Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 308 Win for plains game

My notion about the .308 is that it handily surpasses original .30/06 ballistics, and logically is at least as good for whatever you care to turn it to. Factor in the better bullets we have now, and there you have it…

The only place it falls short is its inability to use the old 220s that were once so popular, and monos seem like a pretty good substitute there.

.308 sounds like the way to go.

I'm getting over 2700 fps with the 180 Accubonds in a 22" barrel seated at 2.92" using Varget. That's what I'm planning to use on the next plains game hunt for large antelopes.

That'll work--but also know am RSA PH who uses 180-grain Sierras in his .308 for back-up on plains game, including gemsbok, blue wildebeest and kudu. A lot of 180-grain .30s work at 2650-2700--the reason 180s became the "bigger game" load in the .30-06 more than few decades ago....

Back when I was booking hunting trips and taking clients over to South Africa, one of the most memorable clients was an older gentleman in his early 70s. He had somewhat limited mobility but he had shot a lot in his days. He brought a pre-64 Win 70 featherweight in 308 Win with a 1.5-5 Leupold scope. He had shots out to 250 yards and killed everything he shot at with one shot. He never acted surprised or ecstatic about any of them. It was just what he expected to do. If I remember correctly, he killed about six animals up to a nice kudu. He was a genuine pleasure to hunt with and we became friends. Sadly, he has passed on by now!

Dean

I used to use the 165g interbond a bit. That bullet really kills well. On my 2008 Africa hunt one of my rifles was loaded with the 165 interbonds but I took all my game with my other rifle. I have shot some good sized mule deer bucks with the 165 interbond and those bullets really hit hard. Lots of good bullet options for a 308 and its a great round for most plains game.

Bb

A rare man.
A 30-06 guy being totally honest about the 308!
Good for you Pete.

Have both, shoot, both, DGAS which.
The choice is in the rifle.

A few years ago Tony Galazan was selling Mauser M12 308's for $510 delivered. I bought four ($10 shipping for the last three), one for me and one each for the three boys. Christmas. We have all killed deer with them together. They shoot very well.

If I were to take a .308 for plains game, it would be with 165 gr. TTSX or similar

Yeah, but Eileen is a good shot. She would whack one with a 257 Roberts.

She's downsized the handload for her "big" rifle (that .308) since then, using the 130-grain Barnes TTSX at the same muzzle velocity of 2850 fps. Which she used on the biggest cow elk either of us have ever taken at 250 yards. It was quartering toward us at around 250 yards, and the bullet broke the left leg just above the shoulder joint, and ended up under the hide over the middle of the right ribs. The elk was down and out in around 20-25 yards, so quickly she barely had time to get another round it the chamber. (But she's also killed cow elk with the .257 Roberts, which dropped even quicker because the 100-grain TTSX clipped the underside of the spine while going through both lungs. Oh, and as Charlie Sisk mentioned elsewhere, he was standing beside Eileen when she killed a mature cow bison with one 140-grain TSX from a .270 Winchester. It went through both lungs and exited, and the cow went 40 yards, stood wobbling for a second, and fell over.)

I suspect if she goes back to Africa the 130-grain TTSX load in that .308 would be her choice, partly because in her two safaris she's also taken bull gemsbok, blue wildebeest and kudu, and knows they're not bulletproof.

MD, which powder is Eileen using to get 2,850 with the 130? I know that several will work...

Thanks,


Okie John

IMR4895

Thanks.


Okie John

The charge weight is 45.0 grains. That's from a 21" Lilja barrel, using RWS brass and CCI 200s.

She didn't actually work up the load--I did. But she did make her own hunting handloads for a while, to the point where we set up her own loading room in the basement. In fact here's a photo of her with her first animal taken with her own handloads, a doe whitetail with her German over-under-combo gun, a 16-gauge/9x72R, holding up one of her home-made rounds.

She liked hand-loading, but was so nit-picky it took a long time, and she was also getting very busy with writing game cookbooks and running riflesandrecipes.com. Eventually it made more sense for me to load her ammo--but the second loading room has come in handy, especially when it's below zero and my larger loading "room" in the garage gets pretty chilly!

Cool story!!

When I got my press at 18, I had no place in the farmhouse to put it. I was mainly loading .308 for a 99A. I drilled 2 holes in the workbench in the unheated shop and carried cases outside to size, back in the house for priming and charging, then carefully carried the charged cases back to the shop for bullet seating. It got old fast! Case lube got a little thick in below zero weather. Was happy when Dad gave the ok for a 2x12 small bench below my bedroom window.

That little .308 killed well on deer, jackrabbits, and coyotes with 150 grain pre-interlock spire points.

I didn't take on one on any of my 5 safaris but I'd say it would have worked on nearly everything I shot. The only exception may have been eland but if you placed the bullet right it would take the eland just like it has taken many elk and moose. I always took a 7mm Rem Mag and a 375 H&H and shot nearly everything except eland and roan with the 7mm.

I have used that 45gr IMR4895 load a lot in the last few years in the .270 Winchester. Mostly with 130gr but also the 110gr Sierra where it really shines. First tried it with the 150 Sierra where it shot better than the 4831 load by J'Oc. Have never put it over the chrono but would expect 2800 - 2900 with the 130's. It is a lot nicer to shoot than the full power loads. I have never tried it on game but suspect it would not bounce off a deer.

A 308 Winchester with a good bullet is deadly on all manner of plains game in Africa