.308 loads

[aimsmall]

New here, this is my first post actually. Anyway, im looking for some help with load ideas. I want something thats good for 300-350300-350 yard deer and 600 yard plus target accuracy. I've seen a lot of talk online about berger vlds but idle. Also I've heard of folks using hornady A-max for deer even though its a match bullet. So what's the verdict there? I have a .308 with a 24" barrel. 1:10 twist. Any help will be appreciated. Im new to loading so im taking in all I can.

[GaCop]

Welcome to the forums! The A-Max performs very well in the game field and is also an extremely accurate target bullt for long range work. The 178 gr A-Max is capable of staying sonic out to 1k and performs very well at 600 yards.

[Dennis]

The 178grn A-Max will do the job!

[darkker]

Any 165gr hunting bullet will be fine to 350 for deer.
Personally I don't like match bullets for hunting. Not going to argue their ability to kill, just have had erratic results; especially if you hit bone.

If 600 yards is your long range max, any decent (berger, SMK, LApua) 155 gr bullet will be just fine; with less recoil than the heavys. In my 1,000 yard load developments, I found the Hornady bullets to have a "stickier" jacket than SMK's. This lead to pressures at lower velocities than the SMK's.

[sniper15545]

I use the Sierra 165 grn hollow point boattail and have for more than 35 years. I use 43.5 grains of reloader15 cci primers. I have killed deer at 450 plus yards with this load on many occasions and accuracy is really amazing also!

[rainierrifleco]

308 is one of my fav hunting rounds. rl 15 is the go to powder for me. i personaly steer away from target type bullets. i have heard horror stories from my customers about poor bullet performance at close range. altho 308 isnt the barnburner that some guys use. the 308 has performed well for me with standard bullets. no fancy bonded cores needed. my wife shoots a 5 lb 308 i built for her and can hit the gong at our range every time at 550 ftom a sitting possition resting on her knees. (150 rem cor loc) and cor loc bullet hav never failed.

[missed]

165 grain sierra match kings with 42.5 grains of varget and cci primer. I have killed pigs at over 500 with them and they have dropped right there. I have shot a deer with a 175 g smk and it was a loss due to the bullet hitting the shoulder and fragmenting. The game kings have been the ticket for me.

[JCalhoun]

Try the Nosler 168gr BTHP for 600y target use and the Nosler 168gr Ballistic Tip for deer.

[missed]

165 grain sierra match kings with 42.5 grains of varget and cci primer. I have killed pigs at over 500 with them and they have dropped right there. I have shot a deer with a 175 g smk and it was a loss due to the bullet hitting the shoulder and fragmenting. The game kings have been the ticket for me.

Correction on the 165g bullet, it's the GAME KING, not the match king.

[CharlieNC]

Your 10 twist should handle the 175-180 gr bullets fine and hold supersonic to 1000 yds. Best to check a few candidates of Berger VLD, AMax, etc to find out which one your rifle shoots best rather than settling on one in advance. The 165 Hornady SST also shoots well in mine, but I settled on 175SMK for long range shooting. You can order 20 bullets or so from bulletsamples.com instead of buying 100 just to find out what shoots well.

[Luckus]

Try H4895, it works for me. Luckus

[jim_k]

I have used the Berger hunting VLD in .308, both 155 and 168 grain. The accuracy is unmatched, and the terminal performance has been outstanding. I shot an axis deer with a 155, and the game processor called me to look at the huge hole in the chest wall. It went through the near shoulder, and also a smaller hole through the far shoulder. It did not exit the animal, but he took two steps and was DRT. Another shot at 325 yds passed through a blackbuck, and the exit hole was big enough to hit a tennis ball through. Last deer at 100 yds, using a 168, entered the back part of the thorax and exited at the base of the neck on the opposite side (quartering away quite a bit), with a large exit hole. The same bullet consistently pounds the gong at 750 yds. No other bullet that I have shot will do all those things. I do not have experience with A-Max on game, though. As far as dependability on game, I prefer the standard soft-point bullet at shorter ranges, and I would use a full-out target bullet shooting targets. The advantage of the standard soft-point bullet is that it is more likely to pass through completely, and it is the exit wound that provides your blood trail. I also shot a large sow with a 155 Berger hunting VLD, broadside chest shot, and she staggered into the woods. The bullet did not pass through, and there was not a drop of blood (tracking dog got no scent). Lost her tracks in the rocks, and never recovered her. That's why I mention the preference for soft-points when they can be used.

[goinssr]

With all due respect for the game animal that you are hunting, use match bullets for target shooting and bullets designed for hunting when hunting! Match bullets are NOT designed to deliver the terminal ballistics that are needed for quick, humane, kills (key word:humane) I realize that some have shot game animals with their match bullets and have done so with some degree of success but it is never a good idea. If you are going to hunt please have enough respect for what you hunt to do everything in your power to kill quickly and minimize the chances of having to track the animal for a long distance and taking the chance of losing it.

[Sniper Elite]

Did anyone try lapua 185 gr scenar from 308win, 26" SS (Savage 12 vlp) barrel for target shooting -- 100, 300, 600, 1000m? What powder would be the best, I have Ruag-Thun cases.
Any tested loads?
thx

[Sniper Elite]

No one? Or maybe Lapuah Lock base 170 gr loads?