Which .308 bullet weight?

[A Guy Out West]

Thanks all! Is along the lines of my thinking, that a ‘mild’ but accurate load around the 155gn marker should be within the sweet spot. Do you think worth going a little higher though to account for the boar?

As mentioned, I will be reloading (and kudos to HandB as also had great results with RS52) but have tested a few factory rounds and it genuinely doesn’t seem to care that much - all (except Fox copper, which shot like sh*t and gave me extraction issues) being sub MOA.

Any good 150 gr. will do just fine. However, if you want to be 110% sure, go with a 165 gr. Nosler Partition.

 

[caorach]

Any good 150 gr. will do just fine. However, if you want to be 110% sure, go with a 165 gr. Nosler Partition.

I've never used the 165 grain partitions but gained the impression that they were of much more robust construction than the 150 grain version and I have seen some reports on this forum of people being unhappy with the performance of the 165 grain version, I think they are probably a little to hard for many of our deer here in the UK. I've been happy with the performance of the 150 grain version on sika deer.

When it comes to the 308 in general then I'd guess that the vast majority of people are using something around 150 grains and I believe the military designed the cartridge (their version is as close as makes no difference to the 308Win) for a bullet just under 150 grains. Given this then I'd be pretty certain that unless your requirements are very different from normal or specialised then you won't go wrong with something in the 150 grain range and anything removed from that is just a matter of personal preference.

 

[Snowflakesmasher86]

Before I ask my question, I am relatively new to stalking but not to reloading. But I have been thinking quite a bit about this and wonder what (or more likely if) there is any consensus from you folks much more knowledgeable than me!

What weight bullet do people recommend as an ‘all round’ .308 hunting bullet? The quarry on my ground are generally fallow and boar, with the occasional roe. Appreciate the boar will likely need more knockdown power than the deer, but is there a happy medium?

I don’t really want to be ladder testing and developing different loads for different quarry, and have found my Sako S20 to not be fussy about weight (testing factory from 110gn to 185gn). My targets are almost always sub 300m as well, so wind deflection and drop aren’t that crucial.

Cheers all!

150grain does everything! Try soft points or nosler ballistic tip

 

[Muir]

Another vote for 165s ~Muir

 

[Zio65]

170 Teilmantell RWS o Geco
Happy new year

 

[Penyard]

165gr Accubond if lead
130gr Barnes TTSX if copper

Used extensively by me on boar and deer in .308 and .30-06. Both excellent

 

[Brave Echo Niner]

130 TTSX at 3000 FPS plus.

Ben

 

[wytonpjs]

I've got some Hornady GMX 150gr .308 bullets up for sale here if you are intertested in a NLA bullet

 

[22250jason]

150 pro hunters work for me very accurate and kill well

 

[Colonel]

The 7.62x51 ( 308 ) was developed with a 147gr bullet at 2700fpa. A 150gr bullet will do everything you need it to, if you think you need something a little better for boar that a bonded bullet will do the job, IMO.

 

[Alantoo]

Much will depend on the type of boar shooting you do. If it is over a bait station then shot placement will probably have more importance than bullet weight.

I posted this in the other current 308 thread….

I am currently using the 110gr TTSX in 308W for Fallow, Roe and Muntjac. The 99% retention of the TTSX means that the penetration is likely to be equivalent or better than your usual 60% retention 150gr lead core soft point so the weight is less necessary. At the ranges I shoot, the energy generated by the slightly higher speed matches the slower heavier 130gr TTSX and it has the advantage of slightly flatter trajectory and less residual energy and mass...a larger percentage of the energy will have been scrubbed off in the animal. The higher speed aids the expansion, and of course it is the same diameter as the 130gr.

That said, if you are only shooting close range driven Boar you may feel more comfortable with the more conventional lead core thinking of a heavier hitter.

I am using just below the max listed in the Vihtavuori data 3.0g N135. COAL as recommended by Barnes-ish...actually 0.015" further out at 2.750". The Barnes recommended COAL of 2.735" means the cannelure/groove is just within the case mouth, and as I use the Lee factory Crimp I preferred not to crimp over the edge into the cannelure because of the introduction of another variable.

Alan

 

[antsa]

Sierra Prohunters at 125gns over a moderate load of Viht 140 and a good crimp are an excellent combination and shoot very flat. Good enough for all UK deer but might be a bit light for boar from what I read - though if placement is right I cannot see much surviving a hit!

Have just worked up a load with these. 48.3gr of ADI AR2206H (=H4895), slightly faster than N140. ADI suggest a min/max range of 46.0/49.2gr. Grouping nicely off the bench at around 0.45MOA @ 100m. Haven't chronied them yet. Fallow deer round, the only deer we have in our area but on the other hand we have a hell of a lot of them.

Cheers

 

[springbok787]

I shoot in exactly the same part of the world as you by the sound of things on similar quarry. I use 136gr RWS for copper option or 150 gr lead. Have used the lead for years on the above ground and never had an issue.

FYI in that part of the world you may also encounter muntjac and the occasional red deer as well.

 

[MikeZZZ]

You must have known the answer you would get - everything from 110 to 180gn, soft point, ballistic tip, copper, lead... blah, blah, blah.

 

[Roedeer 1962]

I;M thinking of trying Nosler125g accubonds

 

[308tikka]

You must have known the answer you would get - everything from 110 to 180gn, soft point, ballistic tip, copper, lead... blah, blah, blah.

They all work.....

 

[antsa]

Have just worked up a load with these. 48.3gr of ADI AR2206H (=H4895), slightly faster than N140. ADI suggest a min/max range of 46.0/49.2gr. Grouping nicely off the bench at around 0.45MOA @ 100m. Haven't chronied them yet. Fallow deer round, the only deer we have in our area but on the other hand we have a hell of a lot of them.

Cheers

UPDATE

Sorry about this fellas. A complete f**k-up by me here. I wasn't using AR2206H, the powder I usually use in my .308, but ADI Bench Mark 8208 (=IMR 8208 XBR). ADI places this powder in between N133 and N135. The recommended min and max for the BM8208 is as stated above, 46 and 49.2gr. Five rounds (not a lot, I know but this is a hunting load) over the MagnetoSpeed gave an average of 934m/s (3064fps). Now I just have to wait until the weather cools of a bit. Don't normally stalk in summer - it was 38°C the other day and besides it's snake season as well.

Cheers

 

[maxtheflyinghorse]

Federal power shok 150grain soft point works perfect on my howa touching cloverleaf at 100 yards and does the job perfect.