Best bullet for 308 – target and hunting
Question:
This is the recipie I use for my 1,000 yard rifle. Your Savage with a good hunting scope will probably run out of "clicks" at 600 yards. 308 Win. 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. 51.2gr MAXIMUM (you know the drill) Winchester 748 powder. CCI 200 large rifle primer. 2.770 oal. 2,964 fps (chronograph tested). 41,600 cup. You can’t lick speed. The .308 is a real rainbow trajectory dog with any bullet over 150 grains. It’s a good round for medium sized big game. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> This is the recipie I use for my 1,000 yard rifle. Your Savage >with a good hunting scope >will probably run out of "clicks" at 600 yards. >308 Win. 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. >51.2gr MAXIMUM (you know the drill) Winchester 748 powder. CCI 200 >large rifle primer. 2.770 oal. 2,964 fps (chronograph tested). >41,600 cup. > You can’t lick speed.
>The .308 is a real rainbow trajectory dog with any bullet over 150 grains.
.. Can you explain this claim? It seems to contradict my understanding of external ballistics, and the output of the ballistics programs (Bill Frenchu’s Bal413 and Odd Skevik’s PCB1.8) I use. I generally shoot 180 and 190 grain bullets out of 180. But I’ve also shot Remington accelerators at 5000 fps, and I can’t see how with normal scope mounting, you can shoot flatter with a faster, lighter bullet. With a 190gr Hornady spbt, and a line of sight 1.7 inch above the barrel axis line, I can sight my .308 to shoot +/- 2.65 to 265 yards. After that, it’s time to move the reticle. How much flatter can you get with a 150gr bullet, and what will it cost you in terminal energy and added vulnerability to wind? Achim axethetax Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
: I recently purchased a Savage Model 11g in .308 calibre. I have been : reloading ammunition for this rifle using Sierra 2200 Match grade : Hollow Point Boat Tail bullets (168 gr). : My local gun dealer recommended this bullet for both target and : hunting. Only after I purchased four boxes of these bullets did I : discover its inadequacies for hunting. : With 45 grains of Hodgdon BL(C)-2 powder I have been quite pleased with : the target abilities of the Match 168 gr. However, I do not want to : continue reloading ammunition that I cannot use for both hunting and : target. I am not a fanatical target shooter and I would be satisfied : with more than minute of angle shooting if I can find the "perfect" : bullet for both purposes. : In short, I want to be able to sight my scope in ONCE for both hunting : and target with reasonable assurance that I will hit what I aim at. : Can anyone suggest the "perfect" bullet for my purposes? I note that : the Nosler Ballistic Tip in 165 gr is well thought of and would seem to : be a good bullet for game even larger than the deer I expect to hunt. : I am leaning toward this bullet. Any comments re bullet and powder : load are welcome. I don’t know if there is a "perfect" bullet. But if you’re using the Sierra Match grade try the Sierra Game King grade for hunting. I’ve been using that series in 165Gr SpBt for years in my 30-06 with good results. The difference between the Match grade and the Game King is that less emphasis is done on expansion in the Match grade, but rather on the aspects of accuracy. The Game King gives away a little accuracy for the terminal balistics attributes. Since both are the same weight and size from the same manufacturer, they should shoot pretty close to each other. samg Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
<snip> : As for load and powder, I can’t help you much, as every rifle’s : different. However, I will suggest you make it as long as is needed. My : .308s are 2.800" OAL, and that was the one thing that made the most : difference in the accuracy. : DJ I believe is that the most accurate OAL is one that places the bullet 1-2 thousandth of an inch behind the lands of the barrel. That is supposed to keep the bullet from jumping around too much, and making it engage with the lands the same way each time. Each rifle will be different, so you need to experiment to get the right length. There is literature on how to smoke the bullet, and chamber it at different OALs, so you can tell the correct length for that rifle. Actually it’s not the OAL, but some point on the ojive, which will result in a different OAL for a different bullet shape. samg Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
writes: >rifle will be different, so you >need to experiment to get the right length. There is literature on how >to smoke the bullet, and chamber it at different OALs, so you can tell >the correct length for that rifle. >Actually it’s not the OAL, but some point on the ojive, which will result >in a different OAL for a different bullet shape.
I have found that I can very lightly "egg" the mouth of about six or eight cases, start the bullets by hand, then carefully chamber them and close the bolt. Naturaly the bullets will be seated by the lands. After carefully extracting them so as not to bump the bullets, I measure them with the caliper. They usually fall within about a +/- .002 range. As was said, the OAL will be different for different brands, and shapes, and weights. Particularly with exposed lead tips you will get a lot of variations out of the same box. So just as a precaution I have thought it best to back down about .010 from contact. Accuracy doesn’t seem to fall off much until its about .050 from contact. Another thing I have found with light bullets is that they need at least 2/3 caliber depth seated in the neck. Bill Van Houten (USA Ret) "No matter how hard you try, you can’t throw a potato chip very far." "Linus" Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I recently purchased a Savage Model 11g in .308 calibre. I have been reloading ammunition for this rifle using Sierra 2200 Match grade Hollow Point Boat Tail bullets (168 gr). My local gun dealer recommended this bullet for both target and hunting. Only after I purchased four boxes of these bullets did I discover its inadequacies for hunting. With 45 grains of Hodgdon BL(C)-2 powder I have been quite pleased with the target abilities of the Match 168 gr. However, I do not want to continue reloading ammunition that I cannot use for both hunting and target. I am not a fanatical target shooter and I would be satisfied with more than minute of angle shooting if I can find the "perfect" bullet for both purposes. In short, I want to be able to sight my scope in ONCE for both hunting and target with reasonable assurance that I will hit what I aim at. Can anyone suggest the "perfect" bullet for my purposes? I note that the Nosler Ballistic Tip in 165 gr is well thought of and would seem to be a good bullet for game even larger than the deer I expect to hunt. I am leaning toward this bullet. Any comments re bullet and powder load are welcome. Before you buy. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I am not a fanatical target shooter and I would be satisfied > with more than minute of angle shooting if I can find the "perfect" > bullet for both purposes.
My Browning A-Bolt .308 shoots Hornady 150gr SPBTs to MOA. Either I or the rifle can’t shoot the 168gr HPBTs better 
Basically, if you want to use just one bullet, go with the one that means the most; the hunting round. As for load and powder, I can’t help you much, as every rifle’s different. However, I will suggest you make it as long as is needed. My .308s are 2.800" OAL, and that was the one thing that made the most difference in the accuracy. DJ Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Yes, I use custom scope mounts. Even at a mere 100 yards it takes 13 clicks to raise the point of impact of a 180 grain bullet to match the 125 grain. I wouldn’t use a .308 Winchester on big game, I have too many other guns. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
