Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 30 cal 165gr Hornady BTSP

I'm working up a whitetail deer load in my 308 using this bullet but seem to max out velocity at an average of 2575fps (at 12' from muzzle) before I get high pressure signs in my rifle. Is this fast enough to get good expansion on deer sized game? I see a lot of guys pushing 165s well over 2700fps for hunting loads.

It should work fine.

What is the load combination you're using? What barrel length?

Fed brass, Fed 210 primers, 43gr RL15 at COAL 2.800 fired out of an older Savage(one of the latest pre accu trigger) in SS and 22" barrel.
I did get my hands on 50pcs of WW brass last night. I'm going to give them a try with BR2 primers. I will start at 43gr and work my way up until I hit 2700fps or get high pressure signs.

With the first combination you list, the velocity you reported is not out of range for the barrel length.

Weigh a few pieces of empty WW brass. If they are light (about 155 grains) like the WW I've used you should be able to work up to 46 grains. My 700 VTR loves that load with 168 grain match bullets.

I did weigh the WW and the Fed brass last night. I think I got around 157 for the WW and 177 for the Fed. These are once fired, not new brass.

Those are like the WW and FC I've weighed.

QW. I don't know if this will make you feel better but I have one rifle in .308 Win. that will shoot one load and one load only. It's a Ruger M77 RSI with 18.5" barrel and the only load it will shoot is the 165 gr. Speer Hot-Core at 2550 FPS. I have killed 8 or 9 deer with that load at ranges from 35 feet to 250 yards, all one shot kills. If I was positive I could get a shot at an elk at 200 yards or less I wouldn't hesitate to take the shot. Of the deer killed, the only bullet I recovered was from the 250 yards shot. All the other passed through.
Paul B.

Sorry I'm late to this...
The load is 42.0 gr of IMR4895 @ 2.83".
ANY rifle that doesn't shoot it into an inch should be tree wrapped.

I have killed more deer with that particular bullet than all others combined. The vast majority from 20" tubes at 2550.
I've killed then from 20 yards to over 400. All angles. And very often finding exit to be 10cm or better.

In the right brass that is a very good load. But from my experience in a bunch of 308's I don't believe it will produce the velocity the OP seems to be looking for.

Quite possibly. But the mid 2500 velocity range is ideal for that projectile.
In fact that range give a perfect 2+, 0, 4-, 8- 12- trajectory that's easy to remember.
My advise is to quit chasing high velocity.
The speed he is getting is perfect. The bullet is capable of excellent accuracy and killing at any reasonable distance.

I don't always push them hard either, but I can tell you they have no problems up close on deer when launched at 2750. The additional speed over 2550 moves whatever velocity you want for assured good expansion out about 100 yards, and the OP did seem interested in that idea.

If we're talking 100 yard increments and drops in inches for a 2550 launch, zeroed at 200, it's closer to +2.3, 0, -9.7, -28.3.

Its an MOA formula meant to express a large number of center fire rifle rounds.
Not meant to be THE trajectory but an easy to remember number for hunting purposes.
I didn't invent it, I just extol the virtues.

For what it is worth I have shot two deer with the Hornady 165gr bullet but out of A 30-06 with A 24in barrel and A book max of H4350 the deer where 20 and 100 yard chest shots with no heavy bones hit.The bullets made a 25 cent piece exit hole with not a lot of blood shot meat perfect far as I am concerned.I would also wonder if the slower speed would give you the bullet expansion you want,buy any regular 150 bullet they are a slam dunk in the 308..

I have been running Hornady, Speer and Sierra 165s with 42/RL15 and lost count of the whitetails taken with 3 different rifles. I think is was "ringworm" who commented "My advise is to quit chasing high velocity." Nuff Said. Eat right up to the hole....

Thanks for all the info! I'm not really concerned about high velocity and I'll take accuracy all day long as long as I'm sure I can get the expansion needed for clean kills. I've hunted whitetails all my life (close to 40 years) with bow, shotgun, muzzleloader and handgun but the place I hunt just made rifles legal so I'm kind of new to the aspect of hunting with them.
Sooo, now I'm going to get out there and find the Max load in winchester brass in my rifle(with the use of my chrono) then load up a bunch of rounds starting at about 42gr up to max to find the most accurate load and go kill some deer!

Ok, so I got out yesterday to chrono some loads in WW brass.
44gr RL15 in WW brass matched the velocity of 43gr in FC brass, about 2570fps. I worked up to 45gr with no pressure signs with an average vel of 2650fps. I could go higher but I don't think it's necessary. Also, in the Hornady manual, I read that the useful velocity for the .30 cal 165BTSP is 2200fps to 3400fps

Ringworm, have you chrono'd those loads? Just curious what MV you're getting. When I run your inputs into my copy of QuickLoad, I'm getting sub-2500 MV.

BTW, real nice shooting.

What brass does the model use?

I have a sample of one deer shot using a 165 gr. hornady fb screaming out of the barrel of my sav.99 at 2390fps.Broadside at 75 yards,hit a rib in&one out and appeared to have expanded well.At 2575 you should have no problems.

Have shot some 165 gr Horn BTSP in my 308 and they shoot well ,was getting 2675 in WCC08 brass and RL-15,I haven't killed any deer with that load though. I've done my shooting on meat with 150's in the 308. Both the 165 BTSP and SP Hornady bullets have worked on meat just fine in my 30-06 and loaded to 3000+ fps in my 300 Win Mag. Quit worrying about chit and go fill your freezers. Magnum _Man