take the plunge

[sir-lamp-alot]

as i have metioned before i am a fox shooter and my stalking takes a close second place due to the fact that foxes are free to shoot and for this reason my rifle must be primeraly taylored around foxes. and this gave me a headache when i decided that i would like a .308. my main goal in choice of caliber like a lot of other shooters is to get the bullet to fly as flat as i can for as long as i can and to be honest the .308 and the lead brick it throws out did not fill me with confidence as to weather i could use it on foxes but i must admit i am more than satisfied withwhat it can do. i started off with the pretty standard 150gr load which to be honest was not suiting the rifle to well only producing a 1 1/2 inch group at 100yrd but after swaping it for some 110gr home loads its shooting like a dream and i have managed to drop grouping's below 1" out to 150yrds and its only falling around 4" at 250yrds. i would just like to say to anyone who is thinking of changing to the .308 and is a bit worried like i was dont be it really can do a lot and is a very versitile callibre be able to shot anything from compition to reds or boar to foxes so go on and take the plunge

 

[Offroad Gary]

i've used my .308 on foxes before, 125gn ballistic tip over 48.5gn n140, 1" high at 100m, 1" low at 200m. furthest fox with that load is 180m.

 

[Thar]

Sir-Lamp-a lot.

Have you actually used your 110gn heads extensively on foxes yet? I ask because a friend of mine also tried to use a 308 for everything.

He is an X para’ and had used 308 (7.62) in combat when the enemy were shooting back. So it is easy to see why he had an affinity with the calibre and wanted his first civilian rifle in 308.

He decided that it was the only rifle he needed, he shoots at Bisley for comp’s, red and roe deer and foxes. It wasn’t long before even with his love of this calibre he had to admit it was less than ideal for foxes even with 110gn heads, he found expansion unreliable on the small body of a fox. He now uses a 243 with 58gn heads and like most other people that use these finds them devastating on foxes. They fly a lot flatter than the 308 with 110gn which is no bad thing when shooting under a lamp.

Be interesting to see how you go on with the 110gns.

Best rgds

Tahr

 

[sir-lamp-alot]

no i lied they are actually 120gr opps i have shot a handfull of foxes with them already but it will be when the cubs are about that it will do its work and get its final verdict. the exspansion on the bullet is not massive as they are just soft point not ballistic tips but if they were a ballistic tip they would shread the deer to peices. i know that a lot of people that use only one rifle will make seperate loads for deer and fox but i didnt want to do that

 

[Thar]

just soft point not ballistic tips but if they were a ballistic tip they would shread the deer to peices. I know that a lot of people that use only one rifle will make seperate loads for deer and fox but i didnt want to do that

My mate was using ballistic tips (V-Maxs) he uses 155gn bullets for deer. I use Hornady bullets in the main. Reading their technical data the only difference between the soft point and the Ballistic tip bullet is just that, they stuck a plastic tip on the end, the jacket thickness is the same, the bullet construction is the same design. While the addition of the ballistic tip is supposed to aid expansion they do not in my experience “shred deer to pieces”. Well not on the hundreds of deer which I have shot, this includes 5 different species from Muntjac to Red and Sika stags. Plus big game aboard.

How many deer have you shot with ballistic tips? What make of bullet were you using that shred deer to pieces? Were these “game bullets” or Varmint bullets?

It would be interesting to see how your 120gn soft points work, especially at longer range once they have shed some velocity.

Best rgds

Tahr

 

[ejg]

Never tried anything below 150gr in the 308. The 155gr a-max works fine for fox and deer. I found expansion to be just right on deer also at longer ranges. Makes a mess of lungs and heart but little meat damage if hit right.
This fox did not even bleed, poor thing just shut down. 155gr a-max

Also have a picture of a large rabbit shot with a 165 SST, don't want to post that. The SST certainly expanded and it was very messy. I've shot rabbits with FMJ before, big difference.

edi

 

[Mauser66]

I've used 125gr Ballistic Tips in my .308 and they were great for foxes and deer. For an all-rounder I love the 150gr .308 Ballistic Tip ahead of Varget (it doesn't blow up as much as people say), but recently I've been using 168gr A-Max on everything from foxes up. Of course the .22-250 and .223 I used to have were classic foxing rounds, but dead is dead and the 168s don't get too many complaints.