Deer rifle bullet question

[nakneker]

308 with 20” barrel will certainly be enough medicine for a deer, even big deer at that. Your spoiled now days with the choice of bullets you can use and even more so if you reload. If it was me I’d build a 7mm or 6.5 if some sort and enjoy the reduced recoil while still having enough gun to do the job. 7mm-08, 6.5 PRC, there’s a bunch of them that will do a good job. I have a Tikka CTR 20” creedmoor and a custom 22” 6.5x47 that get used by a lot of my children, nieces and nephews when I’m helping them on elk and deer hunts. They’ve accounted for a lot of game and have had zero animals end up wounded. The key is practice, know your rifle, pick your shot, make the shot. You’ve already touched on one key item we use a lot and that’s a tripod, we always have two Bog pods in camp, the cradle rest has been a huge aid in making shots. We practice a lot before season, I have a 1000 yard range set up on my property with steel every 50 yards 300 to 1000 yards, I make them practice if I’m going to help them. Lots of bullets will do the job, Hornady Eld-X, Berger VLD hunter, Sierra game changer are the ones we’ve been using a lot when you get out past 400 yards. I still like Nosler partitions and we use them when we know the shots will be under 400. In my opinion it’s important to have confidence in the rifle you choose and the cartridge you chamber it in but it’s much more important to actually practice and get to know the rifle and the load you choose. Whatever you end up choosing update us and let us know the bullet or bullets your gonna try, fun!

 

[1K6BRA]

Geewhiz, you would think that deer have morphed into Tyrannosaurus rex‘s! Makes me wonder how our forefathers did it with a 38-40, 25-20, 25-35 etc. and then hit the big time with the 30-30. Put a reasonable bullet at a reasonable distance in the pump station or the balloon at the distance that YOU and not the Internet or magazines, etc. are truly capable of and you have venison stew.

 

[Jesswil61]

Geewhiz, you would think that deer have morphed into Tyrannosaurus rex‘s! Makes me wonder how our forefathers did it with a 38-40, 25-20, 25-35 etc. and then hit the big time with the 30-30. Put a reasonable bullet at a reasonable distance in the pump station or the balloon at the distance that YOU and not the Internet or magazines, etc. are truly capable of and you have venison stew.

Not to mention some of those taken with a 22 rimfire head shot!

 

[White Eagle]

I choose a bullet that I could accurately hit targets at 500 yards if that was my goal
most bullets will work for deer hunting

 

[Lone Hunter]

But if you ask them over the internet they can hit the same 8" plate at a 1000 yards every time and probably standing shooting free hand.

You forgot to add “ All Day Long”. LOL

 

[Dimner]

Geewhiz, you would think that deer have morphed into Tyrannosaurus rex‘s! Makes me wonder how our forefathers did it with a 38-40, 25-20, 25-35 etc. and then hit the big time with the 30-30. Put a reasonable bullet at a reasonable distance in the pump station or the balloon at the distance that YOU and not the Internet or magazines, etc. are truly capable of and you have venison stew.

I find today's stories about 'tougher deer' and needing a fancy bullet more about shooters trying to go far past reasonable distances and/or not being able to place their shot correctly. Funny how many stories of deer running off after being hit are about bullet failure and seldom about bad shot placement.

Our forefathers would have never tried shooting at such long distances with any of those rimmed cases.

So I'll keep on shooting a 150gr cup and core at reasonable distances. I'm not even sure shooting a deer at 500 yards is considered hunting, to my definition of the term. That's only my opinion. I don't judge anyone who does something different. Hunt your own hunt.

 

[hotshot828]

Has NY went lead free?

Only on state land.

 

[gldprimr]

Wanting to build a 308 win for this coming deer season. Id like it to have a 20in barrel. Not a hiking rifle, but I'll be in treestands some
times. But I like to hunt from the ground whenever possible.

I will have the opportunity to take 450-500 yard shots max. I was hunting with a 6.5 grendel last year and a beautiful buck came out at about 400 yards, and I couldnt ethically let one rip from that distance.

Just out of curiosity. At 500 yards for a deer bullet, would you choose fast with low BC, like a 125-150 grain that you can get screaming out of a 20 inch, or somthing slower, but with better BC like in the 168 grain and up?

OR

Would you choose a different caliber all together?

I have a CZ-527 in 6.5 Grendel with a 24” barrel. Using Shooters World Match Rifle under the 129 gr. Nosler ABLR I get 2624 fps 15’ from the muzzle over my Oehler chronograph. While I use this mainly for close range hunting simply because that is what I get where I hunt in Mississippi I am confident that this load would be lethal to a deer at 500 yards and ethical to use. If I were planning to make a 400-500 yard shot I would probably take a 6.5 Creedmoor shooting a 142 gr. high B.C. game bullet since I have one though again if given that shot opportunity and the 6.5 Grendel were what I had in hand given time to make a good shot I’d take the shot as the above load would cleanly take a deer. If building a rifle on a short action for a 500 yard shot I would want a longer barrel and probably different caliber though there is nothing wrong with a 308. I haven’t found a need for the heavier bullets to cleanly take deer.

 

[Kevin1990]

@nakneker id really like a 6.5 prc. Unfortunately, I'm using a defiance tenacity action with a .473 boltface. Ill looked into the 7mm-08. The BC for some of these bullets is insanely high. I'm going to do some more research. I may end up going that route. My only concern would be if I had a saami chamber. Curious how deep those longer projectiles would be stuffed into the case.

 

[5spd]

I've never had a issue with 125g jsp bullets in my 308, son dropped a goat at 433 yds with it, took a step and dropped.