Looking for Help Picking Factory .308 for Whitetails

[sierracharlie338]

You are overthinking whitetail bud. ANY 150 soft point will be more than sufficient.




Pick a brand and you will be off to the killin field!

 

[Lee Goodwin]

Accubonds are the way to go for me.

 

[JAYgs8163]

Buy a box of all of them and then pick the one that shoots best. They all kill DRT. The end!

Edit: I would bet one of the lighter weight bullets will perform the best from your gun since you have such a short barrel. I would think the lighter bullets will be loaded with faster burning powder also which is important in short barrels to get complete burn and max velocity. I shoot the 130 TTSX at 3100 fps from my 18" 308 with excellent results all around. Good out to 600.

 

[new2mud]

Buy a box of all of them and then pick the one that shoots best. They all kill DRT. The end!

^^^ this.

You will likely find that one style shoots noticeably better than others. And sometimes you get lucky and it is the cheapest. All will work just fine for whitetail.

 

[7070yshot]

Wanted to get you all's opinion on my factory options for .308 on Whitetails 300 yards and in. Rifle is a Bergara Premier Approach currently in its factory configuration but it will be wearing a 16.5" Proof at some point in the future so we can take that into account if need be. All shooting will be suppressed. Objectives are 1st to dispatch the animal quickly, 2nd to leave a good blood trail if possible since we hunt some really thick stuff down here in MS and 3rd to bloodshot as little meat as possible. Below are the loads I'm thinking I'm going to try. All of this is obviously pending the gun actually liking to shoot them accurately but I thought this might be a good starting point to narrow it down while I wait for my new scope to come in.

Nosler Trophy Grade 165gr Accubond
Barnes Vor-Tx 150gr TTSX
Barnes Vor-Tx 130gr TTSX
Federal Premium 168gr Berger Classic
Hornady Precision Hunter 178gr ELD-X

Appreciate the help and opinions y'all.

I trust Barnes above all others

 

[Bdubose]

I got a Tika T3x Lite Veil Woodlands a few months back.
Sub MOA with factory Seira 168 Match kings
I love the rifle!

 

[VTbluegrass]

At those distances a standard cup and core lead bullet. I wanted to play with the Hammers this year but truthfully Corelokt and Deer Season XP have never failed with me to drop a deer when hunting within the "traditional" hunting distances.

 

[CNY Yote Hunter]

If you can find them, federal fusion 150's or 165's have made my hand loads look embarrassing in most rifles. They are cheaper and amazingly accurate as well as devastating on deer!!! Could not recommend a better factory load than those

 

[OldElkHunter1961]

At those ranges find the "traditional loading" that your rifle shoots best. Silver Tips, Cor Lokt, Fusions/Hot Cores (Winchester, Remington, Federal) will all perform very well. Just put the bullet where it belongs with judicious shot choices/placement. Enjoy the hunt.

 

[TxHeartShot]

I got a Tika T3x Lite Veil Woodlands a few months back.
Sub MOA with factory Seira 168 Match kings
I love the rifle!

It was my understanding the OP didn't want to chase a deer through the thick stuff...however the Match King would give him the opportunity to do just that if he changes his mind!

 

[Blandry]

Buy a box of all of them and then pick the one that shoots best. They all kill DRT. The end!

Edit: I would bet one of the lighter weight bullets will perform the best from your gun since you have such a short barrel. I would think the lighter bullets will be loaded with faster burning powder also which is important in short barrels to get complete burn and max velocity. I shoot the 130 TTSX from my 18" 308 with excellent results all around. Good out to 600.

Agree with this. My little 18'' barrel kimber adirondack prefers the 130/150's and that's perfect for whitetail. Using the 150gr TTSX now.

I may even try the 130 TTSX or 110gr v-max.

It is picky though.. I went through about $400 in ammo finding what my rifle likes.

 

[Teri Anne]

Wanted to get you all's opinion on my factory options for .308 on Whitetails 300 yards and in. Rifle is a Bergara Premier Approach currently in its factory configuration but it will be wearing a 16.5" Proof at some point in the future so we can take that into account if need be. All shooting will be suppressed. Objectives are 1st to dispatch the animal quickly, 2nd to leave a good blood trail if possible since we hunt some really thick stuff down here in MS and 3rd to bloodshot as little meat as possible. Below are the loads I'm thinking I'm going to try. All of this is obviously pending the gun actually liking to shoot them accurately but I thought this might be a good starting point to narrow it down while I wait for my new scope to come in.

Nosler Trophy Grade 165gr Accubond
Barnes Vor-Tx 150gr TTSX
Barnes Vor-Tx 130gr TTSX
Federal Premium 168gr Berger Classic
Hornady Precision Hunter 178gr ELD-X

Appreciate the help and opinions y'all.

I shoot a Winchester Model 70 in 308 and have used the Nosler Trophy Grade 165 gr Accubond and Federal Premium 165 gr partition with great success. Generally don't have to need a blood trail since 9 out of 10 drop in place and there is no need to have to track them. Simply shoot a deer standing broadside right behind the shoulder and go collect your deer.

 

[ridgewalker]

My experience would indicate the Barnes has less bloodshot meat than any of the others. It doesn't take a lot to kill Southern whitetails. I'd try the 130 Barnes for sure, but just make certain nothing is on the other side of it that you don't want to wound nor kill. A buddy killed two elk with one 165 TTSX out of his 300 WM.
My PHes in Africa always wanted me to load Barnes to reduce the bloodshot meat since they used every bit of the meat.
Best of luck in your decision!

 

[khmplus]

Federal Premium Trophy Copper has been great for me.