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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 173
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 173 |
The answer to that question can be very subjective. I've always been partial to the 168gn of whatever flavor manufacturer blows your skirt up. For targets or shooting steel the matchkings shot great for me.. 168gn VLDs did as well, but finding the right seating depth was nerve raking. I no longer shoot a 308 win, but try those over the appropriate charge of varget and lite it up with some fed gold match primers. Should be good to go for paper or steel. 308 win to me has always been easy to find a load for.
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Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 406
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 406 |
I like the 150's for hunting and the 168gr for target and shooting long range.
Life's Tough, God's Good, Pray Hard!
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,103 Likes: 4
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,103 Likes: 4 |
For me it would be 150gn Partition in front of VARGET and leave it there. John
When truth is ignored, it does not change an untruth from remaining a lie.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,278
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,278 |
I like 165's for everything. BT or Accubond are my favorites, but also Like Sierras & Hornandy. For deer hunting sometimes have a mixture of the above in my pocket & often load in the dark so not even sure what is loaded up. Same impact to 200 yards and all perform about the same. Deer, elk, whatever. Varget and Lapua brass is all I use now.
Lefty C
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,960
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,960 |
Is that a design issue, or is it due to them going subsonic? Don't most bullets lose stability when they pass through the transonic barrier??? Design issue. The Sierra 168 SMKs were made for 300 meter matches and have a very short bearing surface. Other 165-168 bullets do not have that issue.
Last edited by BountyHunter; 03/14/17.
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,623
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,623 |
Is that a design issue, or is it due to them going subsonic? Don't most bullets lose stability when they pass through the transonic barrier??? Design issue. The Sierra 168 SMKs were made for 300 meter matches and have a very short bearing surface. Other 165-168 bullets do not have that issue. So I'm new to the "long range" 308win world. Is there some 165-168 bullets that hits the 1000 yard line without issue like the SMK? I got some 175SMK to avoid the issues, but I'm also shooting a 10LE (heavy barrel 20", 1-10 twist) so I know I may have a bit more of a challenge getting the velocity.
Last edited by NTG; 03/14/17.
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 16
New Member
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New Member
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 16 |
Try a 150 grain hornady soft point with BLC-2. Look at the books but i think 45 grains is the magic number. I had great groups out of my BDL with that load.
The 308 was origionally designed for 147 gr FMJ and blc-2. Fwiw
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 17,453
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 17,453 |
The Hornady factory loaded 168 AMAX match or TAP ammo with the 168 AMAX is amazingly accurate in every 308 I've tried it in.
If that doesn't shoot, it's you.
“Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils.” - General John Stark.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,173
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,173 |
1:12 twist is pretty standard for a .308 Winchester. The 1:12 and 165/168 gr bullets is a very standard, very good combination.
I've run through several barrels in that twist and also in 1:13 twist. Have seen very good accuracy with bullets from 110 gr varmint bullets, to 190 gr Sierra Matchkings.
Best accuracy out to 600 yards was with the 155 and 168 grain HPBT match bullets from Nosler and Sierra.
I don't hunt a lot with my .308 Win rifle, but usually shoot the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip when I do. It's quite accurate, and deadly on medium game.
Regards, Guy
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,206 Likes: 26
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,206 Likes: 26 |
Yep, a 1-12 twist provides more than enough stability to any 168 on the market. But apparently many Campfire members don't believe in using a computer twist program.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 10
New Member
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New Member
Joined: Mar 2009
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My Remington 1-10 with a 20" loves the 175gr SMK and 180 gr Balistic Tips over Varget. The 168s shoot almost as well, but it hates every 150-155gr bullet i have tried. I get 2600 with the 175gr SMK and it is supersonic to past 1000 at SL, and to about 1200 at Raton.
I think part of the problem with the lighter bullets is the overly long throat.
I use the 130gr Barnes TSX at 2950 from a 18.5" model 7. It is a good bullet and load for hunting. Out to about 300 it is flatter shooting than most heavy bullets. Beyond that the lower BC starts to take effect.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,250 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,250 Likes: 1 |
Based on my experiences in the woods, I'd feel equally comfortable with a 165gr cup/core or a 130gr TTSX. Both seem to yield rather impressive results on deer and hogs at reasonable ranges. Can't say I've ever seen a "failure" there with 150-168gr conventional softpoints, or their tipped versions, and that would be a lot of animals shot over the last 25 years. I have seen a lot of good exit holes, easy blood trails, and not-too-shot-up meat.
For further distances, the Scenar shoots well and offers good ballistics. I'd also not be afraid of the A-Max / ELD, but I'd not pick them for up close.
Now with even more aplomb
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14,744 Likes: 4
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14,744 Likes: 4 |
The Sierra 155 gr. Palma bullet through my .308 Winchester works pretty good for me. Here's ten shots I fired yesterday from 900 yards. 308 Win/Remington M700 factory barrel/action by Sharps Man, on Flickr
Even birds know not to land downwind!
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,705
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,705 |
There is no "best" bullet weight.
The .308 is a very flexible round, used in a number of settings. For LR shooting, high B.C. bullets make sense.
For WT hunting, 2-300 yds, I like 130 gr. Hornady. It will blow thru a WT chest with good exit/entrance wounds and bleeding, often DRT. The 130's can be pushed at 3K fps.
For bigger critters, heavier bullets make sense.
So, for a "best" bullet, one needs to specify the task at hand. The answer changes.
IMO.
DF Have you ever needed to go in or out through a shoulder with that one? If so, how did it do? Mathman I just saw this query. I always found the 130g Hornady SP pretty tough on shoulder shots on pigs. It seemed just as tough as heavier ones so I eventually ran it in a comparison test with the 150g Interlock and 168 Amax on wet newspaper. As agricultural as my test methodology might have been, the little 130 held up very well in comparison. I'll post the link to the test below for anyone interested. Bob https://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=33673
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Joined: May 2012
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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If you put Taco Bell sauce in your ramen noodles it tastes just like poverty
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Randy NRA Patriot Life Benefactor
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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Always been partial to the 165/168gn flavor for a 308 win
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Posts: 1,695 |
My rem 700 likes a 155 nosler with 46.7 varget
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