and as a new shooter, i was quite intimidated by the recoil. after a couple more months, i took the rifle out on a dog shoot... went through 2 boxes of ammo at over $20/box... not long after, i picked up handloading, and the prairie dog excursions went from annual, to monthly, and now to bi-monthly. my current prairie dog load is 69.5 grains rl-25, fed. mag primer, win brass, and 162 hornady interlock boat tails (for the 7mag). coincidentally, that is the same load that will be deer hunting w/ me starting sunday. right now, w/ my big game rifles (excluding the 30-30), it is a rare target indeed that gets away unscathed out to 400 yards... and first shot hits out to a long ways are the rule, not the exception. there is no doubt that 600+ shots (w/ whatever big game rifle i'll be using that year) during the course of the summer will make you an amazing shot come deer season. add in another thousand or so w/ a 22 centerfire to help correct bad habits (flinch, poor sight pictures, etc), and you have no choice but to be a great shot...and you'll know your exact holdover/under and how to dope the wind at any reasonable range. __________________ Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It is much more important than that.

November 1, 2002, 12:40 AM	#4
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Serous coyote hunting, something like the 110-grain Hornady spire point. A milder loading with the 100-grain "plinker" bullet works okay for a more limited range on jackrabbits and coyotes and suchlike. Years back, I killed many a jackrabbit with my '06... Art

November 4, 2002, 05:59 PM	#6
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	I use my .308 for a quite a bit of unusual hunting. On saturday, I took a turkey using a 125gr Remington PSP handload that clocked somewhere around 3200fps. Expansion and terminal performance were unbelieveable. Shot was down the throat (unintentional), and blew out all of the entrails. The rib cage was broken into several pieces from cavitation. Ruined some meat, but I was able to salvage all of the breast meat and one drumstick. Accuracy of the load runs around 1" at 100yds in my rifle.

November 4, 2002, 07:49 PM	#7
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Ya get right down to it, a guy is probably a lot better off to use his deer rifle for varmints during the rest of the year, particularly if he's a handloader. Best way I know of to maintain proficiency. Darned good reason to take up handloading, too. Not that I'm gonna follow this oh-so-wise advice... Art

November 5, 2002, 12:08 AM	#9
Greybeard Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2002 Location: Denton County Texas Posts: 686	Yep, .308 not far from '06, which I've used for prarie dog thinin' for years. West Texas winds affect 'em much less than the 22 centerfires. Sorta expensive, but like an old friend says "I spent most of my money on whiskey, wild women and huntin'. The rest of it I wasted." __________________ www.dentoncountysports.com A Private Palace for Pistol Proficiency

November 5, 2002, 11:18 AM	#10
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	.308 isn't expensive if you reload. My load off 20rds consisted of: old .308 brass: $0 125grx20 RemPSP .30: $2.00 (Midway,TNT,etc) 51grsx20 WC846:$ 1.58 (Wideners) CCI primersx20: $.30 (gunshow) Total cost of box of .308 varmint ammo: $3.88 Sure, I could do it cheaper in .223, but that explosion of fur or feathers wouldn't be so large!

November 5, 2002, 03:27 PM	#11
dongun Member Join Date: May 7, 2000 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 76	I use my .308 on prairie dogs. The lightest bullets I can find in 30 calibler are 105gr Hornady VMax. My M700 VSS shoots them very well and they do make a fine, red mist. I only use the .308 as a backup while the others are cooling off. __________________ "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." - Verbal Kent (The Usual Suspects)

March 5, 2006, 11:46 AM	#13
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	80-grain, 30-caliber pistol bullets (mike the OD) from an '06 can be driven to near 4,000 ft/sec. Good for red mist at closer ranges. The old flat-nosed .32-20 bullet is definitely ruinacious. Art

March 5, 2006, 03:00 PM	#14
shureshot0471 Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2005 Location: In the sticks of East Texas Posts: 185	Your Red Mist factor would be high. The weather report for that day in the pdog town The Red Mist Factor is high today with a falling population of pdogs,this is going to be a bad please stay in !!BOOM!! the town where is the weather dog. __________________ "Prefection is not attainable,but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." -Vince Lombardi "Gun control is putting that second bullet through the same hole the first one made." - Ted Nugent

March 16, 2006, 08:21 PM	#15
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	I used to hunt ground squirrels A LOT with a guy that shot a 30-06. I shot a 7X57 (before I got my 22-250). We ruined a lot of the little diggers. No reason a 308 won't work. Try the 125 grainers. They won't kick so hard (before you say it doesn't kick, try shooting 200 rounds a day). All the elitist varmint hunters forget that the point of shooting the little teeny bullets is to keep from getting beat up. I still smile when I see people shooting deer rifles at chucks, but only because I remember what it felt like at the end of a long day shooting those guns.