Who uses a .308 win. anything wrong with it ?

[SHOOTALL]

let me think , Ignore the smoke , had a rem 788 in 308 , wish i still did !
had a BAR in 308 wish i still did ! if i get another rifle will get a Ruger m77 in 308 !
shoot a M1-A in 308 !
For the life of me can't think of any negative trait !

[quickdtoo]

Barnes has them in their green tip multipurpose line and they are supposedly releasing them in the TSX line soon.If I was after anything larger than a antelope I would load the Barnes TSX or MRX in 150gr.MY SW was completely out of 308 brass AND the powder I wanted,go figure,so I bought 150 rounds of 150 gr magtech FMJs to get it zeroed and introduce some yotes and jacks to my new friend.Looks like the brass ought to be re loadable and Im not in the mood to wait two weeks to get my reloading components to start shooting a rifle Ive been waiting 4 months for.

If you mean the Barnes 140gr "Green" bullet, it's an LE/Military frangible bullet, are they offering a different 140gr? The 130gr TSX or TTSX would be a fine deer and smaller critter bullet tho.

Tim

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=250136&t=11082005

http://barnesbullets.com/products/coming-in-2008/new-mpg/

Edited: Barnes MPG link added

[NONYA]

The greens are great for yotes ect,my buddy loads them in .224 and loves em,they usually only have an entrance hole,fur friendly and very accurate.If Im loading for BG Im going 150gr and Barnes TSX or MRX if I can afford them.

[NONYA]

Looks like the 150gr Barnes TSX over 48gr of IMR 4o64 will put it over 2900 fps,that load will kill anything I hunt at 400 and under.Really interested in how well this built in muzzle brake will work and if it will have any effect on the fps at the muzzle.

[LEO]

SniperVLS how dare you do something as irresponsible as shooting a coyote with a mere 308.  Don't you know it takes at least a 300 Super Duper Magnum for ground squirrels and all those terrorists that our warriors in the sand box shot at 700 or 800 or more yards with the 308 aren't really dead because that feeble little round certainly wouldn't hurt anything that far out.  It truly is amazing to hear what some "experts" have to say about hunting cartridges.  I wonder how many of them have shot more than one or two real live critters.  Now gun writers are different, they are spreading their tales for money, the information is just as wrong but the motivation is diifferent.
Now to answer the question at hand the 308 is an incredible cartridge, they are generally reasonably accurate with any round.  The cartridge has sufficent power to kill cleanly but doesn't kill on both ends and bloodshot the whole animal.  Ammo is available anywhere and is relatively inexpensive.  You won't go wrong with the 308 within reason it will do anything you need it to do.

[BedfordForrest]

that little 308win will do anything you ask!!!

I had my 1st custom built i n308 win

308 Winchester
Stiller Predator Action
22" #4 Rock 5R Barrel- 1 in 11.27" twist
Jewel Trigger @ 2pounds
McMillan Sako Hunter in Dark Camo
Talley LW Low
Weighs 8 lb, 11 oz with scope
Cerakote in Matte black (except bolt)

[nomosendero]

Very nice & good shooting!!!

[Masterblaster1]

No absolutely nothing wrong with the .308 Win, This caliber has accounted for most deer than any other caliber in our hunting camp. My dad, and 2 uncles both use them and it kills deer with power to spare. Also it is a very accurate cartridge. They have used this caliber in Rem. 760 carbine, Rem 700 sps, Savage 99, and Win Mdl 70.

[Greenhunter]

I love my Remington 7600 in .308! I don't see myself ever getting rid of it. With 165gr. SST's, it kills whitetails like Thor's hammer out to 250 yards (my longest shot). I wouldn't hesitate to use it on Elk with 180gr. Partitions out to the same distance. All I want is a good double lung angle to shoot at.
I'm saving up for a "fully loaded" M1A next.

[SharonAnne]

I like my Remington 600 in .308W with its' 1.5-4.5x scope. Light, handy, shoot 3/4" 5 rd groups at 100yds with Remington 150gr Corelokt soft points. Don't know what more I can ask of it.

[drdougrx]

yeah there's something wrong with it.  Too damn predictable and accurate.  How boring!!  I'd rather a cartridge and a rifle that I have to spend hundreds on tweaking and a thousand on load development.  308....works everytime...yawn....

[NONYA]

ROFL Good one DR Doug

[sniperVLS]

yeah there's something wrong with it.  Too damn predictable and accurate.  How boring!!  I'd rather a cartridge and a rifle that I have to spend hundreds on tweaking and a thousand on load development.  308....works everytime...yawn....

 

[jager]

SingleShotShorty - I wish I had seen your post a few years ago about the "short firing pin"; I got rid of a great shooting '81 BLR in a .308 that I couldn't rely upon to fire every time . I did buy another (recently) in a .243 that also shoots very well and have found that it is "absolutely" necessary to insure all reloads are trimmed and sized "properly" or functioning in the field can be a problem (unlike a bolt that will overcome many problems encountered). Once I've run all the rounds through the action, like I'm sure most people do , I'm good to go. The BLR (steel receiver) is one of the "slickest" handling and shooting rifles I've owned and the .308 is one of the best calibers for it of all the ones available, as far as accuracy and versatility (IMO). The only thing I've noticed of the caliber (could have been the many rifles I've had in this caliber) has been their habit of not throwing various weights of bullets into the same general group. I mean, every time I've switched from 150gr to 180gr the difference in impact seems to be several inches whereas my 30/06, .270, .35 Whelen will normally handle just about all weights within 2 to 2 1/2 inches of each other at 100 yards (some better). I've also seen the same problem with the .358, whereas the .243 seems to hold them closer together. Like I said, it could be the rifles I've used in them  or some other factor, but that has been my experience. My solution has been to pick a particular weight of bullet and stick with it for all my game; the 165gr is my pick for the .308. I've found Accurate (AA) 2520, IMR4895, H4895, and RL15 to work the best in just about any .308 I've tried.

[Sourdough]

Brithunter:  I believe it is a model 3600.  It's buried in the back of one of the vaults.  The original stock was Walnut with rosewood forearm tip and cap on pistol grip.  Handcut checkering, and a Monte Carlo stock with recoil pad.  That stock fell victim to a falling horse down in the Kenai Mountains.  In fact I have not carried it since that trip, and that was 30 years ago this September.  Wow that hurts, seems like it was just last month.

[reelhook]

Country boy: Try some federal ammo-sometimes winchester has very hard primers and whom ever told you about cleaning-do it. could have gunk in the fireing pin hole

[Brithunter]

Brithunter:  I believe it is a model 3600.  It's buried in the back of one of the vaults.  The original stock was Walnut with rosewood forearm tip and cap on pistol grip.  Handcut checkering, and a Monte Carlo stock with recoil pad.  That stock fell victim to a falling horse down in the Kenai Mountains.  In fact I have not carried it since that trip, and that was 30 years ago this September.  Wow that hurts, seems like it was just last month.

Hmmm have to check the model numbers as I don't recall a 3600, looking at my 1973 catalogue I see models 1000,1100,1200, now sonewhere I have a 1984 flier from P-H which has some slightly differernt ones but still no 3600 that I recall. Of course P-H didn't mark the model numbers on a lot of their rifles which does not help I know they made a Safari and Super Safari and another whose name escapes me right now that I ahve only ever seen a photo of and was built on a Brno action.

[Country Boy]

Well I got the browning, then I picked up an old Winchester 88, It balances better than the Blr so I traded again ! Now I have a Win. 88 in .308 it balances better and comes up very quick. Anyone know where I could ge5t a trigger shoe for the 88 ?

[Country Boy]

Well, I traded again ! I sold the second Blr, nothing wrong with the rifle and it shot great. But I was looking at some old hunting pictures and found one of a very nice bear with a win. 88 lying on top of it. I shot it in Colo. in 1985. It brought back a flood of memories  of elk,muledeer,antelope I took with the rifle. Got so bad, I bid on one on the net and won it ! Waiting for it to arrive. The .308 88 has better balance than the blr. But I will never part with my blr .358 it's in my will.

[bilmac]

I'm an unabashed meat hunter. Here in Wyo I can kill 2 doe deer and 2 doe antellope every year These as well as buck antellope are small frail critters, maybe 90-125lbs. The 150 165 gr bullets are a bit too much kill for someone who is pretty particular about what he eats. My wife once shot a buck antellope with a 150 gr 308, at near muzzel velocity. It broke both front shoulders and still opened up the paunch. I don't know how many critters I made a nice lung shot and the whole front 1/4 on the other side was ruined. Finally I got smart and started loading 130s. But if I'm going to shoot 130s why not use a rifle that does it well, like a 270. Actually my favorite for shooting meat critters is a 6mm with 105 grainers. 308 is fine but for a little larger critters than I shoot most.

[SharonAnne]

if you are concerned about too much meat damage you go UP in bullet wt. not down. Your 6mm 105gr would equate with a 165gr .308. If you like your .308 then go with 180s for less meat damage. The bullets are more heavily constructed and the velocity is lower.


Blessed Be

SharonAnne

[bilmac]

This is true, the big bullets are somewhat unpredictable, I've had some zip on through without opening up and the critters not showing any sign of being hit. I'm not condeming the 308, it's a pretty good cartridge, there is just better for my specific use. Actually the 45-70 is the way to go if you want to eat right up to the bullet hole.

[Brithunter]

Actually it's more to de with bullet design and impact velocity, meat dmaage tat is  , I too thought heavier bullets would do less damage to the Light Roe Deer, my first deer was a Roe Doe shot in Febuary some years back now and on Christmas Eve I had brought my self a new Brno ZKK 601 in 308 and I loaded up soem Sierra 180 Grain Pro Hunters with a mid range load taken from Hodgdons #26 manual. Accuracy was good but on that Doe shot at about 90 yards the bullet left a 4" long exit wound and took out at least three ribs and the bullet shed it's jacket  .

    I have not used this bullet on game since. Oh the Doe dropped on the spot rolled over kicked it's legs in the air then expired. Despite hitting the ribs behind the shoulder the left front should (entry side) was blood shot. She weighed 35 lbs dressed out which is about average for a Roe Doe. I also once used a 6.5mm Swedish Mauser on a Roe Doe loaded with the Hornady 160 Grain RN bullet loaded fairly stiff using Reloader 19 powder and that shot too was taken at about 90 yards. The 160 grain RN bullet hammered her down but I lost the right shoulder (exit side) due it being all bloodshot. I now use eitehr 120 grain  or 129 grain bullets for Row in the 6.5mm and have not had the same problems since. In the 308 I use a the Speer 165 grin bullet and it works fine, have also tried the 165 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip with good effect as well. Funny thing is the cleanest Roe kill I made was with a 7x57 Mauser using RWS factory 173 grain H-Mantle ammunition, this shot was about 60 yards and the carcase was clean no blood shot meat. The beast a 4 point Buck was shot in May of 2203 and he dropped so fast I didn't see him go down. Pity it's so difficult to get the H-Mantle ammunition  .

[BBF]

Brithunter: Is that H Mantle ammo similar in construction to a Nosler Partion?

Since you use Speer bullets in some of your loads, did you ever try the 30 cal Mag Points in 150 gr?

[Brithunter]

The RWS H-Mantle is a dual core copper capped Hollow Point so not like the partition really. The copepr cap is a rounded profile so it's a semi spitzer and it's there to improve the BC as the Holow Poitn is quite large and the core in the HP is soft for rapid expansion. I don't know when it came out but it's an old design and would ahve probably been called a Copepr Tube Bullet. Thesew ere about before WW1 and they proved effective against thin skinned game like deer in the 280 Ross but are too soft for hevy skinned game and dangerous game.

No I have never tried the Mag Tips nor Grand Slams although I do have a box of 200 grain Grand Slams for the 303 magnum that i picked up and was going to try in my 303 Imp. However with only 50 bullets if I found a good load what good would it do me? In .308 and 30-06 I tend to use 165 grain bullets.

[SharonAnne]

"However with only 50 bullets if I found a good load what good would it do me?"

um, perhaps you could buy more???



Blessed Be

SharonAnne

[Brithunter]

Sorry SharonAnne,

     That is not possible as Speer stopped making them several years ago and before I found these  I thought the dealer had some more but someone else must have brought the few other boxes he had. Oh well I will hang on to them as a curio.