Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting White Tail Deer, recommended grain for 308

Getting my Savage 99 308 ready for dear season. 35 years ago we shot 180/200s at Elk in Washington State. I am not clear on what is appropriate for white tails in Texas. I have heard 100 - 150 grain.

Q1. what is the recommended grain
Q2. what are your personal favorite rounds/makes
Q3. why not use army surplus 7.64mm?

thanks!
terry

1. 150

2. I roll my own.

3. FMJ ammo isn't hunting ammo.

Since it's pretty close to .300 Savage, I think you're pretty well off with a soft-point, 150gr offering. If you don't reload, I'd advise to go with Remington Factory. They've done us very well in .300 Savage over the years.

As for military surplus 7.62 NATO ammo, you need expansion and the NATO Full Metal Jackets won't do it.

Aqualung

Agree with both of the above...

Remington factory ammo is ok, handloaded Nosler bonded cores are better. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

150gr Hornady SP...45gr.Ramshot TAC will get you almost 2800fps.
Texas whitetail love to be murdered with a .308Win... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bart is most assuredly right! powdr

150's

Are there on-line tests for various 308 rounds?

Look at Federal's new Fusion loads in 150gr, they are bonded but touted as a deer bullet, supposed to be real accurate and thats the most important thing, putting that bullet where it counts!

One more voice in support of the 150 in 308 for Texas deer. Maybe the 165 Nosler bt if it shoot better. Factory ammo worlds of them fall to plain old Rem core lock.


Texas whitetails are not stud mastadons.


BCR

One of the great things about the .308 is you can close your eyes, grab a box of ammo, and it will work.
Don't over analyze it. Have confidence and go forth with thy .308 and whack a deer! It will hold up it's end of the deal. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Any of the factory 150 grain loads will work JUST fine.

Ditto, same same for the 165s.

As for using mil-surp... why?

Happy Birthday VA!

I want to amend something I said above. When I said grab a box of ammo, that didn't include mil-surp! Keep that for practice.

I'm in the same boat as you... I have a new-to-me savage 99 in .308... I thought 150's would be the ticket... So far I've only shot it once... with winchester powerpoints, tried both 150gr and 180gr. The 150's shot about an 8" pattern... the 180's shot about 1 1/2 " group.... So, if I was going hunting today, I'd be using the 180's... (and wouldn't fret about it)

I intend to reload for it anyway, and will try to get 150 gr interlocks to work... Point is, if you want 150's in factory fodder, you might wanna try a couple brands to see what your rifle likes best.

Ditto on the FMJ not being hunting ammo.... Here it is illegal to hunt with.... I'd think it'd not expand and pencil right through.

I've heard of some people pulling the bullets off mil-surp and seating a proper hunting bullet on it... but I think you'd get much better accuracy out of your own reloads or factory hunting ammo.

You'll probably do fine with those Hornady 150's. It's a rare 308 that won't shoot them well after a little load development.

You have a favourite recipe you care to share? I'm thinkin' of Reloder 15...

thx

Brent,

I see you're in Manitoba. How big do the deer get where you hunt? Down here in Louisiana the 192 pound buck I killed last year was the heaviest taken from the lease in a while, and a Hornady 150 grain Interlock flat base did fine. I was using 45 grains of IMR-4064 in new Lapua brass under that bullet. I've also loaded 46 grains in Remington brass with much success. With Reloder 15 or Varget and 150's you'll probably find happiness at about 46 grains. I don't run the 150's too hot.

mathman

I use 150gr.

Thanks for the load info mathman....

Where I hunt (more bush than agricultural), the deer tend to be big bodied. Racks tend to be stocky and look small in proportion to the body, "decent" eating bucks (not trophies) are pushing 200 lbs dressed.... My shots are usually <100 (most under 60), so there's no need for a whiz-bang magnum or to try and push anything too fast. So yes, I figure a reasonable 150gr .308 load would be just peachy. I've been using either .30-30 or a .303 British with 180's up until now... so the .308 will be a flat shooter in comparison anyway.

Thanks again.