308 Win bullet for deer?

B

BangFlop

Member
I have a new Remington LTR in 308 Win with a 20” barrel and 1-10 twist. I am looking for a bullet that will expand very well as well as get through a shoulder if needed. All shots will be under 200 yards with most being around 50-100 yards.

What do you recommend (of course assuming it shoots great)?

Hornady 150 gr SST Superformance
Hornady 165 gr SST Superformance
Hornady 168 gr ELDm Superformance Match
Hornady 168 gr ELDm Match
Federal 165 gr Sierra Game King
Federal 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip

Or any other recommendations?

Would love to hear your experiences with the 308 Win. I’ve been hunting with a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle DM in 7mm-08 for the past 15 years.

Thanks,
Steve
 
I briefly used a 26” heavy barreled Remington 700 in 308 for deer. 150gr SST Hornady superformance was plenty effective and real accurate. Got tired of lugging it and switched to a 270 win sporter barrel. Now use 130gr SST Hornady superformance. Shot a fat buck during the rut last year at a little over 225yds with the 270 and it feel dead where it stood. My experience with the Hornady SST in both 308 and 270, they don’t go far and accurate.
 
Been using various .308 Winchester rifles for a very long time. So has my dad. Let's see... 150 gr. Hornady Interlock, Sierra Game King, Speer BTSP, Nosler Ballistic Tip and factory Remington Core Lokt along with the 165 gr. Hornady Interlock, Sierra HPGK, Speer BTSP, Nosler Ballistic Tip and Remington 180 gr. factory loads have killed a pile of critters for dad and myself. My favorite Ozark deer and pig rifle is my old Browning BLR 81 .308.
 
I can easily recommend the Remington CoreLokt.
One shot is all you need. I have been taking deer and elk for decades with them.
They shoot well in almost anything.
When shooting an elk in the shoulder, you can almost be certain the bullet will be under the hide on the opposite side.
.30 cal 180 gr in pic

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corelokt's just plain make stuff achieve room temperature.


that said, the 165 sst just plain outright shoots great in 10 twist 308 and 30-06 barrels.

ive had luck with it in several guns and load testing my bro's 30-06 this summer the worst test group i shot with that bullet was about 1¼" at 100 yds... the good groups were dirty clover leafs..


my 30-06 shoots them consistently around ½" and my 16" 308 runs them at around 3/4" groups.
 
How does the 168 ELDm do with whitetail bone? I really want a bullet that has great expansion. I want it to be able to handle a high shoulder shot even if it doesn’t exit.

168 ELDm, 150 or 165 SST?? Hmmm...
 
The 2 elk I shot with my 30tc(through shoulder) the bullets I recovered looked like the pics above. They (2) bullets were under the hide. One went in high near shoulder and through off shoulder the other entered at quarter angle ribs and went through opposite shoulder. Started as 165 gr, recovered at 105 and 108. Hand loaded Hornady 165 SST. If I could deer hunt with a rifle here I would use same bullet.
 
Originally Posted By: BangFlopHow does the 168 ELDm do with whitetail bone? I really want a bullet that has great expansion. I want it to be able to handle a high shoulder shot even if it doesn’t exit.

168 ELDm, 150 or 165 SST?? Hmmm...
The 168 ELD-M will have great expansion
 
Originally Posted By: BangFlopxphunter,

Will it handle a high shoulder shot inside 100 yards you think? WI whitetails....200#+ live weight.

Thanks all!

Yes, I believe so.
A big hog is harder on bullets than deer, so I would use it all day long up to mule deer buck size, and even for double lunging elk
 
You might think I'm crazy but a favorite .308 bullet inside 200 yards is the Sierra 180 gr round nose. Hits like Thor's hammer and shoots plenty flat for most of the ranges I'm likely to take game. In my longer range bolt guns I use Nosler partitions a lot, in either 150 or 165 grain. My most accurate .308 rifle/load combo to date in a hunting rifle has been the 150 gr Sierra flatbase over Reloder 15 in my old Ruger 77 flatbolt. Itty bitty groups for an old factory Sporter.
 
Bowhntr6pt

You don't have any issues with consistent performance on hogs with the 168 gr Amax/ELDm bullet either? Near or far, you seem similar performance? Are the hogs running or dropping typically at the shot? Head shots or shoulder/lung shots?

Thanks everyone!

Steve
 
Originally Posted By: BangFlopBowhntr6pt

You don't have any issues with consistent performance on hogs with the 168 gr Amax/ELDm bullet either? Near or far, you seem similar performance? Are the hogs running or dropping typically at the shot? Head shots or shoulder/lung shots?

Thanks everyone!

Steve

No issues, the ammo seems to do the job right.

When I hit shoulder, or just forward as we know is best, DRT. Obviously head shots are DRT.

Even when I hit a little back, they don't go far.
 
I'm trying 150 grain Pro Hunters in my 600 Mohawk. They shoot good but I haven't tried them on anything live yet.
 
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I wouldn't use an SST on game, I shot a small coyote once at just a touch over 100 yards with a 165 grain SST out of a .30-06 and that bullet absolutely blew up. Granted it killed the coyote on the spot but it'd waste a lot of meat. I've always had luck with the 165 grain Nosler BallisticTips (using the Federal Premium load) out of the .30-06 for the muleys we have around here. Never had a problem with the Noslers coming apart from inside 30' to out past 400 yards, they've worked well for me.
 
Nearly any 150-180 grain lead core bullet will work for deer. You don't need a premium bullet for hogs if you lean towards the heavier 165 and 180 grain bullets.
 
I agree with rkite on bullet style. Good old cup and core bullets are great for deer. At your ranges I would not rule out a good old fashioned round nose and let them have it. I know the round nose is way out of style these days but if you are not shooting much past 200 yards worrying if your bullets are "low drag" enough is time that could be better spent worrying about other things.
Like you know, am I wearing the right camo pattern under my blaze orange vest!
Have fun, will be hard to go too wrong with your 308.
Tuco
 


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