Bullet for .308

[Lee7588]

For deer and pigs within a few 100 yds I would use 150's or lighter. When you decide to shoot distance go to a heavier bullet. The heavier the bullet the faster twist does better

 

[Mike D Texas]

A .308 is a relatively mild cartridge in terms of velocity. You don't need a bonded or mono bullet for it to perform well.

Keep it simple with a traditional cup/core bullet like ballistic tips, Nosler Partitions, Sierra TMK, etc….

The 9 twist should not give you any issues even with lighter bullets.

 

[Chevy_52]

I like heavy bullets for distance and hunting. I shoot a 208 Hornady in my .308 with Reloader 17. It has been consistent to 950 yards and I have taken deer, antelope and elk with it.

It's surprising that reloading data for the 308 win almost never has anything to do with Reloder 17. Varget seems to be considered an exclusive powder. But, as you already must know that for heavy bullets (200 grn range) Reloder 17 outperforms Varget by at least 150 fps and with longer barrels (30"+) and pushing powder limits and coal lengths one can reach 2700 fps safely (very similar to a 30-06). That is saying a lot for a 308 Win.

 

[Glocklover72]

It's going to depend a bit on your environment. How far are you planning on shooting? Those corelokts should be sufficient.

I'm not planning on trying to harvest over 125 to 150 yards…..where I hunt here in Southeast Texas there is not a lot of areas for a long range shot. My main concern was the barrel twist when I wanted to stretch it out at my local gun range

 

[JASmith]

Any 125 gr bullet will work well on deer-sized game as long as the impact velocity is within the manufacturer's recommended range.

The cool thing is that one can load 125 gr cup and core bullets with the right amount of powder to get 2900-3000 fps (think 270 Win). The bullet will be going a tad slower making its impact below the typical 2850 fps max recommended impact velocity for cup and core bullets.

Recoil will be more pleasant too…

 

[JAYgs8163]

I'm not planning on trying to harvest over 125 to 150 yards…..where I hunt here in Southeast Texas there is not a lot of areas for a long range shot. My main concern was the barrel twist when I wanted to stretch it out at my local gun range

9 twist is fine. Do not worry about it. Load and commence firing!

 

[Rosebud]

Least expensive, Speer Hot-Core. excellent bullet. Money not a issue, Hammer Hunter, 124 grain. Will be over or around 3000 FPS. Midway has the Speer bullet in factory seconds at the moment. Great buy.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

The fast twist that your rifle has and the barrel length would lend itself well to a lightweight Hammer bullet. I would look closely at the 135 grain bullet. You could probably get over 2900 FPS, with very low recoil, and great accuracy and terminal performance by a bullet that is always available.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

I just finished building 2 different 308 rifles. One loves the Barnes 137grn TTSX running at 3125fps. great deer and hog round. The other is running Hammer Hunters 174grn at 2945fps. Dropped a bear last month without a problem. Funny I have built and worked with many different rounds and settled back to the 308. Have fun.

What barrel length on the 174gr Hammer?

The fast twist that your rifle has and the barrel length would lend itself well to a lightweight Hammer bullet. I would look closely at the 135 grain bullet. You could probably get over 2900 FPS, with very low recoil, and great accuracy and terminal performance by a bullet that is always available.

CFE 223 has my 20" and the 135gr at 3100+++

 

[coyote wacker]

Cutting Edge Bullets 100 gr or 130 gr Raptor in a 308 Win.......

.308 100gr Flat Base Raptor

50ct This bullet was designed with crimping grooves placed precisely for 300 Whisper, 300 Blackout, 300 WT as well as .308 Winchester. These bullets are manufactured out of solid brass bar stock on a CNC Swiss style lathe. Instead of mushrooming, these hollow points are designed so that after...

cuttingedgebullets.com

.308 130gr ESP Raptor

50ct Enhanced System Projectile designed to be shot as a hollow point without the Raptor Tip™, a hollow point with the supplied Raptor Tip™ installed for long range shooting, or flipped around and shot as a solid for extreme penetration. Excellent lever gun bullets without the tip installed and...

cuttingedgebullets.com

The only bullets to use !

 

[ChrisInKY]

Thanks a million for your responses so far..........I have read a lot of negative reviews for a 1:9 twist for a .30 caliber bullet, seems from your responses I shouldn't be too concerned about it.

1:9 will work well for some applications and less for others. Should work quite well with a heavier bullet when reaching out to max distances. As you migrate towards lighter weight projectiles you may find an accuracy threshold.

Sounds to me like you own a very fine shooting stick. There's nothing wrong with having it re-barreled in a lower twist down the road. With the knowledge you glean from starting at one end of the spectrum, there'll be a LOT for you to share with us in years to come.

 

[FEENIX]

I'm not planning on trying to harvest over 125 to 150 yards…..where I hunt here in Southeast Texas there is not a lot of areas for a long range shot. My main concern was the barrel twist when I wanted to stretch it out at my local gun range

Like I said,

That should work if it shoots well out of your rifle—no need to complicate it unnecessarily. Good luck and happy safe hunting.

 

[SteveBurton]

I'm not planning on trying to harvest over 125 to 150 yards…..where I hunt here in Southeast Texas there is not a lot of areas for a long range shot. My main concern was the barrel twist when I wanted to stretch it out at my local gun range

At those ranges, use the ammo you have if it shoots well. The 1:9 twist won't hurt that bullet at those speeds. Even if it's 2MOA it should put meat in the freezer. You can work on finding some good loads after hunting season.

 

[JAYgs8163]

These just showed up in the mailbox! Looking forward to running them in the 308 and comparing to the TTSX.