Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 308 Win for Big Game: 180gr out of 20" Barrel

I have shot a half a dozen elk and 15 deer with 150 grain Hornady flat base spire points started out at a measily 2,800 fps. Stop looking at paper ballistics and don't worry about it. I wouldn't bother shooting 180's in a short barreled .308. That is like puting a V8 in a volkswagon bug. 180's are only a mental band aid for what you are doing. In my experience with impact velocity under 2,400 fps, they pencil through. Load up the cheap 150 Hornadys and kill everything. I have run the 130 grain Hornady flap base bullets at 3,100 fps and have had fabulous results on critters with them as well. I seldom recover a bullet. Flinch

RedBeard,

IMO, the 180 grain Hornady Spire Point Interlock in a 308 Win rifle (or 30-06) is about as perfect and balanced as they come. Make sure they shoot well enough in your 308 rifle before taking them hunting.

My wife killed her big caribou bull with her 308 Winchester M70 Classic Compact and a single 180 grain Winchester Power Point factory load. The bull was facing her. The bullet went through the base of the bull's neck, made mush of heart and lungs, went through the paunch, and stopped in the left hind quarter. The big bull fell backwards dead as a stone.

I get 2552 f.p.s. with remington 180 gr. round nose factory loads out of my 18.5 inch 7600 carbine barrel.

Well hell. I've been shooting the 165gr BTSP with great groups and around the 2640fps MV with 44gr Varget and Lapua Case, and WLR primer. You're thinking that the 180gr could be notched up to the 2600fps, and the 165gr 2700fps?

2 IS ONE, AND 1 IS NONE: I always bring two rifles on a hunt based upon that philosophy. Had Murphy bite me in the ass on less important items. I have a thought about keeping my two hunting rifles close to the same drops. I have a 9.3X62 that drops 11-12" at 300 and the 180gr Interlock drops 10-11. For consistency on sight picture I figured I would keep them as close as possible.

Ok...end of discussion. Haha, thanks.

Rig looks really nice! But you sure you aint talking about a 06 while we're talking about 308's? The Alliant sight, which to date I've found to be the top end and not the beginning has the 06 with 200's going 2552 fps backed by 51 of R17...?

Just wondering if we're talking apples and apples, or however that goes?

Hunt hard, and I do likey the looks of that rig!

Ever shoot any 125 TNT's thru it? And from the for what it's worth category I do like the 200 Sierra.

Dober

Nice looking rifle JPro!

I've had good results with RL17 under the heavies in my 20.5" 308.

These were all loaded to 2.81" oal, to fit in the magazine

200gr SGKs - 2700 fps
moly'd 200gr AB - 2620 fps
moly'd 220gr SMK - 2545 fps

Haven't tried 180s. I have a pile of 180gr Corlokt, so I might see what's possible, just for [bleep]-n-gigglz.

Those look to be some fast loads! What elevation are you?

RedBeard................If you are concerned about having enough downrange velocity along with having enough expansion using the 180s, then try some RL17 in your 308 like "MontanaMarine" above has done.

With RL17 behind the 180s, you just might get between 2750 to 2800 fps from your 20" barrel, which is right on par with a 22" to 24" barreled 30-06. RL17 from what I`ve read, seems to work very well and increases the velocities in the 308, even with the shorter tubes.

See how the 180s do with some RL17 behind them. By using the RL17, you`ll probably get around the same speeds as the 165s do without using the RL17.

Pure fantasy.

Re 17 isn't going to turn a 308 into a 30-06.........

2800 in a 24" barrel 30-06 is 61-63k psi. Can't imagine what it would be in a short barrel 308.

Interestingly enough, I've tried Re 17 in 5 different rifles and have yet to reach Alliant's max charge without stiff bolt lift and ejector marks on cases. In my experience, Re 17 gives me 30-50 ft/sec more velocity than H 4350. Shooting my 300 WSM this weekdnd confirmed that again.

There you go ruining a perfectly good fairy tale with real world facts. WAY TO GO!

Exactly my experience in the several 300 WSM's I've run it in... 50 to no more than 60 fps gain. Dat's it.

I'd pretty much echo both of you guys on this. And I'd only add that IME the loads that Alliant lists for R17 are top end max in each and every rifle I've tried R17 in...

Shoot straight and hunt hard!

Dober

I picked up 200ct of the Hornady Interbond 165gr blems that I will save for the hunts, and practice with the 165gr SSTs that I already have in decent supply.

In trying to keep the drops between my two rifles similar I'm trying out some 250gr Accubonds in the 9.3X62 (Yes, I know...premiums) so both calibers will be 2" high at 100yds and drop 10" at the 300yd mark. I'll will then be using the Hornady and Prvi for practice.

I'd also like to add that comapring chrony reads between 3000-4000ft elevation to 600-700ft elevation can make for some different reads, the higher the elevation the faster the velocities of course. My 2640 might very well be 2700s in higher places.

...........Ok then! Perhaps you can explain MontanaMarines velocity #s above on this thread from his 20.5" barreled 308 using some RL17??? Maybe he is fantasizing??

Maybe a faster bore in his particular rifle? Maybe there isn`t all that much fantasy to it.

Simple. He's pushing bullets WAY past SAAMI max pressures as he's wont to do. It's his life and I have no qualm with him doing it.

..........Tell that to MontanaMarine`s 308. 2800 fps from a 24" 30-06 is the generally accepted average.

He says that with a 200 grainer, his 308 gets 2700 fps with RL17. So I guess that his rifle is not capable of 2800 using a 180? I wouldn`t exactly bet on that! There are some faster bores out there.

................Lets ask then! Hey MontanaMarine!! Are you getting any pressure signs running your 200 grainer at 2700 fps using RL17 from your 20.5" barreled 308???

None.

Alliant data for RL17 in the 308 and 30-06 seems very soft.

Example, look at their data for the 180gr bullet in 30-06, compared to the 300 SAUM.

Useable volume is 63.6gr and 65.7gr respectively.

Max charges are 54.5gr and 63.0gr, respectively.

QL pressure calcs are 50K psi, and 74.8K, respectively.