I use LC Match brass all the time in my 308 bolt gun. LC 67, 81, and 85 annealed and neck turned, Varget and Fed 210s produce great accuracy with 168 eldm's. I can get to 950 - 1000. This bullet has a fairly high BC for a 168. I also like LC Brass in the 7.62 X 51 chambered gas gun that I have because it's accurate and very tough.
Is the .308 Win 7.62 X 51 still a Long Range Hunting Cartridge?
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Just an old M14 guy slinging 308 projos. 20 shots irons at 1K.
My experience with LC, the Win .308, and 22 inch air gauged barrels leads me to count on IMR Powder and the SMK 175 projectiles for use on the 1k KD Range. Uncle Sam never gave Hummer and I a chance match formal or informal. While I was at Crane he was at Aberdeen. Yet Hummer took the Silver in the 1966 Palma Match. 168 projectiles have a tail design to Projectile weight that makes them go subsonic at the 1K KD. Not to mention that most 168 grain shooters used a 1:10 vice 1:11.25 twist.
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Yet this thread isn't about the .308 Win/ 7.62 x 51 for Military use. How am I going to drop a Roosevelt Elk on Raspberry Island with Model 7 Remington chambered in .308 Win? How does that compare to attempting that same hunt with nowadays long range hunting rifles without adding to the stress on my shoulder? How far beyond 400 yards? 
liber
Well-Known Member
I admit to shooting 6.5 Creedmoor, and I shoot 308 also. I like both of them, and especially like the lower recoil on the 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm builting a 6.5 PRC, which has the same recoil as the 308. So I won't be winning in recoil, I will in ballistics. I'm gonna put a short, 20" barrel, on it. So where does that put me? Back down to 6.5 man bun level? (possibly)Oh, I shouldn't do this, but I'm an Old Sailor with more brass than brains. All those 6.5 folks elk hunting at 700 yards in the high altitudes of the rocky mountains,. Feed me all that information in sub zero weather, with a 30 knot wind in your face, at sea level that keeps your Projectile at the 2600 fps impact speed on a Roosevelt Elk that is much bigger and tougher than those little Rocky Mountain Elk. What kind of actual fps or kinetic energy remains on your less than .3 SD Projectile on an 1100 lb elk? I'm thick skinned, flail me with your best.
But that's the rifle I want to carry and hunt with. I have lots of ARs...and was going to get an MDT HNT26 chassis, but it's a bit too much for me, so I'm going with a more traditional Monte Carlo style lightweight stock. I still like my ARs, and will continue to shoot, and possibly hunt with them. But I won't be using them for the near term to get the 6.5 PRC dialed in...maybe I'll even get to use a suppressor on it.
And FWIW, I don't plan to hunt elk. I plan to hunt pig, deer, and black bear.
Me too! Good stuff, IMO. I have some LC 70 sitting in front of me right now. Is that the year? I shoot it in a 16" barrel and a 24" Criterion. I use 168s in the 24". I'm shot 175 also, but the 24" barrel likes the 168s better. I think it's 1:10, honestly can't remember. I don't know too much about the LC, other than it's good quality brass. I got a bunch of once fired LC that I think came from Camp Perry, the tops of the boxes are cut with a razor, but the boxes were filled with once fired brass. I think they picked it up at Camp Perry.
Big critters above the circles require big recoils from .30 caliber projectiles. They should really be hunted with calibers at or over .358. JMHO YMMV 6.5 isn't even the 7 x 57 that Bell used on elephant measured in feet. . So if it doesn't arrive at 2600 fps or more it's a pre-planned failure. Yup at high altitudes with perfect placement it can take critters under 1000 lbs. But since long range under the conditions is point blank shooting, diameter is paramount. LRH along with the caliber and Projectile may be determined by the conditions. While the 30-06 and 300 Win Mag may be better selections, can the .308 Win still be a competent selection in a competent hunters hands?
At a carry weight of under 7 lbs?Attachments
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liber
Well-Known Member
Nice rifle selection. I do agree that the 308 is a good compromise. But is it bad to think a 300 PRC or 300 NM would be better in a magnum action? 7mm seems like a good caliber also, and maybe the 7BC will allow me to get good velocity at distance using a shorter barrel. Otherwise it seems better to stick with the short action and go with more recoil in something like 300 WSM or 270 WSM/SAUM. The 308 is decent with a 18"-20" barrel on it, I even find the 16" acceptable with a brake. Hunting can definitely be an expensive hobby. I guess it is what each of us want it to be. It doesn't have to.
