Fox loads for the .308

[Grandhubert]

'Evening Gentlemen,

I'd be grateful for experiences, load data, zero range, any and all information on using a 308 for foxes.

I have a heavy barrelled rifle that's perfect for the job but as it's also for target shooting it's a 308. My only other centrefire is a 30.06 and on the basis that's it's the smallest I've got I want to use it to sort out a fox problem for the farmer.

I'm thinking to develop a load for 125gr Sierras but after crunching the numbers it appears that a decent 150gr boat-tail isn't much more loopy at all. I am in two minds as to whether to bother with the 125gr load at all.

With thanks in advance,

A

 

[Spoony]

sako do 123grain and 102grain
http://www.sako.fi/pdf/datatables/SakoCartridgesDatatable2011.pdf

 

[Hornady]

wow i wonder where its safe to shoot a fox with a 308 in london! lol

 

[Spoony]

back lane at dusk should be ok

 

[Grandhubert]

sako do 123grain and 102grain
http://www.sako.fi/pdf/datatables/SakoCartridgesDatatable2011.pdf

Thanks Spoony, I've seen these before but haven't heard much about their terminal ballistics, have you used them?

 

[Grandhubert]

wow i wonder where its safe to shoot a fox with a 308 in london! lol

On the farm, obviously.....

 

[Heym SR20]

If you got an accurate load already I would use that - not sure if foxes would notice the difference.

 

[Grandhubert]

If you got an accurate load already I would use that - not sure if foxes would notice the difference.

I haven't got any loads for it yet SR, wondering where to go from square one you see.

In terms of "normal" bullets I have Hornady and Speer 150gr BTSP, 168gr TSX, 180gr Hornady BTSP, 180gr Partitions and load them in my 06 but no experience of the lightera bullets.

 

[Offroad Gary]

i've used my .308 R93 a few times when lamping foxes, why? because i can. its not my favourite tool for the job a we often shoot amongs livestock, but pretty useful. favourite load for everything is 49gn h4895 with 125 ballistic tip. get 3050 fps from memory which is 1.5"high at 100 and 7" low at 300Y. one memorable shot was a vixen at 180y, hit her under the eye head on, bullet didnt exit which is not normal even on bigger animals. i personally think its too big and has safety issues for foxing.

 

[Grandhubert]

i've used my .308 R93 a few times when lamping foxes, why? because i can. its not my favourite tool for the job a we often shoot amongs livestock, but pretty useful. favourite load for everything is 49gn h4895 with 125 ballistic tip. get 3050 fps from memory which is 1.5"high at 100 and 7" low at 300Y. one memorable shot was a vixen at 180y, hit her under the eye head on, bullet didnt exit which is not normal even on bigger animals. i personally think its too big and has safety issues for foxing.

Gary I never thought I'd hear you caution me against rashness!

Don't worry though, I'll be sitting up for them on land I've shot for fallow for a couple of years now.

Out of interest how would a smaller calibre be safer? Is it that a lighter smaller bullet is less likely to riccochet, more likely to not to exit the animal etc?

 

[caorach]

I loaded the 110 grain V-MAX for my 308 and it was plenty accurate. I never used it on foxes but I think there is a photo on the general discussion forum of what the V-MAX does when it arrives.

I loaded them with RL15, as it was what I had available, and found that I was getting low pressure signs (black cases) at the lower book loads so RL15 is probably not the optimal powder for them. The first clean case I got was at 47 grains and I stopped working up at 48.5 grains as this was accurate and it was only a plinking load I was looking for. I did shoot that load over the chrony for 3009fps so it was giving reasonable velocity and still well short of book max powder. This is the first target I shot with the 48.5 load, it is a 5 shot group and it is safe to conclude that the fliers are my fault rather than down to the load:

 

[ejg]

155gr A-max work well even at extended ranges.

 

[Grandhubert]

I loaded the 110 grain V-MAX for my 308 and it was plenty accurate. I never used it on foxes but I think there is a photo on the general discussion forum of what the V-MAX does when it arrives.

I loaded them with RL15, as it was what I had available, and found that I was getting low pressure signs (black cases) at the lower book loads so RL15 is probably not the optimal powder for them. The first clean case I got was at 47 grains and I stopped working up at 48.5 grains as this was accurate and it was only a plinking load I was looking for. I did shoot that load over the chrony for 3009fps so it was giving reasonable velocity and still well short of book max powder. This is the first target I shot with the 48.5 load, it is a 5 shot group and it is safe to conclude that the fliers are my fault rather than down to the load:

I'm following you again C, even bought a 308 this time!

I'll try and get my hands on some V-maxes, do you use this load only for foxes and paper or have you tried it on deer?

 

[Grandhubert]

155gr A-max work well even at extended ranges.

I used to use them in my 30.06 on targets, If I remember right they were rather frangible but that there was some question of penciling and general unreliability on the net at the time and I only shot two foxes with that load.

It did indeed do a number on them, hmmm....

 

[Offroad Gary]

Gary I never thought I'd hear you caution me against rashness!

Don't worry though, I'll be sitting up for them on land I've shot for fallow for a couple of years now.

Out of interest how would a smaller calibre be safer? Is it that a lighter smaller bullet is less likely to riccochet, more likely to not to exit the animal etc?

smaller, faster, more frangiable bulets are definately safer. you might be 100% on your target, be absoluteley sure its a fox, but if you let rip with a big lump of lead then who knows where or when its going to stop. i was on a range today shooting clays with my .308, behind them was a pallet supported by fence posts with a feed bag stapled to it. the 125 gn ballistic tips (obviously) smashed the clays and wend straight through the posts into the bank behind. yesterday the clays were being shot with a 6mm rem AI driving 75gn v-max, the result on the feed bag behind was as if a .22 lr shotshell had been fired at it from about 10 ft away. what would you rather have whizzing around the countrside? you may positively ID the fox but who's to say your prize gold medal buck is not stood behing the hedge? smaller is safer - without a doubt.

 

[caorach]

I'm following you again C, even bought a 308 this time!

I'll try and get my hands on some V-maxes, do you use this load only for foxes and paper or have you tried it on deer?

You can't beat the 308

I've never used the load on foxes, only on paper. Some time back the V-MAX was readily available and relatively inexpensive around here and so I thought it might make a good plinking bullet - hence why I never really worked up a load beyond what I detailed above. As it is they are now difficult to find and expensive so I will not be plinking with them any more

As Gary has said using a bullet that breaks up very readily can only be a good thing under the circumstances and I would guess that the V-MAX might be about the most frangible 308 bullet around so that is something else in its favour. However, as you might guess from this I'd say they are not something to use on deer. I know of people who like the heavier A-MAX for head/neck shooting but that isn't for me and the 110 grain V-MAX would not penetrate far even if you aimed for the chest and didn't hit a rib.

 

[ejg]

There are much better bullets for deer than 110 vmax in a 308.
edi