Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Core-Lokt vs Partition at .308 Winchester velocity

I just got a Remington Seven LS today. It's a .308 Winchester and it seems to be an excellent little rifle. Tomorrow I'll be testing it with the .30 calibre bullets that I have on hand, which is a rather limited supply.

However, I'm curious what people think about how Core-Lokts and Partitions compare in performance at the relatively mild velocity of the .308. In particular I'm wondering what people know about those bullets in 180 grain weights when maxed out at something in the vicinity of 2600 fps. I know that Partitions are great bullets, I use them in my .270, but are they worthwhile in a .308 when I have the option of 180 grain cup and core bullet?

I killed a HUGE hog with 150 corelokt factory ammo in the 308. i80s at 2600 are just fine in the corelockt.

BMT

Well I guess the real question is are Partitions needed at the 2600 fps realm. I have used a bunch of bullets in my 308, many 180 grainers too. I have used the 165 grain weight the most in this cartridge. I generally push this weight to a bit more than 2600 fps and my general purpose bullet is the 165 gr. PSPCL. Works just fine on all I have shot with it. I have yet to recover one and have killed some pretty big hogs. Is the Partition better? I like it too though it seems to give smaller exit holes.

No it's like thinking you need a Rolls Royce to go to the grocery store.

can't claim to have killed any game with a 180 grain .308.
But a few with 165s. But I would say if you are talking game less than about 400 lbs, stick with the remington.
If you go after a moose , or the big boddied rosevlt elk here in the oregon cost range, I might want the added penitration of the partition.
I really like a 165 grain Hornady in the .308...tj3006

Are they needed? No..

Gonna use them anyway. Why the heck skimp on the one part of the process that does the actual killing?


$700 gun.. $300 scope.. $100 tag.. $100+ butcher bill.. $300+++ for hunting trip..

But I saved $10 on the bullets!!!

No 308 experience, but we use Partitions for other calibers and they get the job done.

Don't think you need them, but NP's are never a mistake on soft skinned game. I killed a caribou at a lasered 272 yards with a 180 NP from a 308, massive damage, quite a bit more than the next one I killed at 50 yards with a trophy bonded bear claw 165 from the same gun 2 days later.

The Model 7 is a neat little deer rifle, but it is not going to push 180-gr factory loads to 2,600 fps - more like 2,500, or .300 Savage speed. The Model 7 is a great rifle for a tree stand or still hunting in the woods.

The 180-gr CoreLokts are designed for the .30-06, at 2,700 fps, for big game like elk, moose, bears. You don't need them for deer.

Out of my .308 carbines, I have used some 180-gr loads, but for deer, the 150-gr is more like it, and a CoreLokt is all you need.

Or Federal blue box, or Fusion, or PowerPoint. And they are cheaper - $13.87 yesterday at Wal-Mart for the 150s, 165s and 180s.

Most standard cup/core 30 cal 180 grain bullets at 2600 fips work well on deer. I have killed many-many with several different 180s from several different 308s and 30-06s. NPs penetrate deeper and are preferred for larger game. My wife shot a big Q/L caribou bull with a factory-loaded Winchester 180 grain Power Point. Bullet entered next to the brisket and stopped in a hind quarter with plenty carnage. If all I had were cup/core 180s for my 308, I would hunt any animal in NA.

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Premium bullets are seldom "needed" at .308 velocities. That being said, peace of mind and confidence in your rifle/load combination is great to have.

The front sectionb of Nosler Partions bullets is actually quite soft and will expand at lower velocities than most other premiums.

I think the overall answer is no, the Core-Lokt will do the job on anything you point it at. That bullet is very tough when velocities are kept under 2900fps and tends to hold together very well. You can expect deep penetration and good frontal expansion. The Partition would be a nice extra bit of added insurance for truly big game such as Moose or Elk, especially for longer shots or shots you think may be going through shoulder bone.

I've shot clean through two hogs with my .308 using factory 180 gr Federal el cheapo Wal-mart ammo. My barrel is fairly short at 20", so I doubt that the bullets are going much over 2550 fps, or so. Every hit has been a complete pass through. While none of the hogs have been huge, so far the results have been very encouraging. The holes have been good sized too, so there was plenty of bullet expansion.

At .308 velocities, those cup-and-core bullets work great on game. To my mind, there's no reason to step up to a premium bullet in a .308 except in the most unusual circumstances, especially when you are discussing 180 gr bullets.

I don't have any experience with .308 bullets but I have used core-lokts on elk in my .270 at just over 3000 fps and they performed perfect. Found just under the hide on the far side, mushroomed picture perfect.

First of all, the pointed Core-Loks aren't the same bullet as the round nose version.
For most purposes, say deer class animals, I suspect the pointed Core-Loks would not be any worse than than the NP's. But....
The NP has opened very well at lower velocities than any of the cup and core styles I've ever used, So, if you need to kill something on the order of 400 yds. out, I'd choose the NP.
Second, in tests done on heavy, fresh bone, etc. the 180 gr. NP apparently does better than any of the cup and core designs. Or so the testing by Gun Tests magazine indicates.
So, are you anal about bullet performance, like me, or will the stock cup and cores do ?
The .308, and I own two of them, is one those that I wouldn't worry about this issue, especially in that weight. E

I have done most of my hunting with the 308. Most replies are right on the money. In my experience with the cartridge, I like the 165, but to answer the OP question, either bullet you have will work just fine in the 308. Use what shoots best, or what you have the most of. Do you need the extra toughness of a NP? No, but it works anyway, and what I have shot with my 308's and NP's they work just like the book says they do. Any decent C-C bullet will work just fine, especially at the SD level of the 180gr 308. I happen to load NP 165 because they work on deer and I sometimes pack the 308 on some elk hunts, no need for different loads.

Core-lokt for deer and Noslers for meece?

I have personally helped haul out elk that were killed handily by the 30-06, 180gr Core-Lokt factory combo. I am sure it will work just as well out of the 308.

I just like the insurance that I believe the Partition provides. I trust them, and that means a lot.

I have several rifles in .308 Win. with varying barrel lengths from 18.5" to 23" (Haven't had a chance to shoot that one yet as I just got it back from my gunsmith.) However, with the only load it will shoot worth spit, the 18.5" Ruger RSI does 2550 FPS using a max load of W-760 and the 165 gr. Speer Hot-core. Shortest shot as about 30 feet and the longest 250 yards, laser measured. The 250 yard shot was the only one where I was able to recover the bullet which hit the deer straighht on into the chest as he was facing me. I recovered the bullet lodged against a back leg bone which was broken by the bullet. Rifle was the RSI.
That same load does 2610 FPS from a 22" Winchester M70. I've never clocked that load from my Remington 660 with a 20" barrel but I'm sure it's somewhere in the middle.
I've only played very little with 180 gr. bullets and the .308 and what I did do was many years ago before I ever owned a chronograph. Back then I only had the Remington and mostly used 150 gr. bullets. I quit using them because I felt they were a bit too destructive of eating meat. No chronograph data for those either.
Frankly, if I had to choose having only one rifle for the hunts that I do, or ever will do unless I win the lottery or have a rich old uncle I don't know about die and leave me a fortune, I'd be very hard pressed to have to choose between the .308 Win or 30-06. As I grow older, the bigger guns are getting too heavy and the recoil a bit more annoying.
Paul B.