308 bullet choice

[paxamus]

Hey guys,
I have my first elk hunt this November/December and am now conflicted on bullet choices. I shoot a .308 and have had great results with Amax and now SSTs. I was planning on using 165 SST's but the more that I read, the more nervous I get about that bullet. It shoots great out of my Bergara, but should I use the ELD X? I dont want to screw this trip up- I will limit my shots to under 400 yards (I'm comfortable to 600, but wont take it on an animal) and I will be cow elk hunting. Any input appreciated

 

[Jon Boy]

I think an SST will be just fine. Maybe stay away from the scapula at close range. I did crush a bulls shoulder at fairly close range with a 154 sst out of a 7 mag but some say they might explode at high velocity and not make it through.

 

[Anschutz]

The SST will be good but with large animals like elk, I would be looking at something like the Accubond, Interlock, or ELD-X.

 

[Jbehredt]

I’ve killed elk with the SST. Structurally I think it’s a bare minimum. Even out of a 16” barrel at 300 yds a couple fragmented. Elk drt but I now use accubonds. I like having something a little tougher just for insurance.

 

[rcfireninja]

My boy shoots the 165 sst from his tikka t3 in .308. This was the bullet from his whitetail buck he recovered. He has taken deer at 200, elk at 250 and antelope at 175 with that gun and bullet. All one shot kills.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[juan trueno]

That bullet right there- lookin that mangled after not making through a whitetail at 200 is why I wouldn’t use one at that weight on an elk personally. I’d prefer a 180, even in a humble 308. Or I like 165 partition if you can lIve with the BC. acxubonds work great
Every year for all kinds of people- but when they shed weight the same as the cup and core- I don’t see an ongame advantage. If I’m shooting bonded core it’s on the basis of wanting more weight retention.

Edit: there’s more shank left on that bullet than what I thought on my initial glance- but it still didn’t make it through a whitetail at 200.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TauPhi111]

I'm surprised no one has suggested a Barnes TTSX yet. Use the 168 grain TTSX and don't look back. No worries about it breaking up on a shoulder at close range and out to 400 yards it'll perform great. You can bet your house that you'll get a hole in each side of the animal as well.

 

[goodgrouper]

Another vote for the Barnes from me as well. My dad loads them for the whole family, mostly 300win but a couple 308's also. Outstanding performance on elk, probably 30 or so taken by our group with the 168 over the years.

 

[jmharrington]

Barnes ttsx for heavy boned/skinned animals. Hornady elk-x for light skinned animals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wytx]

I hunted with a 308 for years , bonded bullets are the way to go. 165-168 gr work well. I loaded mine in front of Varget powder.
Grand slams, core lokt, accubonds all work well. I currently hunt with a 300wsm and load 165-168 gr bonded bullets for it, they have taken everything from cow bison to moose, 165-168 gr bullets will be fine and shoot a little flatter out of the 308 than 180 gr bullets.
My 308 dropped many an antelope, deer and elk with 165 gr bullets. One bullet will do it all .
You might check out the new Trophy Bonded Tip bullet by Federal premium also.

 

[theleo91386]

There's squat for difference between the ELD-X and the SST at the range you've set for yourself. The SST is Hornady's original Interlock with a plastic tip to make it expand faster, the ELD-X is just a higher BC SST with a different plastic tip. If you were going to change bullets I'd go with the Interlock (my preferred bullet for the 308) or if you feel the need to go premium bonded bullets like the Accubond, Interbond, and Scirroco are good. Bang for your buck though, if your rifle likes 165gr Interlocks I'd shoot those and never look back.

 

[paxamus]

I’ve ordered a couple of boxes of the Barnes 168 TTSX- I’ll see how my rifle likes them. Thanks for all of the feed back from everyone


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kingfisher]

I agree with the accubond and ttsx. Both are great. Just remember that with all copper, they run higher pressures. So with barnes, your node may be at a lower charge. True to the recommendation by barnes, I have found that ~.050 off the lands is best for accuracy.

 

[juan trueno]

With the ttsx or tsx in 308 I’ve been really happy with 150s. I shot 165s or 168s out of my 300wsm until I sold it. I really like to keep that impact velocity up over 2000fps with the Barnes. I think they say 1800. And they have uniformly shot better when set back off the lands as referenced above. I shoot a lot of 257” and 284” ttsxs still


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[paxamus]

Thanks for everyone’s input. I can’t wait to get my ammo in and get to the range and see how my rifle likes it. I wish I had the time to reload- presently don’t, but will be saving all of these tips for the future!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[N2TRKYS]

Why did you decide to go so heavy with an all copper bullet?

 

[Dave270]

Barnes 168g not too heavy for elk.

 

[N2TRKYS]

What velocity will it have at the 400 yard mark?

 

[Formidilosus]

That bullet right there- lookin that mangled after not making through a whitetail at 200 is why I wouldn’t use one at that weight on an elk personally. I’d prefer a 180, even in a humble 308. Or I like 165 partition if you can lIve with the BC. acxubonds work great
Every year for all kinds of people- but when they shed weight the same as the cup and core- I don’t see an ongame advantage. If I’m shooting bonded core it’s on the basis of wanting more weight retention.

Edit: there’s more shank left on that bullet than what I thought on my initial glance- but it still didn’t make it through a whitetail at 200.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks of a bullet doesn’t have anything to do with how much damage a bullet creates, and consequently how fast it kills. Bullets that shed weight and look mangled create more damage along their path than ones that don’t.


As far far as not exiting a deer- skin is extremely elastic, and is much harder to penetrate than organs. It is quite possible for a bullet that is caught by the offside skin to easily penetrate another foot or more of muscle tissue.

 

[ramont]

What velocity will it have at the 400 yard mark?

Mine are still running at over 1800 fps. The last elk I took was at 110 yards using the 168gr TTSX, that bull didn't even take one step, he just fell to the ground. I will admit that the shot was a perfect heart shot so I can't tell you what would have happened if I'd of done a double lung shot but I'm sure that the bull would have died.

I used to be one of those guys that believed that the bullet needed to stay in the animal in order to kill effectively, I no longer subscribe to that school of thought. The TTSX bullets will, quite often, go through an elk very easily and that's not a bad thing, if you hit the heart or lungs. We kill animals by bleeding them out and two holes will bleed faster than one hole, especially if you hit the heart in between.