Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .308 125 B/T at 2800 fps for new shooter

For that we plugged and muffed.

Blast is real. And nasty to experienced shooters.
Really intimidating to newbies.

Started with a 22-250. Just noticeable recoil, terrible noisy.

I can get some. I used to use it in a .222 until I moved to Benchmark. H4895 I use in the .308 with 150's, more accurate than Varget in my rifle. With H4895 you can go very light on the load safely...down to 60% of maximum load. Why do you suggest 4198? I eventually want to settle on a load with a reasonable trajectory, that's why I'm wanting her to gradually go to 125 B/T at 2800. She made a rabbit pie with 8 rabbits she shot with the .22LR and some bacon....so nice!

If you’ve got H4895, you’re already done shopping. Use the reduced loads like you plan and the deer are in big trouble. My daughter used the reduced loading and shot the 125 Prohunter at 2600. Lots of dead deer and recoil like a popgun. Later she shot the 125 Accubond at the same speed. The deer were no deader. Her father tends to overthink things. 🤔

She’s moving out West next week, so elk are a possibility. We just zeroed her 308 with the 150 Partition. In her hands, the little Accubond would probably have been fine. Couldn’t help myself.

You can get the charge weights, and hence recoil and blast, lower with 4198.

With H4895 you should be able to go as low as 49 grains x 60% = 29.4 grains with 125 grain projectile...say 30 grains according to the 60% rule with H4895. That's going to give you below 2000 fps I would think. With H4198 the starting load is 36 grains at 2841 fps. Does Hodgdon say you can reduce H4198 significantly down below starting loads? But I get your point, at around 2841 fps with the 125 grain projectile you are only using 36 grains of H4198 as opposed to 43 to 44 grains of H4895 to get the same velocity.

4198 has long been a powder for reduced loads. The IMR version is what Remington used in their reduced recoil ammunition. The H version works well too.

An old post of mine:

My two oldest boys started shooting their .308 with a fixed 4x scope at targets with 110 grain bullets and 10 grains of Unique. Accuracy was surprisingly good, even at 100 yards they could hit pop cans regularly. They referred to these loads as "poppers". I still use them for grouse and small game.

Same rifle, loaded with 125 grain Sierras and I4198 killed 5-6 SD whitetails, average distance was 125 yards or so.

Loaned that rifle out to a friend's kid who had great success with it too.

Yes - the friend that I loaded them for in his 30-06 absolutely loved them. PM if you want more details.

It sort of concerns me that the sectional density of the 125 grain .308 projectile is very poor, even the SD of the 150 grain isn't very high. Are you all shooting behind the shoulder through the ribs or are some of you shooting through the shoulder?

My father ventilated them both ways using this weight bullet from a 30 Herrett in a 14" Contender barrel. Even a light 308 load tops that ballistically.

PM sent, thanks

I work with youth via Boy Scouts...

in 30 caliber, 308 or 06, the 125 ballistic tip works out just fine, even downloaded to 30/30 speeds easily to 200 yds...

like 2250 fps MV... so 2500 would work just fine within 200 yds....

my usual recommended load in either a 308 or 06.... 30 grains of RL 7 or IMR 4198... 125 Ballistic Tip...

use the same load with 150 grain Ballistic Tips... or any 150 grain Flat nose meant for a 30/30..

put it in the right spot they will work just fine taking down a deer anywhere...and 30 grains of Powder, doesn't exactly beat up
a small stature or young shooter...

recoil is about the same as a 7.62 x 39 cartridge in a bolt action..

I've let kids load this 10 grains of Unique load with 110 SP also... and any deer within a 100 to 125 yds, Will be DOA, if put in the right spot.

Somehow, my grandfather managed to kill deer with an 1892 Winchester in .32-20. I guess those bullets bounce off deer today.

People tend to be over gunned.

Yesterday I was shooting a rather lightweight 308, about 6 1/2 pounds including the scope. The load used 150 grain bullets at about 2600 fps which is easy 300 Savage territory. Much more pleasant than full bore loads with 165s in that light rifle. The scope has a regular duplex reticle and the way I zeroed the bullets land 2" high at 100 yards, just a hair low at 200, and right above the tip of the thick part of the plex at 300. The last situation being similar to using a German #1 reticle if it were zeroed at 300.