How far can a 308 responsibly take game?

etisll40 said:
There's a good kill shot video on youtube, fairly recently in Iraq. I believe the distance was around 1300 yards. The video shows the guy going done but it didn't look like there was an exit wound or a discernable blood splat behind the dude. Not sure of the bullet type but obviously not the type you'd want on a reliable animal harvest at that range. The 308 is very accurate at that distance, but every firearm and bullet has it's limits right.
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Very true.

Shooting a 150lb man is like shooting a little bitty deer - thin and soft. Using small caliber or rather, low energy, for Long Range Hunting on large game is like driving right on the edge of the road - sure you can do it if you're real careful, but your risk of failure goes way up.

I prefer to "hit them hard" with a larger caliber for a more sure harvest.

Jay
 
Jay Kyle said:
Very true.

Shooting a 150lb man is like shooting a little bitty deer - thin and soft. Using small caliber or rather, low energy, for Long Range Hunting on large game is like driving right on the edge of the road - sure you can do it if you're real careful, but your risk of failure goes way up. :D

I prefer to "hit them hard" with a larger caliber for a more sure harvest.

Jay
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I know your all thinking what I'm thinking! Your harvesting 150lb men? Eeewww!:D
 
That's funny Jay, Are you thinkin about the SHTF day??? No matter what caliber a person has everything has its limitations and mostly its the shooters. I don't care if I have a 338 Mag or 308, If I can't hit the target because of recoil , its no good to me ... If I have a smaller caliber and that bullet hits the boiler room..and its still standing , I send another one for the boiler room... That critter is mine. I'm not talking about 1500 yd shots, some of us might be able too. I can't .. My limitations are 400 to 600 and that's it.... I like the long shots and i had shot plenty of critters in my younger years 300 to 400 yds with open sites. No gun rest, I was standing, or kneeling ... Didn't hit everything I shot at either..... My eyes aint like they used to be, so I got a nice scope now, and expect to reach out to maybe 700 yds ... on yotes, or lions.
 
hunterbob said:
That's funny Jay, Are you thinkin about the SHTF day??? ...
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Yeah that's it.

Case in point..
Two weeks ago we were hunting Moose with a fellow up from Georgia - recently retired US Army - touting anything inside 1000 yards was his. He was having one of those days. He was taking shots with a .30-06 at 400 yards at Moose. By the end of it he had wounded two moose, shot at three, took 7 shots, and had borrowed three different rifles to try and anchor at least one of them and got nothing - it was a disaster.

Certainly bullet placement and a faulty semi-auto were his biggest issues - but the ones he wounded may not have gone further and gotten lost if a harder hit had occurred - hard to tell.
 
Jay Kyle said:
Yeah that's it.

Case in point..
Two weeks ago we were hunting Moose with a fellow up from Georgia - recently retired US Army - touting anything inside 1000 yards was his. He was having one of those days. He was taking shots with a .30-06 at 400 yards at Moose. By the end of it he had wounded two moose, shot at three, took 7 shots, and had borrowed three different rifles to try and anchor at least one of them and got nothing - it was a disaster.

Certainly bullet placement and a faulty semi-auto were his biggest issues - but the ones he wounded may not have gone further and gotten lost if a harder hit had occurred - hard to tell.
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I wouldn't have him back. That is shameful, wounding two moose its going to be sad if you find them later decomposed and wasted. I think a 06 can do it at 400 with the right bullet put in the right place. But wounding a bunch of animals!! Is heart breaking.. I know we don't speak of ethics on this site.....but. I do shoot long range but I am confident that the rifle, bullet, and shooter can do the job I don't ever just "take a chance" and hope for the best.
 
In all seriousness, Jay. It probably wouldn't matter what caliber he used.... Obviously he wasn't a hunter, just a shooter and there's a lot of them out there... As for a 308 or any caliber ,, taking a shot at moose at 400 + yds requires some range time, way before the hunt. I would use my 3006 for moose, and if I didnt feel comfortable taking the shot, I would have to pass on it.
 
Apparently the guy wasn't even a shooter!
The whole retired Army thing has nothing to do with it. When my daughter was 10 she could out shoot most Soldiers I know. Case in point; I ran a Known Distance M4/M16A4 qualification a couple weeks back. One Sergeant First Class from our Headquarters came out and went through 3 times, his highest score was 11 out of 40. His worst was a 1! A Commo Staff Sergeant (former Armor and Infantry) was laid in behind his weapon and when the targets popped up I had to tell his range safety to flip his rear BUIS up (no optic on his weapon), I don't think he realized there was no rear sight!

I always see people posting about "well that's what our Snipers use". You need to realize one thing- up until recent we HAD to use a .308 (7.62x51mm) and we HAVE to use certain ammo. Which wouldn't be that bad if we used some of the loads posted by some of the guys in this thread. The stuff they give us is decent for medium ranges.
Even the newest .300 magnum has been half-*** if you ask me. There are still much better options in ammo. Just ask other countries (both friend and foe), they seem to at least try to get it right. We just make due with what we have.
 
*No ill whatsover against those in harms way* - my dad served in Korea, my brother had a West Point Scholarship (I grew up in Nevada). This guy just was a mess.

As for 30-06, they were the prevelant firearm on the hunt, I even brought mine - but it was dense bush so no real need for the long guns.

Still, this guy's reputation preceeded him - so we all had high expectations... let that be a lesson to us all - if we say we hunt long range we'll all be held to a higher standard.
 
Great answer Bravo 4 ,, I agree, a non-shooter .... When ever someone starts bragging about thier skills with a rifle . I just say, "sounds good, now lets go to the range and put it on paper." Then you know. All people that I teach hunting skills too, do the necessary range time, so that they can group at least around the bulls-eye, to start with... years ago my partner and I had a newbie... He demanded to shoot the 338.... and we tried to tell him he was holding the rifle too loose... and with his hand on top of a fence post. He told us in words, he knew what he was doing. Ok so he ended up with a hell of a mark on his hand , shoulder bruise, and earned the nick name "scope ring."
 
Michael Eichele said:
You can get 2500-2600'sec in a 26-28" 308 with H4350 and the 215 hybrid. You can't get enough H4350 in the 308 case to be over pressured.

I'm getting 2550'sec with stupid low extreme spreads and 1/2 to sub 1/2 MOA over a variety of powder charge weight. That's with small rifle primers. Large or large mag primers would offer a bit more velocity.

My favorate hunting load right now is the 210ABLR over H4350 as well. 2601'sec which at 5000' delivers more than the magic '1000 foot pounds a 1K yards. Over 1200'pounds to be exact. Windage is barely more than a 6.5-284. 1/2 MOA consistently. With the lower velocity for expansion threshold, 1200'pounds at a grand at altitudes I hunt, why is my 308 not a 800 or 1000 yard hunting rifle? 200 pounds more than the 6.5-284 and only 8 more inches of wind at 10MPH/1K seems pretty reasonable seeings how most here are of the opinion that the 6.5-284 is a legitimate 1k yard deer rifle. A little more recoil sure but more ability to securely anchor game in return for the recoil. Better barrel life too.

Not here to bash the 6.5, just showing where if the 6.5 can do it, the 308 (with the right load) sure as he!! can too.

M
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M

Are you shooting the 210 ABLR in your 308?
 
I am agreeing with you on that mag10, but there's another powder out there , Varget and this makes a 308 closer to a 270 smoking down range at above 2800 fps to 2900 fps , with a 150 gr BTSP... Yeah ,,,, I pit my 308 against all the others ..... oh, it shoots a clover at 100 too.
 
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