.308 bullet weights

TobyH

Active Member
I was told today that 168gr bullets for my .308 would be too much for shooting deer in the UK, and that 150gr would be enough.

I'm new to stalking (not shooting) so am not sure what to use, Twist rate on my scout is about 1:11, and its only 19" long. Does that make any difference for bullet weights?
 
OK 168 Grain bulelts are normally of the Match type and used for target sgooting. The 168 grain was the traditional weight of match bullet for the 30-08 and so it switched over to the .308 as well. The hunting bullets of construction designed to espand are usually of 165 grains and NOT 168!

I have personaly used the Speer 165 grain Hot core bullet to shoot Roe and Muntjac and yes it's a good Bullet. Hornady make them of the same weight and they too have a good reputation.
 
I was told today that 168gr bullets for my .308 would be too much for shooting deer in the UK, and that 150gr would be enough.

I'm new to stalking (not shooting) so am not sure what to use, Twist rate on my scout is about 1:11, and its only 19" long. Does that make any difference for bullet weights?

Something that I have learnt with reloading is that there are 100's of so called experts out there and all of them have different ideas on what you should do.

If you put a search on the net you will find "Experts" recommend every weight and velocity from 125-240grain and 2500-3000fps.

My 2p's worth is use a heavy slow bullet opposed to a fast light one for hunting, I think it will do less damage and have more thump.

Check this link out >>> http://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html

There is a section on hunting bullets about half way down the page. This site is wealth of information in many calibers.
 
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Brithunter, I was more referring to that sort of size rather than being specific. I have only used 167/168gr and 155gr bullets when target shooting so am not familiar with the soft nose/ballistic tip rounds. But thanks for the info all the same..

Cheers for the info. My rifle works fine with 155gr and 167/168gr so for me it makes no difference in terms of accuracy, I guess its more about damage to the carcass and ability to kill with 1 shot. I would have thought a heavier bullet would more likely take down the beasty in 1 go, but perhaps thats just nit picking.

Thanks alot for the info, will do some looking around at the links.
 
Another point with regards to searching around is that most of my shooting to start with will be up to about 250yds max. Is there any benefit to a faster lighter bullet compared to a heavier slower bullet? I suppose its all relative really as in reality both will be hitting the target in less than a second....
 
I use a 130gr Hornady soft point in my .308 and 30-06 - it does the job very well.
Maybe something heavier for stags but bullet placement is all that is need, really.
 
Experiment to find the bullet that suits your barrel and delivers the accuracy you want.
The best group I ever did with my .308 was with Norma 180grn factory rounds, but that was with a 26in barrel.
Any .308 bullet will kill anything in this country as long as it hits the right spot at the right range.
 
Yes I think I'll need to do the experimenting as most of my shooting was with my AI at the ranges and didn't really use my 'scout' that much. So starting again with new loads/bullets should be fun! Will have 2 rifles on the go as I've just ordered another one for targets.
 
I only use 168gr bullets in my 308. The scope is calibrated to my specific load, my drop-chart is mounted on the side of my stock and i have killed my share of roe, sika, reds, fallow with the rifle.

Use what the rifle 'likes' and ignore those trying to restrict you.
 
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