Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 400yd 308 whitetail load

As stated previously there are so many factory loads that are inexpensive that flat out perform way beyond 300-400 yards. I’ve used Hornady’s 165 SST load listed at 2,840 fps. You will not be able to match those speeds in a 308 Win with your hand loads. It flat out kills with severe wounding. I’ve shot mule deer and whitetail from 110 yards in small timber openings to 375 yards in the Nebraska Sandhills, and Wyoming pronghorns at 225 - 350 yards with that load. That load is stellar on lean bodied animals like deer and antelope. If you have a good set up and can shoot, that load will work well out to 600 yards and beyond. I’ve used the 168 A-Max for long range work on pronghorn as well at 2,700 fps, that bullet with its light jacket at long distance impact at 1,600 - 1,800 fps is a real killer similar to Nosler BT but more explosive on the internals. Hand loading the 308 Win is fine but there’s about 50 company loads going for next to nothing in cost with premium game bullets for 50lbs game to 1,000lbs game. Good luck in the field.

Unless you’re standing on your head in a rolling boxcar with boxing gloves on.....400 yards is a ‘chip shot’!

If a 155 Scenar will kill an elk at 615 out of a .20" .308, it will certainly kill a whitetail at 400.

Mackay,

We Looney's know you can't do that with a 308 carbine and cup/core........it's that loud thing on the end of that short barrel, you scared it to death!

Nice pic - good work!

On those 125 BTs - I did a test with a 10" 30-30 once, the bullet blew up in a phone book after passing thru milk jugs..I'd just not trust it.

The 130 TTSX, that will do whatever needed provided impact speed allows decent expansion. Not much in 150 cup core hunting bullets that would have a problem on deer, but the Accubond is a fave of mine, and I might go to the 165. 150s will do fine, but should you shoot past 300 yds, I would personally want the added energy and SD of a 165. The 165 BT would also do great, as the 150s. If one was using a 30/30 class round, in a handgun or single shot - including the 300 Whisper / Blackout, the 125 would be alright to shorter distances, but I would avoid bone. IIRC, Hal Swiggett used the 150 BT on Many deer in his 10" TC.

No doubt the above Scenar posts...those bullets have taken much game, the 155 is a fave of many 308 users.

168 Amax at that distance works like magic.

Just roll with this and be done with it.

Kind of funny you think you need a "long range" type bullet to shoot a deer at 400 yards. Id probably just run a plain ol 165gr hornady interlock.

We're in the Long Range Hunting forum, long range bullets welcome...

Excellent post

400 yards isnt "long range", unless you are using a 22lr.

Well where I do my deer hunting you would never be able to see more than 200yards. But I like the 308 and have used it in Wyoming. The truth is for me anyway if I made every shot good I got out to 350 yards the truck would be full. Personally I consider the 150 grain Winchester Power Point factory load a 400 yard deer round if it shoots good in your rifle. I usually keep my hunting 308 ammo loaded with 150 gr. Nosler Partitions getting in the high 2800's pushed by BLC-2. Figuring trajectory out to 400 yards is easy and figuring wind deflection is something you need to do. I know this sounds like sacrilege but the 308 is one of my favorite cartridges. In fact it takes the place of everything I need between .224 and 308. It did interfere with some of my 7x57 usage my actual favorite. I have no real need of a 243, any 6.5 or 7-08 yet I have been experimenting with both lately.a 7-08 and a 243. Damned virus!

Bergers should be the ticket.

Your current 168gr SMK load should kill great but I would probably open/flatten the met plat a bit. I've had football sized exit wounds out of those bullets (on whitetail) but I also once had one pencil through at 50 yards. They are nice and soft but once in a while the tip is too small to open or it doesn't quite meet the right resistance or something. But easier to make your current bullet a little more reliable by enlarging the met plat than to work up a new load.