.308 win bullet selection for new reloader

[Bowmannate2000]

Hey guys. I'm a novice reloader, just getting into it. My model 70 .308 has been shooting factory 165gr Nosler BTs well. I plan to start reloading the Nosler brass once I use up a bit more of the factory rounds. I'd like to pick a more solid bullet, either a bonded or mono. Looking for suggestions for bullets that will be tough enough for anything up to elk, and forgiving to use for a rookie reloader.

 

[MTLabrador]

I’d say a 165 ballistic tip is just about the perfect all around bullet in the .308. Plenty tough enough for elk. Bonded is fine, but I’d watch your velocity with a mono in the .308.

 

[wtrfwlhunter]

Hey guys. I'm a novice reloader, just getting into it. My model 70 .308 has been shooting factory 165gr Nosler BTs well. I plan to start reloading the Nosler brass once I use up a bit more of the factory rounds. I'd like to pick a more solid bullet, either a bonded or mono. Looking for suggestions for bullets that will be tough enough for anything up to elk, and forgiving to use for a rookie reloader.

Barnes TTSX

 

[Addicting]

Hey guys. I'm a novice reloader, just getting into it. My model 70 .308 has been shooting factory 165gr Nosler BTs well. I plan to start reloading the Nosler brass once I use up a bit more of the factory rounds. I'd like to pick a more solid bullet, either a bonded or mono. Looking for suggestions for bullets that will be tough enough for anything up to elk, and forgiving to use for a rookie reloader.

A 165 accubond will do just fine in that. Or a 130g Barnes TTSX would do the trick.

 

[Weimer]

Can’t help you with the mono or copper solid. Why are you wanting to go that direction?
I use 168 and 155 ELD-M and 155 Scenar. All of those are plenty of bullet for deer and elk. You don’t need a tough bullet you need a bullet that creates violent wound channels.

 

[Aerosith]

175 Barnes LRX is a great choice.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Barnes TTSX

Second that

 

[Aerosith]

Can’t help you with the mono or copper solid. Why are you wanting to go that direction?
I use 168 and 155 ELD-M and 155 Scenar. All of those are plenty of bullet for deer and elk. You don’t need a tough bullet you need a bullet that creates violent wound channels.

Hornady ELD-M bullets are designed for match shooting not hunting.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Hornady ELD-M bullets are designed for match shooting not hunting.

lots of results around saying it works great - especially at 308 velocities.

 

[Aerosith]

lots of results around saying it works great - especially at 308 velocities.

It absolutely can work, but it is not ideal especially when you make a bad shot. The bullet expands very rapidly losing a ton of energy and mass. Heck a few years ago I shot a deer with an ELD-M bullet using a 6.5 PRC. It did the job, but I was not very impressed by the bullet for hunting purposes and penetration.

 

[Weimer]

Hornady ELD-M bullets are designed for match shooting not hunting.

I don’t know where to even start with your fuddlore. Just stop my dude! You look way too young to believe that fuddlore gun counter BS. Did your granpappy tell you all about knock down power to?
Plenty of knowledgeable people using ELDM’s, Berger hybrid targets, and tmks

 

[Weimer]

It absolutely can work, but it is not ideal especially when you make a bad shot. The bullet expands very rapidly losing a ton of energy and mass. Heck a few years ago I shot a deer with an ELD-M bullet using a 6.5 PRC. It did the job, but I was not very impressed by the bullet for hunting purposes and penetration.

What else would you want a bullet to do.

 

[Aerosith]

What else would you want a bullet to do.

I would like a bullet that would pass through creating better blood loss, a bullet that will penetrate better, and a bullet that retains its weight. Why throw insults and try to be an internet bully?

 

[Weimer]

Why not a bullet that destroys tissue?
Why do you care about retained weight, you can’t use it a second time.
Does an animal bleed more out of two holes then one?
A sucking chest wound is a sucking chest wound, does matter if there 1 hole or 2.

 

[Dougfirtree]

The obvious choices would be a 165 accubond, or a 150 grain mono (the TTSX and the E-tip have been my favorite monos). Any of those should check all your boxes.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I would like a bullet that would pass through creating better blood loss, a bullet that will penetrate better, and a bullet that retains its weight. Why throw insults and try to be an internet bully?

Blood loss isnt the primary killing mechanism with bullets - damage is.

Penetration is a wildly over rated metric with bullets.

 

[Sheltowee]

Monos can be a bit finicky, even for those of us that have loaded for a while. I'd tinker with NBTs or, my personal favorite for deer-sized game, Hornady SSTs in order to get a bit of experience under my belt were I in your shoes.

From my experience, 44.0grains of Varget under any 150 or 165 grain lead-core bullet is the easy button for the .308.

 

[mtmuley]

Bullet threads are fun. mtmuley

 

[Forkyfinder]

Bullet threads are fun. mtmuley

They all work. eldx, tmk, eldm, ablr, bergers etc all work better going slower than MOST copper bullets - at the expense of not holding together if you're going too fast. Makes sense in a short action non-magnum.

I dont know why you hate them.

 

[mtmuley]

They all work. eldx, tmk, eldm, ablr, bergers etc all work better going slower than MOST copper bullets - at the expense of not holding together if you're going. Makes sense in a short action non-magnum.

I dont know why you hate them.

I bet I was killing with Bergers before you knew what they were. And the crappy Accubond LR. The SST. Now I choose not to use frangible bullets to kill with. I'll just listen and learn I guess. mtmuley