.308 Win with 180gn Bullets - Looking For Feedback

[UpNorthMI]

It's been 35 years since I tried 180gn .308 ammo, I was shooting them through a Ruger M77, none of my Ruger rifles did well with this weight of bullet so I stuck with 150gn bullets for a few decades of stalking. I've moved over to a Blaser R8 and have been shooting 150gn and 165gn, the Blaser seems to like both really well.

I just got my hands on 200 rounds of Norma 308 ammunition that are loaded with 180gn Swift A frame bullets for less than £1 a round (yes that is loaded ammunition!) . I have been trying to buy .30 180gn Swift A frame bullets for a while to load in .300 Win Mag, the bullets alone would cost more than this ammunition and they have just not been available.

My initial plan was to pull some of the Swift A Frame bullets from this new ammunition and reload them in .300 win mag for an up coming Africa trip to be used on plains game, then I thought maybe I should also consider using some of this .308 180gn ammunition in my Blaser R8 to see how it shoots.

Does anyone regularly use 180gn bullets for their .308 for stalking or other uses, I'd love to hear from any other Blaser R8 users who use this weight of bullet in .308.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Before everyone asks this is a US based deal:

 

[oldhamstocks]

Will follow with interest - using 123gn for Roe, and had phenomenal results on steel at distance with 150 & 168gn, all with a .308 Sako 85 Carbonlight. Incredibly versatile calibre.

 

[Sika98k]

I had a Mannlicher Schonauer some years ago in 308, 19”barrel. Like the OP I got lucky on some Winchester Silvertip 180gr ammunition. It’s hot very well in the rifle. Took it to Namibia where it acquitted itself well on a lot of warthog, a red hartebeest and my first oryx. Shot a few wild boar in Hungary with it also.

 

[Nkawu]

Yup I do- standard fare for a 308 win in South Africa. I started out using 180 gr Game Kings with acceptable accuracy but I found them a bit too soft on thin skinned smaller game like Impala. It dropped them on the spot but lots of meat damage with shoulder shots. I moved to 180 gr Barnes with half MOA accuracy and excellent terminal performance. Most folks I know use 180 interlocks for everything from Impala and Warthogs up to Wildebeest and even Eland. I also experimented with 220 gr RN Sako super hammer heads at around 2100 fps zero’d at 50m - a real Thor’s hammer on pigs! My rifle is a Ruger M77 Hawkeye for reference.

 

[NullMac]

Not used them in my R8 but I shot 180gr Accubonds out my Sako 75 years ago. They were devastating on Red Hinds. Mainly oblique forward raking shots which may have had something to do with it.

I stopped using them as the next 308 rifle gave what I considered to be poor mv and went to 165gr

 

[UpNorthMI]

Not used them in my R8 but I shot 180gr Accubonds out my Sako 75 years ago. They were devastating on Red Hinds. Mainly oblique forward raking shots which may have had something to do with it.

I stopped using them as the next 308 rifle gave what I considered to be poor mv and went to 165gr

One of my concerns would be the drop in MV using a 180gn bullet in .308, I will test the speed of the Norma loads to see what MV they have, I've become so use to the typical speed of 150gn loads and have no issue estimating hold over if required for long shots.

That's also why I have a 300 win mag for 180gn as it's possible to get a reasonable MV out of it. I used a .338 Win Mag for over 20 years with 180gn Nosler ballistic tip bullets for red stags, it's an amazingly effective round and could really reach out for distance shots with serious knock down capability. I'm not sure the 180gn in .308 if going to give me any confidence for distance, I remain open minded and will give it a go.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I tried this 180gn Swift AFrame .308 win ammo in my Benneli R1 endurance synthetic Semi Auto rifle that normally shoots amazingly well. The grouping was terrible, maybe 4-5” at 100 yards and not up to hunting use. It will be back to the original plan of pulling the bullet heads for 300 win mag use and reloading the new brass using the existing powder but with 150gn bullets, maybe Barnes TTSX.

 

[paul o']

180 SP Sampson IMI is some of the best factory ammo I'v ever used for both small and large deer in the UK

 

[HandB]

In my experience .308 only really comes alive in accuracy terms when I use 180gr bullets with a medium powder charge such as 42gr N150 or RS52. I use this recipe in both my 18 inch barrel Sauer 202 and also my 24 inch barrel AI. It shoots equally tight groups in both: Sauer is on the left here, AI on the right.

 

[UpNorthMI]

The rifle I just shot this in is a 1-11” twist, I’ve tried other 180gn ammo in .308 in several Ruger M77 rifles which I also believe are 1-11” twists non of these rifles achieved acceptable groups.

Maybe you guys are getting good results with 1-10” rifles.

I’m beginning to think that maybe the quality of these Swift A Frame bullets in this Nosler ammo is suspect but will not know for sure until I pull and reload some of these bullets for my .300 Win Mag which normally shoots clover leaf groups at 100 yards with Norma Oryx bullets as well as other brands. I’ll post my findings when I get to retest these bullets.

 

[HandB]

The rifle I just shot this in is a 1-11” twist, I’ve tried other 180gn ammo in .308 in several Ruger M77 rifles which I also believe are 1-11” twists non of these rifles achieved acceptable groups.

Maybe you guys are getting good results with 1-10” rifles.

I’m beginning to think that maybe the quality of these Swift A Frame bullets in this Nosler ammo is suspect but will not know for sure until I pull and reload some of these bullets for my .300 Win Mag which normally shoots clover leaf groups at 100 yards with Norma Oryx bullets as well as other brands. I’ll post my findings when I get to retest these bullets.

My .308 rifles both have standard 1-12" and stabilise these 180gr SMK bullets properly so maybe the A frame bullets are too long?

 

[Border]

Factory Norma Oryx 180 grain is a gold standard 308w round over here. Normally very accurate and good terminal effect from fox to elk.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I’m shooting Norma Oryx180 gn in my 300 Win Mag, they are amazingly accurate, I will pull these 180gn new Swift A Frame bullets and try them in the .300 Win Mag, the new .308 brass and powder will be reused with a 150 gn bullet.

It’s interesting how certain bullets do not seem to shoot well with certain twists in some calibers.

I’ve made several attempts over the years to shoot 180gn bullets from my .308 rifles but non seem to digest them well. I’ll comment how the Swift 180gn did in my 300 Win Mag once I have a chance to load and shoot them.

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

i cant imagine anything but a 32" barrelled 308 running FCLass eye watering loads producing enough velocity to open an A-Frame unless shooting at rocks!!

one of the toughest bullets out there
standard 20-22" barrel is likely to see 2300-2400 at a push if not lower

I ran 180s in a 300wm with excellent results but you are starting at 500+ fps faster


buy the ammo, pull the bullets and load them in a 300!

 

[UpNorthMI]

i cant imagine anything but a 32" barrelled 308 running FCLass eye watering loads producing enough velocity to open an A-Frame unless shooting at rocks!!

one of the toughest bullets out there
standard 20-22" barrel is likely to see 2300-2400 at a push if not lower

I ran 180s in a 300wm with excellent results but you are starting at 500+ fps faster


buy the ammo, pull the bullets and load them in a 300!

Yep, I pulled those 180gn Swift A Frame bullets this morning and started loading in .300 Win Mag, hopefully I’ll get to shoot a few on an upcoming African plains game trip in May.

The new .308 brass will get some 150gn bullets for stalking and the unknown powder will be used to develop a lighter 150gn load for range practice.

I purchased for the components as I pretty much knew it was unlikely to do well out of any of my .308 rifles.

 

[smokey]

It's been 35 years since I tried 180gn .308 ammo, I was shooting them through a Ruger M77, none of my Ruger rifles did well with this weight of bullet so I stuck with 150gn bullets for a few decades of stalking. I've moved over to a Blaser R8 and have been shooting 150gn and 165gn, the Blaser seems to like both really well.

I just got my hands on 200 rounds of Norma 308 ammunition that are loaded with 180gn Swift A frame bullets for less than £1 a round (yes that is loaded ammunition!) . I have been trying to buy .30 180gn Swift A frame bullets for a while to load in .300 Win Mag, the bullets alone would cost more than this ammunition and they have just not been available.

My initial plan was to pull some of the Swift A Frame bullets from this new ammunition and reload them in .300 win mag for an up coming Africa trip to be used on plains game, then I thought maybe I should also consider using some of this .308 180gn ammunition in my Blaser R8 to see how it shoots.

Does anyone regularly use 180gn bullets for their .308 for stalking or other uses, I'd love to hear from any other Blaser R8 users who use this weight of bullet in .308.

not worth the hassle i tried various 180 on kudu and gemsbok but went back to 150 & 168(partition or h mantels) or there a bouts

 

[smokey]

180 SP Sampson IMI is some of the best factory ammo I'v ever used for both small and large deer in the UK

defo i bought about 2000 rds 30/06 at an auction in Birmingham about 35 years ago best hunting ammo i ever had

 

[UpNorthMI]

not worth the hassle i tried various 180 on kudu and gemsbok but went back to 150 & 168(partition or h mantels) or there a bouts

Totally agree with you for most plains game but I heard that animals like Eland and giraffe are pretty tough, hence wanting to step up from the.308 to 300 Win Mag with a fast 180gn bullet ( partition, oryx or A Frame).

 

[UpNorthMI]

defo i bought about 2000 rds 30/06 at an auction in Birmingham about 35 years ago best hunting ammo i ever had

Probably came at the right price too. I bought nearly 10,000 7.62 RG ammo in Birmingham at an auction about the same time at a stupid low price, it kept our civilian gun club going for a few years!