Best 308 Bullet

[Dave0317]

I agree with lots of the others. Very few .308 bullets wouldn’t work well. Depending on your distances, I’d use 150 Power Shoks or core lokts. I’m using 168 Nosler BTs this year, just because I got a couple boxes cheap and they shoot well in my rifle. Almost exact same POI as Fed GMM, so that’s a nice plus for practice

No reason that Hornady shouldn’t have done well except for a poorly placed shot.

If you are trying to push the distance a bit more then I’d look at the ELD-M or TMK. Just for the slight edge in BC.

 

[Stubee]

A deer shot in the lungs with that load should be dead, and pretty quickly. I’ve killed a bunch with plain old factory load 150 GR Core-Lokt PSP.

The lack of blood is, to me, meaningless if you shoot a deer through the lungs with my cartridge. Sometimes there’s a good blood trail but deer hit with any rifle round can’t be guaranteed to leave one. I helped a friend find two good bucks at my camp that he, a seriously excellent shot, had hit in the lungs with a 7mm short mag and another round I can’t recall. He was lost because he couldn’t find “any blood or hair” at the shot site. I tracked both with him and showed him the signs a hard hit deer leaves, with no blood for 25+ yards and he was amazed that you could find one without “blood or hair”. Neither deer made it past 50 yards. I wish he was converted but don’t think so.

Just saying that a new round may not give you the blood trail you hope for, but a deer hit in the lungs with a .308 150 GR at 100 yards is gonna be one very dead deer, blood or no.


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[Wolfshead]

I love Nosler Accubonds.
I shoot 150 grain handloads with Varget from my .308 and have shot softball sized groups at 300 yards.
I have yet to have a deer go more than 40 yards after being shot, but that also has a lot to do with where they have been shot.

 

[orangeblu]

The best .308 round for deer is the one that groups best in your rifle. Deer aren’t hard to kill. Any round with good expansion and penetration will do fine if you put it where it needs to be.

 

[FLS]

The load you’re shooting is fine for deer. Sometimes they just don’t bleed. First buck I shot this year was hit right in the crease at 195 yds. He ran a little ways into a think tangle of vines and briars. Not a drop of blood from the point of impact to where he was laying.
I shot a doe about a week ago. Identical shot placement and Ray Charles could have followed the trail to where she was laying. I do prefer to get an exit. If you don’t sometimes they just don’t bleed much, it’s all internal, and depending on where you are, it can make recovering one a chore.

 

[bigbassfish]

Surprised I haven't seen anyone mention the Federal Fusions. The 165gr have worked well for me out to 200 yards.

 

[IdahoBeav]

I like 125 gr for deer and have had good success with ABs.

 

[Fdh]

Barnes 168

 

[JackButler]

As others have said, it’s not the bullet. If you hit a whitetail with a 308 at 100 yards anywhere near the tight spot, it won’t go far. Heck I’d be confident shooting an elk at 350 with that ammo.

 

[FredH]

I would say there is no best bullet but the one you are shooting is up there in the top tier.

 

[SloppyJ]

My 308 loves 168gr Berger Classic Hunters and 150gr TTSXs. I prefer the absolute devastation that the Bergers leave on a deer. It shoots both equally as well with Varget. Give them a shot.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

I've been shooting Federal Premium 150 grain Nosler Partions for the last 5 years in my .308 X-bolt
It's probably too expensive of a round for a white tail, but my gun loves it, shoots close to a 0.5 MOA at 100 yards.

With the exception of one doe at 20 yards and one antelope doe at 75 yards (walked 10 steps and died), all of the deer have been bang flops. 215 lb buck, 180 lb buck, numerous 100 lb does. 30 yards to 130 yards. All dead right there.

I'd agree with the others, you may want to check your zero, as well as understand that not all deer bleed equally. Learning to read a recent trail/track is key.

 

[flathead#2]

Shooting 165 gr. Hornady Interlocks and Fusions.

 

[KurtR]

when i had a 308 168 amax was my choice but at 100 yards any bullet placed properly will work. Sounds like it wasnt the bullets fault