308 Deer Load?

[CliveWard]

Hi All,

 

After some advice on where to start on a .308 deer load for fallow mainly.

 

Any recommendations on what you actually use and how it performs, rather than 2nd hand anecdotes would be great.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[Greenbear]

Hi

 

My personal load for my .308 is

 

 

Hornady Brass

CCI benchrest primers

RL 15 42.6g

Hornady 168g A MAx bullets

 

Superbly accurate out of my Howa 1500,

 

Cheers

 

 

GB

[ejg223]

For stags 165SST's 45gr Varget

for hinds 155 a-max's 44gr N140.

The 308 is not picky, deer drop very well with most factory ammo.

I liked 150gr fusion, 150gr. Lapua mega, even 150gr Remington PSP.

 

edi

[Elwood]

Hi Clive, my favourite load used to be N140 with 165 grain Nosler balistic tips.

[menial 1]

At the moment I'm using Speer 150grn SP bt over 46.5grns Viht 140, doesn't seem to matter too much, .308 is more than enough gun loaded with whatever you prefer for anything in the UK, possibly excepting boar if taken running. I personally find .243 more than ample for fallow but have decided to do a full season with .308 to compare .

Pete.

[CliveWard]

Hi All,

 

Cheers for the input so far guys. Lol just re-read my OP, didn't mean to sound that arsey. Just that I didn't want to use any 'my mate / bloke down the pub' info on live beasts most likely with an audience too. Could be more unpleasant than necessary for all concerned.

 

I've had some info from a good friend that while the .308 kills them, the .243 seems to do a better (quicker) job. My take was that perhaps the standard 150grn SP was a bit sturdier in construction compared to the 90 in the .243 creating a smaller wound channel.

 

Someone else has recommended the 168 A-Max's which perform similarly to the Nosler BTs.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[swampy]

.308 loads,

I have used 150gr speer soft points from my .30-06 and have found them to be very potent on all game. I recently loaded some up for a mates .308win with re15. the max was given at 49 gr. work up your own load. speers 2023 is a good bullet. It is interesting how one member rated thier .243 over a .308. i rate the 30 cal head and shoulders above the 6mm. better knock down, better hit to runner ratio, less meat damage.

 

steve

[menial 1]

.308 loads,

I have used 150gr speer soft points from my .30-06 and have found them to be very potent on all game. I recently loaded some up for a mates .308win with re15. the max was given at 49 gr. work up your own load. speers 2023 is a good bullet. It is interesting how one member rated thier .243 over a .308. i rate the 30 cal head and shoulders above the 6mm. better knock down, better hit to runner ratio, less meat damage.

 

steve

I've never really felt undergunned with .243, however I have had a couple of blowups on twigs when woodland stalking and decided to give .308 a full season on fallow and so far the results are positive. Undecided on neck shots with .308/150grn combo as the thinner jackets on 85grn sp in .243 have always given instant kills due to their more reliable expansion on a smaller mass. Body shots creating smaller wound channel than .243 on fallow [my main stalking quarry], damage on muntjac negligible due to lack of body mass, .308 just whistles straight through them. Never intended to start a 6mm versus 30cal debate, simply saying on reading the original post Clive stated that he would mainly be targetting fallow, and in my opinion .243 is more than ample.

Good stalking technique and bullet placement is preferable regardless of calibre. I've shot more than my fair share with .243 and feel more than qualified to give my opinion . Big rifle calibres do not make better stalkers and the more loopy trajectories on some 30cals can catch out the inexperienced on longish shots. By longish I mean out to 300yds.

Pete.

[Guest Tiff]

Lapua Brass

44 to 46.5 grains of Varget

2.850 OAL

155 A-Max

 

Top load gives me 2850fps in a 26" tube. Drops everything from roe to red out to 400 perfectly. Never had a deer run more than 20 yards in my life

[eldon]

The n140 load ejg stated also gave me good results in an adl 700.

 

In my VS I use 165 hps sierra v140 44.5 grs which gives 2720 fps from 24'' barrel. Good for reds, roe and fox.

 

Even kills rabbits

[ejg223]

One can run the a-max's nice and mild in the 308 and

can be sure they open reliably. I wanted something that would

expand quick for neck shots. In my experience the SST's are not much tougher.

I don't think either would be great with a fast caliber for deer.

The problem with a slower caliber is that modern "magnum" bullets are too tough and

like Pete mentioned, sometimes whistle through. Crucial would be the old swede where

bullet selection is vital. Especially when shooting smaller deer or low heart shots.

 

edi

[grahamfarmer]

hi guys ,

just to lob my 308s worth into the fray four loads i have devloped for my gun are all using lapaua brass with cci br primmers and varget

 

 

110 grain vmax with 47 grains varget devestating fox load and looks useful for neck shot on small deer very rapid expansion

 

125 grain sierra soft pints body shot load for small deer with 46 grains varget

 

and 150 grain soft point or 150 grain nosler balistic tip over 44 grains varget

 

yet to use the noslers on deer but the soft point would go straight through a fox and expand on contact with the ground where as the nosler had expanded severly by the size of the exit hole .

 

now a relation who has his own stalking in scotland has always said he preferes a larger caliber going slower to drop any species and to give him his due he always made me use a 308 when ever i visited and he would use a 30 06 which he called the stopper as a backup but as i found out the recoil to the untrained was harsh hence the 308 was his prefered caliber as far as i can remember only ever used softpoint bullets .

his father would always says put the hole in the right place and you will let the wind out of him laddie. simple really.

 

graham.

[Redfox]

Best load I had in mine was rem cases cci 200 primer , either Nosler 150gr bt or Hornady 150gr interbond, or spirepoint.

All gave very accurate results over 42.5 grs of Vhit N140, I tried up to 46.5 grs but it just wacked me harder and gave no real gains.

This accounted for plenty of deer, I would only say the Nosler ballistic tip tended to do quite a bit of damage, the other two were fine,.

I would probably go for the Nosler partition if doing it again but they are quite bit more expensive. Under 300yds the spire point with flat base will give the best accuracy and clean low damage kills.

Redfox

[Guest Fewmet]

150 grain Nosler BTs

45.1 grains Reloader 15

cci primer

[CliveWard]

Hi Clive, my favourite load used to be N140 with 165 grain Nosler balistic tips.

 

Hi Ian,

 

Cheers for that. Tried some at the weekend. Loaded them with 42.8 grn of N140, SAMMI length and crimped in. Shot well enough at 3/4" ish at 100M.

 

What load did you use? I only loaded a few up with the same powder charge I use for the 168 grn BTHPs. Didn't want to get through too many at nigh on 60p each just for the projectile.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[Offroad Gary]

hi,

 

my 2 .308 favourites are

 

125 gn ballistic tip

48.5 gn n140

cci 200

lapua brass

70.5mm col

 

150 gn ballistic tip or spbt

44 gn n140

cci 200

lapua brass

70.5mm col

 

shot from r93 .308 with t4 mod and s&b 8x56 - never groups more than 3/4 moa, sometimes less. i just weigh the throws from the powder measure until its right and then make up a batch.

 

the 125's are 1" high at 100m, 2" low at 200, 6" low at 250 and 12" low at 300m, brass gets used many times and fully resized each time.

 

used on fallow, roe and fox with much success. big holes but less blood damage than my .243.

[Greenbear]

I have had pretty good luck with Factory Rem Ammo on our Whitetails.

I use the 150gr SP's mostly.

Wich I suspect are not that much differant then the load Redfox mentions.

 

Dad favors Factory Rem 180gr RN's in his .308

 

I know the alot of the guys here swear by some type of ballistic tipped bullet.

But personally I am hesitant to use them.

I would like to have somethin left of it to skin out.

 

308Panther

 

Panther

 

I have used Sierra 180g round nose in my .308 a very accurate load a it certainly stops anything you point it at.

 

Speed aint all that when it comes down to it - that's what I tell me missus anyway