Folks, the shortage is cramping my style!
Please rate the below bullets from "softest to toughest". Needed v 2500 to 2600 fps small deer, woods ranges load. Short barreled 308 rifle so the velocities will be low. Time to buy bullets (again) these are available so if you KNOW as per test, please reply. Not looking for opinions, please. I would test them myself if it were not for lack of powder, I have a half pound of four usable types on hand and no real hope to get more soon.

150 S ierra RN
150 H orn Spitz
150 B allistic tip*
150 P artition*
150 T SX Flat point (30-30)

* No crimp groove, so not my first choice, however the front part of a partition is maybe THE softest.

Not interested in traditional 30/30 bullets, (none available, any ways.)

At those velocities it will be hard to beat the 150 Barnes TSX or the 150 Sierra RN, but my list is as follows:

150 Ballistic Tip
150 Hornady Spitz
150 Sierra
150 TSX
150 Partition

The 150 Ballistic Tip is definitely stiffer than it was in the past. Last year I drilled a good size buck quartering away with that bullet from a 308, no blow up, through and through, no problem.

The 150 Hornady has served well for me in 308's, and friends who used it at 300 Savage speeds. It opened up fine on small meat does.

What brass, primers and powder do you have on hand? We might be able to short cut some development for you.

I've been using 150 NBT's, which work fine, and I have a good supply.

I got some 155 gr. Scenars to try. They are available, just cost more.

DF

Good to know. Back when I tried them they would blow up almost like varmint bullets. They fragmented in very deer I killed with them.

Woods ranges. Less than 2600 fps. Small deer.

150 Sierra RN
150 Hornady Spitzer
150 Ballistic tip

Why spend money on bullets that you don't need? Cup and core jubblies are screaming out to be used here. No partitions or monolithic solids are needed. Honestly.

If you can still get them, Remington bulk 150 PSPs are solid performers as well.

Steve, do you mean to tell us that the lowly Rem bullets will kill deer. Who-da-thunk it..

150 horn spitzer
150 horn spitzer
150 horn spitzer
Its all you need for any shot on deer w/308....apple pie n ice cream!

Outy of what you have listed, I'd pick the TSX-150. I have tested them to expand down low and up high speed wise and they reflect their pedigree. Very tough. That whopping big hollow point will let them open below 1000 FPS to go with the tough.

Personally, were I loading for a .308 Win. I'd be using a 130 grain TTSX and pushing it with VArget at about 3050 FPS. Works great at point blank range and still offers 300 yards with the same performance. Buy the 30-30 bullets for now and put an order in for the 130 grain TTSXs. Win-win.

I buy Rem bulk bullets in the plastic Ziploc bags. A few years back, 2006 I think, I bought a pile of 30 cal bullets of different weights for some work I was doing with 7.62x51mm loads. The postal clerk complained about the weight of the boxes, but both were under 65 lb. At less than $20/100, it was a screaming deal.

A Mediocre Man

I'm just a mediocre man
Of no high-brow pretense;
A comfortable life I plan
With care and common sense.

I do the things most people do,
I echo what they say;
And through my morning paper view
The problems of the day.

No doubt you think I'm colourless,
Profoundly commonplace;
And yet I fancy, more or less,
I represent the race.

My name may stand for everyone,
At least for nine in ten,
For all in all the world is run
By mediocre men.

Of course you'll maybe not agree
That you are average,
And unlike ordinary me
You strut your little stage.

Well, you may even own a bank,
And mighty mergers plan,
But brother, doff your tile and thank
The mediocre man.

- Robert Service

I'll second what kraky said. The only deer bullet you need in the 308 or 300 Savage is the Hornady 150 spitzer (#3031). It's perfect.

Uncas,

I'll honor your request and rate them from softest to toughest, with maybe an extra comment or two but no opnions:

1) Sierra RN

2) Ballistic Tip (because it will open easiest, not because it might fail to penetrate)

3) Hornady Interlock (it sometimes won't do as much internal damage as the Sierra, Ballistic Tip and Partition at lower velocities)

4) Nosler Partition (soft front core always opens well)

5) TSX flat point (will probably penetrate deepest)

Someone gets it right!

Damn, you boys must be shooting 100's of deer a season to worry about an extra 30 cents a bullet. Got to get in on some of that deer town shooting. Might need to bring 2 rifles though so one can cool off.

A Partition is never a bad decision!

I'd also agree with John's list.

Problem is they aren't sold in lots of one. They're sold in boxes of 50 or 100. When I shop for bullets for my moderate-velocity rifles, I will spend $20 or $30 per box, but cannot justify the unnecessary expense of the super premiums, and refuse to pay it. Just don't need it. I shot a few back when I had rifles that sent them out at 3400-3500 fps, but I don't have those rifles anymore. Made some money when I sold them too. The 7x57 and 300 Savage and 6.5x55 kill farther out than most guys have the skill to hit well, including me, so the latest Superzapper bullets are a waste of money, and I'm not into wasting money.

To each his own, as long as we're not tempted to put others down for their choices in a thinly-veiled attempt to self-aggrandize. You do know what that means, right?

I do, it means provincialism is alive and well on the 'Fire. I'd not expect anything less from a blue stater.

"Blue stater" by statewide population, not by area. The folks on the dole in the cities in the southeast part of the state will not vote away their paychecks. I would move away, but then the problem would worsen. There are very few libs west of M23 and north of I69.

Anyways, hope your wing mends before hunting season

Theres lots of good ones, but at those velocities, it would be hard tp find a better one...

Sierra

Well for a cup and core bullet that is priced right and you can buy them right now, I would have to say you can't go wrong with those Hornaday SP. Thou I tend to shoot a lot of Nosler Partitions and Speer SP's in my own hunting. But in these tough times, I would be plenty happy with Hornaday. I loaded a bunch of them in the 308 for my Uncle. I would think that a few hundred will tie you over till this foolishness ends. I am a bit lucky, nobody seems to shoot 7mm RM and I been able to buy all I want. Power and Primers are not on the shelf. And with the new CT Law taking effect next month, Going to have to get a permit just to be able to buy ammo. Then next april another permit just to buy a rifle or shotgun. The more I look at it the more Its time for me to move.

I load the 150 gr BT in my .30-06 at about 3000 FPS. It works. Before that, I used 150 gr Sierra spritzers because they used to be in Santa Fe Springs and my Dad would stop on his way home from work and buy paper bags of them by the pound. They worked too. At the speed you are looking at, any 150 gr bullet should work well.

I used a lot of 180 gr Hornady's and Rem Corelokts on hogs from my .300 Win Mag, so I also have faith in Hornady bullets.

Even if you shoot a couple dozen deer this coming season, a couple of boxes, one hundred, 150 grain Partitions would be my choice. I like them as you get violent expansion in the front and (usually) through & through penetration from what is left of the bullet to the rear of the partition.

Being a Nebraska guy, I am almost required to put in a positive pitch for Grand Island Hornadys, but my "go to" deer bullets are usually Oregonian Partitions.

This is the question!

He didn't ask for 'opinions'.

For this application I don't think it really matters that much. Even though they are not needed I don't see any real downside to using a premium like the Barnes bullet either. Yea, they cost more, but just for perspective, if I shot 200 Barnes bullets/year vs 200 Hornady Interlokt bullets I wouldn't save enough to buy 1 tank of gas per year for my truck. If you are into plinking a couple thousand rounds a year at the range then you need a cheaper bullet.

As much as I spend on hunting licenses, gas getting into the woods and other gear each year an extra 30 cents for the bullet is insignificant. When I walk into the woods I'm just as likely to get a shot at a 100 lb whitetail as a 600 lb black bear. An extra 30 cents, or even an extra $30 for 100 bullets is cheap insurance.

THIS !!

jwall,

This thread is another example of people responding immediately to the title of the original post, not even bothering to read the post, much less the rest of the thread. This happens all the time on the Campfire, so there's no sense fighting it.

I remember one long thread a couple years ago where a guy wanted an opinion on a rifle to take to Africa while he'd be living there for a couple of years. Only plains game would be hunted. The opinions from posters included cartridges like the .416 Remington Magnum and .458 Lott.

The thread went on for a month or more, while the guy bought a Mark X .30-06 and had some gunsmithing done to it. Even then people kept posting their opinion on what he should buy. It went on and on for 3-4 months after he'd not only bought the rifle, but gone to Africa!

M D -

Whatever happened to reading comprehension?

I read that it's a lost art, or they don't teach it in schools anymore, or people are becoming too stupid now...or something like that. It was a short article.

jwall,

It's very difficult to comprehend something if you don't read it at all.

One of the points of Internet forums is to type an opinion as fast as possible, since a fast answer beats answering the particular question. Reading the entire question means your answer might be disqualified on the basis of "not quick enough," kind of like being too slow on the buzzer in Jeopardy. Except on the Internet any sort of answer gets points, even if your answer is "zebra meat" when the question was about D-cups.

That would be sweater meat.

The only bullet on that list that I have experience with is the 150 ballistic tip. I shot it from an 18 inch barreled FR-8 Mauser loaded to 30-30 velocities. I killed several medium size whitetails and a treed black bear that weighted 250lbs. They worked great. I did recover the one from the bear. It had traveled diagonally through the bear from the center of the chest through the sternum, through two vertabrae and was just under the skin in the neck. The core had separated from the jacket right under the skin of the neck. The bear died in the tree and we had to cut the tree down to recover the bear. I guess that doesn't precisely answer the question, but hopefully it provides the Uncas with some useful information about one of the bullets on his list.

That's the only weak come back he had for you logic laugh at him just like the rest of us.

True words/well said.

What brass, primers and powder do you have on hand? We might be able to short cut some development for you. [/quote]

Federal match brass, Fed std and mag primers. 748,2015,RE7,RE15 and Varget. I cannot for see a problem with accuracy the gun is a BLR TD and shoots nice round (slow velocity) groups.

One heck of a long time ago, some gun writer did an extensive test fire of EVERY 30 180 gr bullet, complete with a chart that had photos of the recovered bullets in progressive 100 fps loss of velocity.
The velocities were 2900 (if I recall correctly) to the point where no expansion could be recorded.
This is pre X bullets but still was a huge pile of information with side by side by side comparisons. By this chart the best across the wide range of variables looked to be the 180 WW Power Point. No conclusion was offered in the article, just the test conditions,test medium and chronograph readings. The Nosler partition had more penetration and less expansion. It must have taken all year to shoot, record and wright that article. Cup and core puts things in the meat locker.
Somewhere in the "series of tubes" there is an attachment download of the chart and maybe someone else can recall the article and scribe.

Nothing wrong with my reading comprehension. But the request for ranking that list from softest to hardest doesn't provide him with the answer he's REALLY looking for: of the bullets he can find now, which is most suitable for woods-range deer at 2600 fps or so?

And I gave him that answer: the Hornady 150. It's neither the "softest" nor the "hardest" (whatever that might mean); it's right in the middle. And it's perfect for his needs.

One canuck covering another canuck

I'd agree with your reasoning & conclusion...

However you did not answer his ? as he asked!

Rocky, I really AM your friend

We only agitate those we like!!

My dad shot 150 Hornady's in his .308 (also 150 Rem Core-lokts but they aren't on your list) and never had a problem. Their performance was perfect. Can't imagine any of the others you listed will do better unless they shoot better in your gun.

OP - Given your options, and desire to use them, JB always gives solid advice.

That said, if you place your shot thru vitals, all of those bullets will kill fine.

+1, and JB has helped me out many times as well. Just for kicks and giggles though, you can never go wrong with a partition, ever.

I'll be another one of those not answer the question in its original form as I only have experience with one bullet out of a .308 on game, Kimber Classic rifle.

150 grain Ballistic Tip. 120 yards, normal sized Missouri doe. Complete pass through of both lungs, no bullet recovery.

150 grain Ballistic Tip. 100 yards, normal sized young Kansas buck. Complete pass through of both lungs, no bullet recovery.

Hard to have a bullet failure when you put it through the lungs though.

Sciuchetti

No issues with reading or comprehension, Nosler Partition is never a bad decision!

My load was a 150 ballistic tip over 44.8gr of Varget in LC match brass and fed 210 primers

200ys with a 2x7 scope

Premium bullets are never going to make up for ones inability to shoot well on soft skinned game.

A like would be nice, no luck with Mr Google. Thanks Bill

Very true and don't leave out the 150gr. Winchester power points. Crod1972 just sold 250 of them for $50.00.........

I'll second that. They also work on elk as well. My buddy has taken elk with that bullet in his 308 fwt for 2 years in a row now....Damn sure no need for a tsx or partition in the 308 at those speeds...

I totaly agree. Some here have more money than brains. Just sayin

WTF? I think I've heard a few of you boys tout the Partition. It's far from free either.

If it takes more than 10 shots to find a load with RL15 or Varget in a 308 then you've not been paying attention. OCD aside, most 308's are created close to equal.

Steve and JB Thank You, on your references to a soft 150gr 308 bullet, I ordered a sleeve of Sierra RNs.

This quest was started by my gun testing low velocities with my regular 30 caliber deer bullet. I had to give up on 125 gr Ballistic Tip bullets and Varget. Showing flat primers and only 2825 fps, backing off that (well under book BTW) load may be OK but a soft cup job has been killing deer for a long time.
I am looking to get a little more velocity with 748, but I ran out of Ballistic Tips...however a happy accident found a sleeve of 125 AccuBonds in stock and a code for free shipping sealed the deal! Hoping for good things from the new to me Noslers.
Out of stock were the 150 FP TSX. I wanted to test them in the 308 BLR and a tack driver 30/40 Krag Contender barrel that clocks 2495fps with 150 Ballistic Tips with Varget. The RNs will get a chance in the Krag too.
If all else fails I have a supply of 130 TTSXs I was saving for the 30'06. I read that the Tipped X bullers expand better at moderate velocity than regular TSXs.
I am sure, as most have replied, any of these bullets will do... with good shot placement.

Partitons are cheap where I buy them . Here's a little link to give you an idea:

http://shootersproshop.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=71_101&product_id=1133

They just had (2 hours ago) 250 gr. .338 partitons for about the same cost, but are out of stock now. You have to keep an eye on their site if you don't want to miss out.
I do like and use partitions, however, the OP definately doesn't need them for the speeds he's running in his 308. Those are just simple facts....

I haunt that webpage often. Almost need to buy a 204 or 8MM or 6.8MM something or another to find a deal on bullets. Been a while since I saw a 30 caliber anything there!

Actually bullets can be bought in less than 50 or 100-round boxes. Look at this site: www.bulletproofsamples.com

Some people have tried this before and not made it go, but I've seen 'em in one of the local stores. If you want to try something, it's a cheaper way to experiment.

As for whether or not "premium" bullets are justified on deer, I've told more than one Campfire poster he was FOS for telling other people they were absolutely necessary. A lot of bullets DO work; in the past three years I've killed deer with all the brands mentioned in the original post, plus several more, and they all worked.

Whether somebody who likes premiums for deer has more money than brains is another question. Personally I would suggest that stating such on a public forum is reverse snobbery. But the world is full of opinions.

Sinclair discounts Sierras by the sleeve and has free shipping through 9/2/2013. Not dirt cheap but a decent company to buy from.

They had 180 gr. 30 cal partitons there the other day. They don't last long though, but the good thing is they do have them periodically...

what are you shooting...elephants? Worry about finding a box of bullets anything you find in 30 caliber will kill a deer.

MD I saw 1/4 lb powder samples once too, a great idea that went nowhere as well!

The deal is made. Sierras! Probably a pretty accurate choice as we shoot 49 bullets at paper for every one to kill a deer.

Apparently this is going OK. I first used them maybe 1-1/2 years ago for an article, and then saw 'em in that local store last week. Even "affordable" bullets are getting kinda pricey anymore, so maybe that's why it's working now.

I often use several bullets from the same rifle, as long as they shoot to the same place. My 7x57 Serengeti, for instance, will put any 154-162-grain bullet with 46.0 grains of H4350 into so close to the same place that out to 300 yards there's no practical difference. I usually sight in with 160 Sierra GameKings and use them for a lot of hunting, but if I want to try something else, or think a little more penetration might be helpful, I can switch without re-sighting.

Guys tout the premiums as being "necessary" quite a bit here and it gets tiresome. They just aren't needed in most cases. We don't need some jackazz telling us the tsx is the only bullet you need when we know damn good and well that a #2 alloy cast bullet will kill a deer stone dead. Deer haven't grown bullet proof vests that I'm aware of. Nuff said...

I do the same thing with one of my 7mags. 168VLDH and 160 AB.

That'd be a good combo!

Have been working with a .270 Winchester and various bullets and hope to come up with some combo like that with a softer and harder bullet. So far the 140 Ballistic Tip/140 AccuBond and 150 GameKing/150 Partition have promise.

But also plan to hunt some this fall with the 16x16/6.5x57R drilling I bought from Luv2safari a couple of years ago. He included a bunch of German factory ammo loaded with 120 Sierra ProHunters (yes, some companies do load American bullets over there) and they have worked very well so far, even on bone on close shots. Which is what I'd expect, based on quite a bit of experience from other cup-and-cores at 2700 fps or less.

Crushed my first primer in 1977 a .17 Remington, not a great choice to start hand loading, but we all survived.

Sometimes you just need a second or third opinion. Also I have been on a LEE factory crimp binge. Crimping has improved every pet load I have experimented with. My normal MO is to not care if a bullet has a crimp groove or not and shoot alot of Ballistic Tips.

But the Sierra is
1. available,
2. reasonable,
3. recommended by some folks with sand.
and
4. has a crimp groove (I cannot spell cannelure)

The Krag barrel has about an inch of freebore (probably just throated for 220s) but still just hammers out small groups with any bullet. It is my dispose-all for 30 caliber bullets.

I buy from SPS quite often. I was simply implying that cost shouldn't be a deciding factor when suggesting a bullet for game. My shelves are full of NBT's and Hornady's. I'm a fan of Sierra bullets for deer too.

At the velocities the OP was suggesting, about any 150-165 mentioned would be a good choice. I'd take the Hornady spitzer (150 or 165) and kill stuff. The 150NBT is never a bad choice at those ranges/velocities either.

He asked others to rate bullets with his perimeters. I'm just a believer in shooting what you want for deer regardless of cost.

Research said 2500 fps + for the Sierra RNs, Sierra pointys 2700fps + (muzzle velocity not target velocity). I am only getting 2800 fps with 125s so I wanted to soften up BUT NOT over stress 30/30 type bullets. (Not that any are available...)
A bullet I would like to try is a Speer 150 mag tip, or better yet a deep curl if such a thing even exists.
Swift has a 170 30 cal partition flat point if you want THE MOST EXPENSIVE US made bullet.
With that long throated 30/40 I really wanted some 150 FP TSXs.
Cannot blame the makers for silly bullet buyers.

Since a decision has been decided. Has anyone used the 125gr Accubonds yet on Deer or Pigs? Been trying to find some to see how they do on paper out of a .300Savage.

Actually, North Fork has a "sample pack" of 20 165-grain soft-points for $34.50--before shipping. After some experience with NF's, I bet they'd kill a whitetail too!

I plan on shooting something some Parker Productions tomorrow.

Speer does make a 150gr flat nose DeepCurl. I bought some for a 30-30 a while back, but sold them later when I sold the 30-30. No doubt they would work. I used the 90 out of the 243 and was mpressed.

Bought some of those too. I will post results with my best load and 50 yard incremental expansion information on the 125s Accus and Sierra 150 RNs.
I really wanted a 300 Savage takedown but fell into the 308 BLR takedown so here we are.
Never having cared about short barreled 308s I was not happy about the velocity but the accuracy has been great.

125 Accus are IN Stock at Sinclair. (Were a few hours ago...free shipping $200 order)

Hydro-cons? They're too expensive.....

Thank you, appreciate the heads up.

Ballistic Extreme.

I can't wait to shoot your NULA ML in October. We'll have to keep it away from Scott, as he may corrupt it!

Nothing extremely accurate yet, but good enough.

He will probably rip the scope off and find a set of irons is what worries me.

We'll have a good weekend. I'm looking forward to it. Wherever happens, don't let him trade you his ML for yours!

That thing is finicky in how you load it. Every step is important.

Thanks a lot for the well-wishes, Steely. I hope it mends too. I'll be out there one way or another, if I have to crawl.