question on .308 factory loads!!!!!!!!!!!

[T.C.]

I have a savage striker .308 14 in. compensated barrel w/2x leuopold scope. i sighted in 1.5in. high @ 100yds. with 110gr. ultra max factory reloads. i am getting consistent 1.5in. groups @ this range, dead bullseyes @ 50yds. & 2.5in. groups 3in. low @ 200yds. everytime! and i am only on my 4th box of shells. i was using 168gr. remingtons but went to the 110gr because of the flatter trajectory. i dont have reloading equipment & these 110gr are the only factory loads i can find (hollow points) i might add. will these have a devestating effect on deer @ all of these ranges & if not can i reach these effects by reloading? really wanting to learn because ihavent even shot 5 boxes of shells total & thi is my first long range handgun i only have experience just plinking with a 357 revolver, 9mm berretta, and i do mean limited plinking, most knowledge is with bows, shotguns, and rimfires.

         any help appreciated  T.C.

[T.C.]

MEANT TO SAY THAT THE 110GR WERE THE LIGHTEST FACTORY LOADS I COULD FIND NOT THE ONLY ONES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Captainkev]

Have you tried the Winchester Supreme Balistic Tips ?
I know that the 150 gr thru my new Encore are deadly accurate, and from what I have read and seen, are very effective on light skinned animals.
I also have fired the 165 gr. Balistic Tips, without a whole lot different trajectory noted.
I am also new to the single shot game, so I am experimenting as well.

Kevin

[Mikey]

T.C., I wouldn't use anything that lightweight from a 30 caliber bore - I think it would expand far too early even on something like a whitetail and not give you the penetration you need to take those animals.  Also, I think the 110 grain, or even 125 grain, are too light for whitetail.  You would lose an animal on a raking shot and again, you won't get the penetration you need.  

The 308 works very well with the 150-165 grain loads.  Some of the newer factory loadings in the Hornaday Light Magnum categories are supposed to be superb.  You would want a bullet that will penetrate, even on raking shots and the 150-165 or better will do that for you.  

The hunting set-up you identified is almost the same as one my brother has - his scope is one of the red dots.  I loaded some 180 and 150 grain bullets for him and he found his accuracy was about the same as yours and the trajectories of both bullet weights also about the same.  I didn't care for his choice of 150 gn factory loads as I saw they had come apart and didn't penetrate the way I thought they should.  I loaded some 180s for him and his next harvest, at 150 yds with his 308 Encore, busted the on-side shoulder on the way in and punched through ribs on the way out.  His whitetail dropped, could not move, and had expired before he crossed the distance.  That's the kind of performance you should want.  

I would opt for some heavier loads and lots of practice.  Just my 2 cents.  Mikey.

[SingleShotShorty]

As Capt said above try the Win supreme 150 grain Ballistic Tips I have shot 165 BT's that I loaded to rifle max and have had great luck with them. and in a compensated 14" barrel the recoil should be no problem with thwe factory 150 grainers.

[Zeus]

From my mode of thinking, these bullets are made more for varmints rather than deer.  Will they kill, sure. But are they the best tool for the job?  Absolutely not in my opinion.  A 150 grain bullet will serve you much better.  The 110 will be thin jacketed bullet more than likely and not hold together very well on impact.  A 150 will shoot more than flat enough for you and any range that you should probably ethically take especially with a 2x scope.  You owe it to the game that you hunt to match the bullet to the animal.  If the bullet basically explodes on impact, you more than likely will have a long tracking job and the animal will suffer more than needed.  In short, I would find a better bullet before taking the firearm to the field.  Others may not agree but I am a firm believer in heavy bullets.  GS

[T.C.]

WOW!  you folks really have me thinking now, wish i would have posted this question a week ago. another reason i had went with the 110gr bullets was the fact that i had asked earlier in the year what i could expect the .308 to do compared to the .243 in the same gun. i got some replies that said basically the .243 worked well in a rifle but not so well in a handgun. now from what i can tell it looks to me like the only significant difference between these two calibers is the foot pounds of energy, velocity seems close, but the bullets recommended for the .243, IF i remember right were in the 120 class. so i assumed that the .308 would have worked great. (to assume is to blunder) i should have remembered this wise statement! HOPE I CAN GET BACK ON THE 200YD RANGE BEFORE THE 15TH.  my question to ZEUS is do you feel that 200yds. is too far for a 2x scope? i figure that this probably varies from shooter to shooter i myself felt very comfortable but don't think i would push it much farther.    THANKS FOR THE HELP WAITING FOR MORE!   T.C.

[Captainkev]

TC,

If you have read Mark Hamptons book on Hunting the World with a Handgun, he makes many references to the 150 and 165 grain Winchester Ballistic Tip in 308 win.
I actually sent him an EMAIL regarding loads, and he wrote back that short of dangerous game, the Ballistic Tip in 150 and 165 grain loads is his 308 ammo of choice, and he has succesfully brought down game all over the world.
Another book called Big Bore Handguns, written byJohn Taffin,  lists 6 or 8 different manufacturers 308 loads for single shots, and they varied from 1 to 1/78 inch groups at 100 yards.  The 150 gr Ballistic Tip however was listed as 3 shots, one hole.  
Hope this helps.

Kevin

[Crayfish]

T.C. - You cannot compare a 100gr .243 bullet to a 100gr .308 bullet.  They are totally different animals!!  The 100gr / .243" diameter bullet is very long with a Sectional Density (a ratio of length to width) of about .242.  To get a bullet in .308" diameter with the same ratio of length to width you need a bullet that is roughly 165gr.  A 110 gr .308" bullet would equate to something on the order of 75grains in a .243" diameter .... something most would say is definitely NOT a big game bullet!

Hope this helps clear up why the 110gr bullet you are currently shooting is not in the same category as a 100gr 243.

... Crayfish

[Zeus]

No, I don't think its too far if you can do it consistently.  I had a 2x on my Freedom Arms 454 Casull and shot a deer last year at 110 yards.  I decided that day that I would buy a 4x just to have a little more magnification.  I had been using a 2-7 Burris and so I had learned to appreciate a little higher power.  I routinely shoot at 200 meters with 2x and open sighted revolvers.  But much past that and they make much better options.  I personally would have a 2.5x8 Leupold on the 308 if it were mine or a 2-6 Bushnell Elite.  But....that is why they make as many as they do.  Everyone is different and has their own preferences.  What works for me may not necessarily be the best for you.  The other advantage to having a larger power scope is that they usually have larger objective lenses which may help get a little more light in needed times.  If you are hitting consistently with your 2x, leave it alone by all means.  Don't fix things that aren't broken.  GS

[dakotashooter2]

I'd have to agree that the 110 's are too light for deer size game. I have had good luck with 150 gr soft points and have loaded some 130 gr. single shot pistol bullets (designed for controlled expansion at handgun velocities) with good results. As mentioned most bullets under 150 gr. are thinly jacketed and meant for varmints. The fact that your 110's will be used at handgun velocities helps a little but they will probably still break up and potentiall provide inadequate penetration.

[Squeeze]

I realize that you are shooting factory loads, but if you can find a reloader, with
.308 Win dies, you might want to give Barnes X bullets a try, for a flat shooting,
hard hitting Striker round.  I have a .308 Striker, uncompensated barrel, with a
2x-6x Burris scope, and find this round absolutely devestating on Whitetails.
I have a receipe, using Win ball powder, that is chronographing 2750 fps ave,
that is holding 1 MOA., when I do my job.  The round has been tested on
Whitetails, and there is extreme trauma where the round enters, and there has
always been an exit hole, for good ventilation.  The all copper bullet, has very good
length for stability, and the weight allows for loads that shoot very flat, with
manageable recoil.  The front of the bullet expands explosively, and the solid
base tumbles through for the pass through.  I recently hit a Whitetail, at 40 yards,
where rapid expansion bullets usually fail to pass through, and I had a 8" area under
the skin, that was literally vaporized, on entry, and a very nice exit hole on the
other side, that looked like a tumbling slug exited.  I too am skeptical of the
ballistic tipped bullets, at higher velocities, and ranges under 100 yards, but
the Barnes X bullets, with their solid copper butts, and hollow point fronts,
have given me both rapid expansion, and deep penetration.

Squeeze

[helobill]

As a compromise of performance and weight, you could try the 125gr ballistic tip or the 130 gr SSPB by Hornady. Both perform well in 30 cal on deer size game. I shoot both out of a .30 Bellm 13" barrel. Granted it's at lower velocity than the 308Win will push these bullets, but terminal performance is good. Launched at around 2300fps, both shoot very flat out to about 200 yards. I don't know of any lighter bullet in a .308 diameter  that will have decent terminal performance on a whitetail.
My 2 cents.
Bill