Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General 99C 308/150 or 165

With the little difference, would you shoot 150gr or 165gr loads? Average shooting is 200 to 300yds or farther very possible. We're using Nosler CT Silvertips, but will try partitions this year.

150s a vermin bullet. Shoot the 165 or 180. Puny bullets don't penetrate an' loose energy quick. When you get real good, you can buy a man's rifle like the 1895 Winchester an' give thet toy to yer chilrin.

Quick check says:
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<br>Federal Nosler BT 150 @ 300 yds.=2220 Velocity and 1640 energy. Drop -7.8.
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<br>Federal Trophy Bonded 165 @ 300yds.= 1970 Velocity and 1425 energy. Drop-9.4.
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<br>But, what would I know, I've only stuck with the 150's since 1961 in my .308.
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<br>Listen to the experts.
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<br>2D
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That's actually quite a drop difference and the 150 still has plenty of energy. We've bounced back and forth between 150s and 165s for years. It's dificult in actual use to say one performs better than the other. In factory loads we've always used the Winchester Supreme Silvertips. Now that I'm loading, I'll probally load with the Nosler CT Silvertip bullet.

It's my chilrn thet shoots with the toy.

Cain't trust them factory loadins. Differnt bullets are apples an' oranges. Sides, ifn light bullets were superior, you wouldn't have ol' farts like me swearin' by heavy-for-caliber bullets. Ain't seed a 150 thet will do the job of a 180 Nosler on heavy game. Wouldn't even try it. With the light charge of a 308, I'd settle fer the 165, but not jus' any bullet. Do whatever you want, but my boy didn' t even use a 150 in his 30-30 when he was green as a mowed paddock in april. An' bullet drop ain't nuthin' to worry 'bout in realistic huntin' ranges. Ain't seed a hunter miss yet cause of bullet drop.

muleskinner,
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<br>Why can't you trust factory loadings? I have found the Remington BT ammo to be quite accurate in the 90 grain .243, 120 grain .260, and 165 grain .308 and .30-06 varieties.
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<br>I would agree that, in general, a 180 grain Partition is a better choice on heavy game than a 150 grain bullet, but deer aren't heavy game and don't require deep penetration if you can pick your shots and avoid the infamous Texas Heart Shot.
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<br>I would consider bullet drop at 300 yards, or farther, to be a point of consideration when selecting a rifle, sight, cartridge, and projectile combination. You have likely "seed" many more hunters shoot than I have, but I've seen enough to form the opinion that most of the "once a year" hunters can neither shoot, nor hunt, nearly as well as they think that they can.
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<br>Sincerely,
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<br>Bearrr264

It's not what you shoot but where you hit. I know of many deer that were put down with a .22 rimfire back in the days when soup lines were long and food was expensive.

An' lots of lost game too. Fer ever ol' cuss thet talks true 'bout usin' a 22 LR on deer, you'll git a hunnert lost animal stories. I got first hand 'xperience on thet one skid. My take on this shot placement stuff is differnt then mos' hunters. I don't believe in plannin' 'round "shot placement". Too many factors in the field work agin "placin" anythin'. I'm a believer in shot selection an' usin' heavy hittin', bone crushin', poke thru the other side bullets. Also, deer ain't hard to kill an' I reckin' a 150 is fine fer those southern whitetails an' coues deer. I'd still opt fer a 165 onct you start workin' up to the Spayleweseppe (Ohio river) an' the bigger deer thet live in the north an' west.

I used both for a lot of years - finally settled on the 165's as an all around "do everything" bullet. A couple of dozen mule deer and antelope have gone down with the 165 - as well as several elk. Hornady 165 BTSp's. In my experience, an excellent and accurate bullet.
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<br>Gary
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Over the years of hunting we've found the Winchester Supreme Silvertips to be the most acurate and the most deadly at all the ranges we shoot at so, a couple years ago when I started loading my own I went to the combined Technology silvertips for the bullet. They just don't seem to be very popular, though. The 2 shooting stores here don't even stock them, yet they stock most of the partition bullets. Any comments on the CT Sivertips?

They, the CT 165 gr. bullets, are the exact same bullet as the Nosler 165 gr. BT's, which are available everywhere. The only difference is the moly coating, and the silver/white poly tip.
<br> The bullet drop published for the 150 gr. CT, and the 165 TB load is misleading. The TB bullet is a semi-spitzer with a BC of .320-.340. The 150 gr. BT/ST bullet's BC is about .425, and it's velocity is higher.
<br> There is very little difference between the performance, on game, between the 150 and 165 gr. BT/CT's. They are a very fragile bullet. They open fast, and loose their cores easily. Gun Tests magazine calls them a varmit bullet. They will loose their cores when shooting through a hanging slab of bacon at 250 yds. Not good.
<br> The Nosler Partition is a whole different animal. I would be surprised if either the 150 gr., or the 165 gr. bullet would not shoot through a deer from shoulder to hip when fired from a .308. E

DOnt listen to muleskinner about rifle choice! I agree with him about bullets though.
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<br>1895 WInchester was a lousy gun when they introduced the thing! Comparing a model 99 to any Winchester lever is like comparing a Stealth bomber to a radio flyer wagon. Poor old muleskinner is just stuck with a bunch of poor guns and needs to convince the world that they are any good. Shoot a 99 Muleskinner and you will chuck those boat oars of yours in the nearest lake!

Thanks for the opinions, guys. Now I just have to find a high velocety load that works.

Terry,
<br>I have a theory that 165 grain bullets from a .308 behave much the same as 180's do from a .30/06 due to fairly comparable velocities. Ditto the 150/165 thing. I think that 180's are quite functional for situations where you will be shooting at heavier than deer game well under 200 yards or for deer at sub 100 yards. MV will still be high enough for reasonable expansion on deer. For deer, I think 165's are really as heavy as would be optimum for your .308 under average conditions. If you wish to maintain velocity and best trajectory 150's are still the way to go for deer in the .308. I don't put a lot of stock in long range game shooting over 200 yards anyway; it happens, and I zero for 200 yards but only for insurance when it happens.AW