Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 308 Deer Round

I used Remington Core-Lokt 150gr on 6 deer with good results...then moved on to different calibers.

The 308 is famously easy on bullets - really, about anything will work quite well.

When I first moved to Wyoming I was shooting a 30-06 that I had purposely loaded to around 2850 fps. Hunting where I did in Texas I didn't see any reason for any more speed and when the oilfield called I took that rifle and 120 or so loads topped with the 150 grain Speer Hotcor. I took everything from coyotes to elk with that round, in an impressive string of one shot kills. I mostly used that load except I switched to 180 grain Speer Hotcors and Nosler Partitions for elk. This went on into the mid 90's. I usually load my 308 to pretty close to 2850 fps with 150's today more or less retiring the old 30-06 to backup status simply because in my old age I like lighter rifles and my main deer rifles are 7-08 and 308 now. The gist of all this is I would if I had to use the 150 grain Speer Hotcor from now on out it would serve me perfectly. But then so would just about any other good 150 grain bullet.

165gr Ballistic Tips from 100 count boxes.
My perfect deer load from anything ever tried.
Quick kills, blood trails if (rarely) needed, reasonably meat loss.

165 BTHP Sierras did all the above except damage was impressive.


Avoid 30-30 specific bullets.
I would not use real tough bullets.
Obviously avoid fmj but I know a kid who used them for several years on multiple deer with
decent results.

Other than that any cup and core from 150-180 will work fine.
Out to 200, base doesn't matter, tip doesn't matter.
Some bullets will tailor results, but anything is fine.


One of the beauties of using a decent size round.

The 22 or 24 guys talk incessantly about how great their rounds are.
Then specify a bullet. Or 2.

308, 30-06? 150-180, no drama, no BS.
Just gettin' it done.

New rifle last minute hunt and no time to handload so 150 gr Federal blue box it was.

Yep !

Can't knock the easy button.

Yes indeed!

Federal fusion for me.....for .308 usually 150 gr, occasionally 180 gr.

My 3006s usually zero with 165 gr.

My choice is the 165gr. Sierra Game King, it's accurate in my rifle and deadly on whitetails.

And on elk.

Yep. I tend to lean toward 150/155 stuff for the velocity/trajectory at 300-400yds, but nearly any hunting-style 150-165 is a great killer on 100-300lb game that so many of us hunt (deer and hogs).

This 10 fold. Throw in Federal blue box for good measure.

Blue box 30-06 has shot like match ammo in several rifles that I've owned.


Okie John

when i shoot my 30-06 or 308 i use Sierra 165gr. BTHP gameking, and this is why,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

150 GameKings for a bolt and a 99. Accurate in both, kills pigs well.

My BIL always used his friends handloads, a Mod 742/308 with Sierra 150 BT. I loaded a wad of Hornady 150 SPs for friends 30-06 and 308. Deer and hogs, SE Texas, mostly under 150yds. My hunting buddy here inUtah uses his HS bought Browning '81 levergun/308 with 150 Corlokt from antelope to Bison with big mule deer and elk in between! ha

Barnes 130 TTSX. Load your own or buy their factory ammo.

I want my 308 to shoot 165s, but it's not having any of that. So 150s it is, just very accurate with 150s, Accubond, Partition, or Interlock.

I’ve shot deer with a bunch of bullets out of my 308…. Never noticed anything working any better than regular old 150 Hornady spire points. I did try some 130TTSX’s in the last few years…. They were pretty impressive but the deer were just as dead from the cheap hornady bullets.