Best hunting bullet for the mighty 308

[white121]

I will be getting my barreled action back soon from my gunsmith and I want to get my break in done and find my hunting load as I like to be ready well before season starts. The specs are

Bat VR
-Rock creek 1 in 11.25 twist 5r barrel finished at 26" mag sporter
-PTG dbm with aics 5 round magazine
-jewel trigger
-Getting ready to purchase a stock (McMillan or manners) would love some feedback before I purchase

I will be hunting deer and elk and the shots usually range fromI 50-500 yards in the places I hunt here in Washington so bullets that are only accurate to 200 will not cut it

I have seen the 30 cal hunting bullets topic but I'm looking for strictly 308 velicites. I shot my whitetail this year with my FTR gun 250 yards away with the 180 accubonds and it did not go more than 10 feet. But I'm curious if the 180 is heavy for the 308 as a hunting bullet

The accubonds have been my go to bullet for years but I am not scared to try something new that works for you.

Thank you
Shaun white

 

[nastynatesfish]

I loaded nothing but 165gr game kings for my dads. It killed everything well

 

[white121]

Did your dad ever use them at extended ranges? 300 to 500

 

[Chappy]

180 Ballistic Tips or SSTs at .308 velocities for those ranges.

 

[fredhorace77]

Barnes, Barnes, Barnes, Barnes, Barnes...How many more times do u need me to say it?

 

[white121]

Fredhorace77 Do the Barnes shoot good groups for you? as I have heard they can be a real pain but when you find it you find the holy grail

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The obvious answer here is Berger. Especially for longer range knockdown and accuracy. There is no other conventional hunting bullet that can rival the Berger Hunting VLD. I speak from experience with 16 kills using them and witnessing many more kills from hunting partners using the same bullets. Kills I personally made were from ranges of 80 to 650+ yards. But they are very effective at ranges much farther than that depending on velocity.

Barnes have horribly low BCs for long range work. Sierra and Nosler work well, but cannot match the long range accuracy or trajectory of the Berger. And Berger will give all the penetration and internal devastation needed to put down any game in North America. I say that after knowing my father in law has put down 2 bull elk, both at 600 yards, with one shot each using a measly 140gr Berger VLD from a 6.5-300 WSM. They both dropped dead in their tracks without taking a single step from high shoulder shots.

For 308 velocities, I would recommend the 168gr or 175gr Hunting VLD. Good luck

On a secondary note: I have friends who have owned both McMillan and Manners stocks. They all say that Manners stocks are superior. They like that the Manners are both stiffer and lighter than the McMillan offerings.

 

[white121]

Thank you for your input on the stock!

On the other hand I have seen animal after animal put down on video with the Bergers but I have used them once before in a 6.5-270 and I shot the doe at 75 yards away right behind the shoulder full broadside as I have been taught since I was a young kid. ( can't seem to get away from it for the high shoulder shot, I naturally pull down behind the shoulder) and I watched the deer run 150+ yards jump over a fence into private property and continue 100 more yards into the timber line where I watched 3 coyotes swarm on it. I don't know if the speed was the problem and the bullet did not expand properly. I know deer are tough and they will run but I feel they should not run that far if a bullet is performing correctly. That put a sour taste in my mouth and I haven't used Bergers for hunting again. And before someone else chimes in I did usethe 140 grain Berger hunting bullets in the Orange box. However they are extremely accurate and I use them for competition.

Mabey it was a fluke I don't know

 

[Roe]

Hornady Amax if you want a soft bullet that reliably expands.
Reliable expansion, shoot 40-60 deer a year with that, good for those lung shots.
I have used Berger 140 once. First shot pencilled, followup same spot expanded.
Since you use Nosler Accubond, Accubond LR will do the same job at longer range.

There are some expansion pictures comparing Hornady/Berger over at Gunwerks/Ammunition.

 

[2506]

I guess you could say ONE BULLET EXPERIENCE DON'T MAKE A MOUNTAIN or something like that. I also have only shot one deer with a Berger VLD and it was a 2650 fps muzzle with the .308 155 VLD. Deer was almost broadside at 111 yards. Shot was placed in the center of the front shoulder. At the shot the deer squatted and took off in a mad dash into a VERY THICK cutover. On the off side where the deer was standing when shot it looked like you had taken a gallon of blood and the lungs and put them in a blender and slung the whole mess down the logging road. Had to get down on my hands and knees and crawl down a little path in the cutover it was so think and never found a drop of blood but did find the deer a little over 50 yards away. It had an exit hole that you could drop a baseball into without touching any any hide. What was left in the chest cavity sloshed.

I have shot a lot of deer over the years and it is hard to beat the Nosler Ballistic Tip. For a one bullet do it all for deer with the 308 Win I would choose a 165 gr BT. Deer are not bullet proof and out of a 308 Win you don't need a bonded, mono, tough bullet but a bullet that will expand and be accurate and have the ability to place it where it needs to go.

For out to 300 or so yards the 125 Nosler ballistic tip is my favorite 30 cal. deer bullet. Just keep the impact velocity under 3000 fps and it drops them in their tracks.

 

[jsthntn247]

At 308 velocities it would be hard to beat a 165 Nosler ballistic tip or accubond

 

[MrMajestic]

Hornady Amax if you want a soft bullet that reliably expands.
Reliable expansion, shoot 40-60 deer a year with that, good for those lung shots.
I have used Berger 140 once. First shot pencilled, followup same spot expanded.
Since you use Nosler Accubond, Accubond LR will do the same job at longer range.

There are some expansion pictures comparing Hornady/Berger over at Gunwerks/Ammunition.

I concur with Roe and my experiences with Whitetail mirror his however for Elk these bullets may not be constructed properly. JMHO

 

[mmcu]

The 165 grain Accubond would be a good choice.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I suppose anyone can have a bad experience with any hunting bullet from time to time. Fortunately, I have had perfect results with all my Berger kills.

Now Shaun, let me ask you one critical question regarding your experience with Berger. Did you actually recover the animal to verify proper shot placement? You said it ran a long ways and jumped a fence then you watched it get swarmed by coyotes. So I assume they devoured the animal on another persons private property where you could not legally recover it? I know we all AIM to kill as best we can, but that doesn't always mean we HIT where we intend. I have shot many animals in the traditional kill zone with Berger with perfect results. Without knowing where you actually hit the animal, you cannot base a negatively biased opinion on the Berger bullets. You very well could have hit it back in the guts or liver.

I run my 140gr VLDs at just over 3200 fps in a 6.5 Rem Mag and they perform flawlessly at all distances when placed properly. So I'm sure excessive speed didn't have anything to do with it.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The link below (pics included) depicts a happy hunter's results from a perfectly placed shot using 130gr Berger VLDs in a 6.5-284 at 480 yards. Not a high shoulder shot, just regular kill zone placement. All of my results have been nearly identical.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/first-6-5-kill-130-berger-146644/

 

[white121]

Led slinger I did not recover the animal as the land owner told me it's not worth it cause a few coyotes will devour it in no time. But I did see the wound in the proper placement and the of side shoulder area was hit as that leg was not working properly any more.

I will say I shot a 4 point mule deer with a perfect shot 2506 with nosler partition at 100 yards and watched it drop then get up and run. When it stopped I hit him again same spot dropped again Then as I walked up on him he pushed up on his two front legs and I hit him again with a 44 mag. Which is proof they are some tough sobs and built to survive.

I'm also a firm believer in poop happens and I would give the Bergers another shot as thousands of people use them with great succes .

I just hate losing a animal and thinking about what I could have done better .

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yeah losing an animal is a horrible feeling. That's why I don't bow hunt much anymore. Not that archery isnt an effective way to hunt, just that I am a horrible shot with a bow under pressure and have lost a bull elk with a badly placed shot. Been fortunate enough so far not to lose a wounded animal with a rifle. Hope that day never comes either. Fingers crossed.

I'm sure whichever bullet you choose will work very well out to 500 yards. Though I prefer Berger, all the suggestions from other members are proven hunting bullets at the distances you've listed.

 

[bigngreen]

Unfortunately your twist rate won't support the best 308 hunting bullet in the 215 Berger, maybe dropping down to the 185 Berger would work well. The 215 is just incredible on game, it so out performs a Barnes or Accubond in the 308 isn't not even fair compare!!

 

[JRS]

Unfortunately your twist rate won't support the best 308 hunting bullet in the 215 Berger, maybe dropping down to the 185 Berger would work well. The 215 is just incredible on game, it so out performs a Barnes or Accubond in the 308 isn't not even fair compare!!

The 215 isn't a Berger hunting bullet : nor does Berger advocate the use of their match bullets for hunting

 

[bigngreen]

The 215 isn't a Berger hunting bullet : nor does Berger advocate the use of their match bullets for hunting

I buy the best hunting bullets I can based on performance on game, don't judge performance based on marketing

This is the exit in an average mule deer buck, 300 yards quartering fairly good away and I had to hit him just behind the diaphragm to get the behind shoulder exit, 2100 fps impact. His of lung was laying all over the ground, the top of his heart looked like razor blades were blown through it. He did the Berger wobble a few steps then fell. Seen the same function all the way down to a 1700 fps impact velocity. The 215 Berger is a Premium hunting bullet as is, for them to change it to the thinner jacket would ruin it IMO, same goes for the 230 in the RUM or Lapua case, perfect as is, just take more twist than the OP has!