30 cal bullet terminal performance on whitetail deer

[john 800]

I have on hand a pretty decent selection of 30 cal bullets for my 308, mostly 150 and 165 with a few 125s. I know most any of them will do the job, but wanted to hear what you guys have had success or bad experience with (mostly because I need a distraction from a bathroom remodel and the dreaded monday am tomorrow) I am not a super long range hunter, 3-400 yds is max for me, with most of the shots closer, some very close. It is scary accurate with 150 balistic tips and almost as good with 150 ssts. I have a few 150 accbonds i could probably sub for balistic tips. Also have 165 ssts, speer btsp, 170 roundnose partition s. 125 pro hunter, balistic tips and accubonds.
Any thoughts on what you like?

 

[HandgunHTR]

For the .308, the 150 grain Accubonds and SSTs and the 165 grain SSTs would be my first choices. I used 139 grain SSTs and 140 grain Accubonds in my 7-08 with great success. I also use the 165 grain SSTs in my 308. I have yet to have them let me down.

 

[B Nettesheim]

The 180 Sierra gameking coming out of my 308 has never let me down

 

[john 800]

For the .308, the 150 grain Accubonds and SSTs and the 165 grain SSTs would be my first choices. I used 139 grain SSTs and 140 grain Accubonds in my 7-08 with great success. I also use the 165 grain SSTs in my 308. I have yet to have them let me down.

Do the 150 accubonds and ssts usually exit in your experiance?

 

[FryeGuy]

I have had great luck with the Sierra 165gameking HPBT, in 308 win. I never recovered a bullet. Never had to track far if at all. Most dropped right where they stood, others maybe ran 20-40yards tops.

I used 180 ballistic tips and accubonds this year, but in a 30nosler, so speeds were 400-600fps faster than a 308. I didn’t shoot any deer under 325yards with it, and longest shot being 546. So the speeds were way down at impact. I didn’t recover any bullets either. The accubond still opened up, but the damage was way less than the ballistic tips, but damage wasn’t near as much as you’d think either. I was very happy with bullet performance. I think in 308 I would stick with 165 and lighter

 

[CJ6]

I have on hand a pretty decent selection of 30 cal bullets for my 308, mostly 150 and 165 with a few 125s. I know most any of them will do the job, but wanted to hear what you guys have had success or bad experience with (mostly because I need a distraction from a bathroom remodel and the dreaded monday am tomorrow) I am not a super long range hunter, 3-400 yds is max for me, with most of the shots closer, some very close. It is scary accurate with 150 balistic tips and almost as good with 150 ssts. I have a few 150 accbonds i could probably sub for balistic tips. Also have 165 ssts, speer btsp, 170 roundnose partition s. 125 pro hunter, balistic tips and accubonds.
Any thoughts on what you like?

All these weights will work well for Deer.

 

[LHSmith]

I have used or reloaded (for others) Ballistic Tips in .257,.264, .270, .284, .308, & .358 cals since they were introduced in 1984. For the 160 lb. max whitetails our camp hunts at ranges up to 300 yds they do a great job- very few lost deer. They always give great accuracy from the start. I hesitate to go to the Accubonds because they may be overkill construction-wise for our size game and the cost. For .308's I have used 150 gr. exclusively.

 

[Intheshop]

Deer round here REALLY don't like 150g Sierra pro hunters #2130,when launched at a smidge over book,from a particular Savage116 '06 with IMR4350.

 

[K22]

If we are talking white tail deer, I've used the a bunch of calibers and bullets over the last 50 years and they all worked just fine. Any suitable deer caliber and bullet will work if shot placement is proper. It doesn't take a cannon to drop a deer. My father took 18 bucks with an open sight 30-30 Model 94 Winchester during his hunting career.

But let me qualify my comments by stating that I never shot a deer beyond 185 yards because where I hunt, safe and visible shot opportunities are not much beyond this distance.

I have dropped a bunch of deer with the Sierra 150 grain Pro Hunter in the 308 Win. This a flat base, no frills bullet but deadly on deer. I took the two largest deer I ever shot with this bullet, 175 lbs. field dressed 9 point and a 155 lbs. field dressed 8 point.

I've also used the Sierra 85 BTHP in the 243 Win to take a bunch of deer. I was a non-believer in this bullet for the 243 Win until my rifle smith convinced me to try it and I did. Skeptical, at first, I only hunted doe with it. It worked flawlessly if I took a broadside shot slightly behind the shoulder. In my experience they drop where they stand or run less than 50 yards and pile up. I now have no reservations using it for buck hunting. This bullet also shoot like a match bullet accuracy wise and can be used in the 243 Win as an all purpose bullet, i.e. varmints / predator / deer.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Do the 150 accubonds and ssts usually exit in your experiance?

The Accubonds exit every time. The only SSTs I have caught were on large pigs and one quartering to shot on a large deer.

 

[jasophil1]

Sierra 165 hpbt game king #2140 in 308 .

 

[snert]

Any one of them. Put it in the lungs and it will end it.

Raking shot? Accubond.

For me? 150 grain or less in 308, shoot for just behind shoulder

 

[Coonman300]

Killed a bunch with the Sierra 165 game king. Reloaded some SSTs for my sons 6.5 CM and have been very impressed with them. Never shot them in a 30cal though but will probably try some.

 

[Matt in Virginia]

FWIW,
Have you ever read Nathan Foster's Ballistic Studies?

Extensive Field-Tested Rifle & Cartridge Research - BallisticStudies.com

Expert rifle & cartridge research, carefully compiled through extensive field-testing & freely offered to the firearms community.

www.ballisticstudies.com

A few years back he was credited with over seven thousand kills on various animals in New Zealand. He is a fan of the .308 Win and covers a good bit o factory ammunition, terminal impact, bullet path pics, as well as suggestions on powder & bullet combination...

Regards, Matt.

 

[msinc]

I have had very good results with Gamekings. Another bullet that is over looked and underrated is the Hornady Interlock. I have never had a deer take a single step after being hit with an Interlock, plus they are a very accurate hunting bullet. That is not something a lot of hunting bullets can claim. Partitions are always a good bet.
SST's and Ballistic Tips always kill them, but they do a lot of meat damage.
Any bullet Norma makes is a winner too.

 

[CaptainMal]

Deer are quite easy to kill.

Each year I take one or two with one of my 30-30's using 160 FTX bullets and Lever Revolution powder. DRT. 30-30 is my favorite cartridge for under 250 yard shots.

Many years I take some with my little 30-06 Remington carbine using 165 gr. SST's or Interlocks. DRT.

Same can be said for my old Savage 99 in 308. 150 gr. SST's or Interlocks - DRT.

 

[DangerRanger]

So I and my family have shot whitetails with all kinds of stuff, mostly in 30 cal.

from 150FMJ, partitions, core lokt, power point, silver tips(old school), BT, 180s in almost all those as well, all the way up to 215 Berger hybrids.

ive seen one deer lost in those years on a high between the lungs and spine(no mans land) on a 180grain soft point at 400. I’ve yet to lose one with any 30 cal bullet, and honestly other than the 215 bergers(cough... Thor’s hammer) they all performed about the same, death now or very soon.

I’m convinced you could tumble a rock to 30 cal and at 2000+ it would do fine too.

 

[john 800]

FWIW,
Have you ever read Nathan Foster's Ballistic Studies?

Extensive Field-Tested Rifle & Cartridge Research - BallisticStudies.com

Expert rifle & cartridge research, carefully compiled through extensive field-testing & freely offered to the firearms community.

www.ballisticstudies.com

A few years back he was credited with over seven thousand kills on various animals in New Zealand. He is a fan of the .308 Win and covers a good bit o factory ammunition, terminal impact and bullet impact pics, as well as suggestions on powder & bullet combination...

Regards, Matt.

I have read alot of what he has written, much of it has been very interesting. I am just looking for some experiences and discussion from some here.

 

[Just Say Moe]

Out of my 300 H&H Magnum that I have killed deer with - best to worst - 180 Ballistic tips (only stopped 1 in 15-20 deer), 165 grain Corelokt, 180 grain Bronze point (DRT x2, but blew up like a hand grenade).

 

[2506]

I used to do crop damage control so I have killed A BUNCH OF DEER with lots of calibers and bullets. For the 308 Win I will say this. Stay away from the MATCH type bullets except the Berger VLD which they not call their HUNTING bullet. Their no days match bullet you should stay away from it for game. Yes these bullets will kill deer like lightening struck SOME OF THE TIME. It will be that trophy of a life time that the bullet decides to zip through like a FMJ and you just might not recover the game. For Nosler BTs keep the impact velocity under 2,900 fps and they flat work. I shoot the 125 BT in most of my 30 cal weapons and it is a deer killer. 46 grs IMR 4895 with it in the 308 Win. is AWESOME. The 125 Sierra Pro Hunter under the same conditions as the BTs is also pretty good. Most any of the cup and core even if tipped in the 150 to 165 gr will get the job done proficiently if you put them where they need to go. If I only had a 308 Win rifle and could only choose 1 bullet to use on everything from elk on down out to 600 or so yards I guess it would have to be the 165 gr Nosler Accubond. In my experience the Accubond flies like the BT starts to open up like the BT but holds together like the Partition and keeps on trucking through bone and body.