This.
I never found my (sold years ago, dammit!) RU77V in .25-06 in the least inadequate on 23 caribou, over a 3 year period, to or over 500 yards, using 120 gr Speer handloads. A Rifle contributor in 1979 or thereabouts called it "barely adequate" based on a one caribou hunt, just after my experience with it. I haven't read Rifle since....
. With fireformed, neck sized only handloads only, it was MOA, rifle entirely factory standard. With Remington factory ammo, it was about 5 MOA. But this was with two boxes out of the village store- no telling how many years and freeze/thaw cycles it had been in storage there.
One shot bang/flop) kills on all with my handloads, except the first one- and he was dead, I just didn't know it. The first bullet at about 200 yards, entered at the base of his neck and lodged against the opposite hip bone, turning him. The second thru both lungs knocked him flat - bang/flop with all subsequent kills.
The 500 (probably more) yarder also took two bullets - only the first one knocked up snow on the hillside below her belly. The second one with Kentucky windage went through both shoulder blades, with the base of the bullet barely lodged in the far blade. The rifle was sighted in 5 1/2 inches high at 100, so you do the math..
Adequate performance.....
I have never used a .308, but I have used for many years a RU77 in 30-06, with a 17inch barrel, named Stub, thus some drop off in MV. Basically a carbine, years before Ruger came out with one. I use factory ammo, once only, as the chamber is somewhat misshapen. It is a1.25 MOA rifle, after bedding and trigger job. I have killed several animals (sheep and caribou) at ranges between 330 and 400 yards with it (and a number of caribou and moose under that), but limit myself to 400 or under using that rifle. None of those longer range - or few shorter either- shots have been bang-flops, using 165 or 180 grain loads, but they fall over after running around a bit, anyway.
I'm guessing (no chrony data) that the shorter barrel and factory ammo roughly equates .308 velocity. Maybe even less, especially if you hand load.
I have killed a lot of game with .30-06 bullets, in several rifles - I can't recall any that were not CNS placement that were bang-flops, except a ewe sheep at 200 yards that my son took, using the Stub, with 180 gr. Corelokts.
If you are looking for bang flops, based on my experience, I'd recommend the .25.
Target shooting can be done with anything, at any range. Pick your poison. Can't help you there - I don't do it....
