308 bullet of choice

[Dave0317]

Considering you aren’t shooting anything bigger than Mule Deer, and your rifle already does well with Sierra Matchkings, I would definitely look at some Sierra GameKings. Sierra even says they are fine for Elk at .308 velocities.

 

[SanJuanCutthroat]

I've been impressed by accuracy and performance of the Nosler E-Tip 168 gr. Carry enough velocity and energy out to 500 yards so if you're shooting past that you'd need to look elsewhere.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I don’t own a .308, but do shoot a 300 Savage regularly, which is pretty darn close. I’ve settled on the 180 grain Speer BTSP for pretty much everything. You can load it mild, it shoots straight with the boat tail at low velocity, and it still completely expands at low velocity.

 

[Jimbob]

I got a new Rem 700 in .308 and it shoots 180 grain Hornady Interlock really well. It didn't like the Nosler 165 grain accubonds though. Both of those were are factory loads.

Using this gun for goat/sheep/caribou though so I decided to try the 130 ttsx. Made up some hand loads and the gun likes them. I believe Luke and Becca Moffat have taken a bunch of game (bears and moose as well) with the 130 ttsx in .308 so I feel confident with that bullet.

 

[Jim Carr]

178 Eld match. Very accurate bullet and we have had very good luck with them on elk.

 

[Jim Carr]

A good powder you may want to try for that short bbl is ar comp it is incredibly accurate out of my 20 inch bbl 308 and it helps the short bbl gain a bit of speed when compared with other powders that need more bbl length to maximize. Very temp stable with low es. I shoot 155 eld matchs and 155 serria Tmks both should work very well on deer.

 

[TREE ‘EM]

I’ve had a lot of success with 150 grain Sierra Gamekings but accubonds might be a better bet

 

[Goatie]

I had a great experience with a 165 Sierra game king over varget in a 20” 308. Two mn deer were shot in less than ideal circumstances and bullet placement and both deer were found. I think back a lot and I don’t think any lesser caliber would have had those deer recovered.

 

[Wyatt.Carter]

165 nosler AB are tough to beat

 

[robtattoo]

150gn Accubond over a hefty dose of CFE223 is the absolute bomb out of my LWH.
I tried almost everything available before I settled on this combo. Monos above 130gn don't have the velocity to work reliably at distances above 300, 165/168s & 180s lack velocity in a shorter barrel & have a pretty short MPBR. Well constructed 150s at a MV of around 18-1900 will work well on everything & give the best velocity/mpbr average.

 

[Hulions]

Hornady Superformance 165 gr. SST for me. I've been using this bullet for years in both of my 308's and it shoots great and has performed well on game.

 

[Lelder]

150gr hornady interlocks being pushed by varget was plenty for my elk and mule deer. I think so many 308 bullets will work very very well if you keep shots to 400yds and closer Past that the velocity drops enough to affect bullet performance.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Identity your requirements and then find the bullet and load that meets those requirements that your rifle will shoot.

I have a Savage Lightweight Hunter (20" barrel) in 308 Win. It loves Hornady Precision Hunter (178 gr) and will do well under MOA. Due to the short barrel, the average velocity is 2518 fps. For hunting the rifle pretty much is limited to 500 yards due it hitting 1800 fps at that point.

No issues on game up to a water buffalo.

 

[Lelder]

I’m sure plenty of game has been taken with a 308 past 400yds but I would bet that plenty of game also ran away, died, and was never recovered due to a bullet never expanding. Just my $2c

 

[Lelder]

I agree with AZ_HUNTER know what YOU need and definitely get whatever load/bullet choice you decide to go with chronographed so you can get a shot distance that the velocity is still high enough to perform. 1800 FPS is generally the lowest velocity for most bullets to perform

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Do want to clarify something.

While my rifle is good to 500 yards (some variation due to environmentals) for hunting, there are some limitations. The longer the shot, the smaller/thinner the animal needs to be.

 

[Newtosavage]

I’m sure plenty of game has been taken with a 308 past 400yds but I would bet that plenty of game also ran away, died, and was never recovered due to a bullet never expanding. Just my $2c

Do you honestly think that many shots have been taken beyond 400 yards that failed because of bullet performance and not because of poor shot placement? Frankly I don't think that many shots beyond 400 yards are ever even taken in the first place, and second, most folks can't hit squat in a true hunting scenario beyond 250, so if people are blaming bullet selection, I think they're looking in the wrong place. Anyone who can actually hit their mark past 400 yards has probably done their homework on bullet selection.