.308 round for Whitetail

[GrizzlyAbner]

Hello friends, I'm looking for a good .308 round for Whitetail.
I got a great deal on a Remington 700 aac-sd last year. It has a heavy 20 inch barrel with a 1:10 twist rate.
I used 150 grain Hornady American Whitetails last year, and they got the job done.
But, now I want to load my own rounds and I'm told that a heavier bullet is better for the 1:10 twist.
Do y'all have any suggestions?
I was thinking 180 grain, but several people have recommended 165-168 grain.
All input welcome.
Thanks!

 

[mattlowe31]

172 grain boat tails....but lets be realistic for a moment, what kind of accuracy are you trying to get out of your rifle?

 

[Tjay]

For deer hunting I use 150 gr. bullets in my 308. My favorite bullets are Nosler BTs, Sierra Pro Hunters and Hornady ILs. I have taken more deer with the Pro Hunters but am currently using BTs. These all shoot very well in my rifle. You will have to try several to see what works in your rifle. I have never found the need for 180s in a 308 for deer. That twist in a 308 will shoot all weights.

 

[HowaMini]

How far do you plan on shooting?

 

[1_pointer]

I can't really think of too many bullets from 150-180gr that I wouldn't use on a whitetail out of a 308 Win. The 1:10 twist isn't exceptionally fast, but should spin 180gr bullets just fine, but IMO that's not needed on whitetails here in Indiana. Though a bit different, I'd be looking hard at the 155gr Scenar! It's a target/match type bullet that works extremely well on critters. I use the 139gr version out of a 260 Rem and have been super pleased with it.

 

[Gunner46]

hunted with a 308 carbine for about a dacade. 1st couple of years i used 150's. Yeah, they got the job done, but not one deer dropped where I shot them. Not to far, but 40-50 yds was the norm. Switched over to the 180 Ballistic Tip and suddenly deer were nose plowing a few feet and given' it up....except for the ones that were DRT.

I retired it to the safe when I bought my 7/08. If I were take it out again I think I would probably go with the 165 BT though.

 

[GrizzlyAbner]

Thanks for the input guys!
To answer a few questions:
-As far as accuracy goes, I'm spoiled by my 300 win mag loads shooting 1 moa at 200yds. So, I'd love to get near that performance with my .308.
-That being said, I don't plan on shooting much past 200yds.

I echo your sentiment Gunner64, the 150gr got the job done last year but they didn't drop like I expected them to.

 

[1_pointer]

Thanks for the input guys!
To answer a few questions:
-As far as accuracy goes, I'm spoiled by my 300 win mag loads shooting 1 moa at 200yds. So, I'd love to get near that performance with my .308.
-That being said, I don't plan on shooting much past 200yds.

I echo your sentiment Gunner64, the 150gr got the job done last year but they didn't drop like I expected them to.

Use a tough-ish bullet and put it through their shoulder. They tend to not go far that way. Dropping them quickly is largely about where you hit them. I like to break the running gear.

If you are likely to not shoot past 200yds, I'd look hard at the 150gr Partition or lighter mono-metal bullet like the Barnes.

 

[HowaMini]

If you want to shoot a heavy longish bullet you could start casting your own.

My vote for a whitetail only bullet is the lowly Sierra GameKing. Less than 30 cents apiece with a 4.9 rating on Midway with over 100 reviews on the 165 grain and almost 100 reviews on the 180.

 

[deer_shooter]

If you want to shoot a heavy longish bullet you could start casting your own.

My vote for a whitetail only bullet is the lowly Sierra GameKing. Less than 30 cents apiece with a 4.9 rating on Midway with over 100 reviews on the 165 grain and almost 100 reviews on the 180.

^^ I've had great results on deer with sierra game kings. I use 165grains out of my 06

 

[MKotur325]

This is my kind of thread!! All I hunted with out of my .308 were 180gr Partitions. Saw several deer drop to them and a nice bull. Personally, I'm a big fan of 180gr .30cal slugs for deer, elk, heck... Sasquatch... For a .308 and Whitetails, pick your favorite bullet in a 175-180gr and you are good to go. If you go monometal, drop to a 165gr...

 

[GrizzlyAbner]

Thanks again, friends!
After weighing the options, I picked up some Nosler Accubonds in 180gr.
If my rifle likes them, I'll use them for whitetail AND a backup to my 300 win mag when I hunt bigger stuff out west.

 

[okie_hotrod]

I've been hard pressed to find a deer killing bullet to compete with the SST from Hornady. It just flat puts them down. The 165s should work plenty good in a 308

 

[MKotur325]

Nosler Accubonds in 180gr.

One of the better options out there. I have taken several critters with a 200Gr Accubond out of a .325WSM, and my Dad has dropped everything from Antelope to Canadian moose with a 180gr Accubond out of a .300WSM. It's a Gnarly bullet!!

 

[BigGameDIY]

Barnes TTSX 165 gr was working best for my 308

 

[Brian in Montana]

For the $ your going to be hard pressed to find a better deer cartridge than the American Whitetail ammo. Those Hornady Interlocks are a very good bullet.

 

[Brian in Montana]

That said, if you're loading your own, you oughtta try the Hornady Interlock BTSP 165 grn. My .308 shoots the heck out of those.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

Thanks again, friends!
After weighing the options, I picked up some Nosler Accubonds in 180gr.
If my rifle likes them, I'll use them for whitetail AND a backup to my 300 win mag when I hunt bigger stuff out west.

I've been killing stuff with my 308 with 165 AccuBonds and have been really happy with the way they perform. 165 Ballistic Tips were blowing to pieces and going everywhere. No comparison!

 

[K9COP357]

I've been hard pressed to find a deer killing bullet to compete with the SST from Hornady. It just flat puts them down. The 165s should work plenty good in a 308

I couldn't agree more... The SST's are phenomenal and have never let me down... The accubonds and TTSX's perform great also but the SST's seem to drop deer and hogs on the spot

 

[rlmmatt]

This for whitetail