handloads for 308 10fp

[CRD]

I'm new to this forum, and I was wondering if any of you guys had a hunting load that you like in your 10fp.(308) I know that no two rifles shoot just alike, but it will help me find a good starting point.

thanks

[1Shot]

...Look in the standard load catagory...You'll find plenty..Since the .308 is not a wildcat...

[tammons]

Varies a lot from person to person.
What are you hunting ??

I like a few loads.

Last year I loaded 110 gr Vmax bullets in a slightly reduced load for
one rifle and used that for neck shots on deer at 100-150 yards.
No recoil and they will drop a deer on the spot with a neck shot.

The barnes 130 gr tipped TSX is a good heavy hitter without much recoil.

A lot of guys here and everywhere hunt with 150-165 grainers.

Lately I have been loading the 208 gr amax over RL17.

I can get about 2500 fps out of a 19" barrel which will stay supersonic past 1000 yards.
It has a SD of over .3 so its a heavy hitter even though it will probably shed its jacket.
Has some decent recoil too.

Reason I load it is I have one field I hunt hogs in that is about 800 yards long.
.3 for an Amax is good on hogs but probably an overkill for deer.
Got a complete pass through on a 250++# boar at 300 yards witht eh 7mm 162 gr amax
which also has a SD of over .3

I also load 220 gr roundnose prohunters for a brush round for hunting hogs in swamps and whatnot.

[GabbyM]

I'll toss in my 2 cents worth of a 308.
Versatile round as you know.
Many like a 150 grain bullet for light big game like deer. If it were me I'd run a 165 grain for hunting and the 168gr MK for targets. Using the same load and almost identical trajectories. Trajectory will be as close as your ability to measure or guess yardage and windage. Plus IMHO you'll have a little less meat damage with the slightly heavier slower bullet. I've been a Hornady Interlock fan for decades. They work and they are cheap. Speer has some new bullets out called Deep Curl. An advertised improvement on there hot core. Sierra I use in match and varmint bullets but there big game bullets are week. Wouldn't' matter much with deer. Especially at 308 win velocity. Sierra makes the 165 Game King to pair with it's 169gr MK. Which is a great plan. They also do this with 22 caliber 69MK and 65 GK. Speer makes the 165 SBT with a BC of .520. Which is what I'd chose over the Sierra for hunting. The Speer boat tails are built lighter to expand at long range while there hot core, Deep Curl and Grand Slam flat bases are all progressively heavier.

For anything larger than deer or hogs I'd definitely use a 180 grain bullet. Hornady IL or Speer flat base. The bullets are built heavier in that weight and at the 2,500 fps a 308 will run them they will retain most of there weight to push through the big critters. You can spend more money on bullets but I”m cheep. A Speer grand slam in 180 grain is as tough a bullet as you could need at 308 velocity. Deep curls are new so we really don't know what they do outside advertising. For bear I'd load a 200 grain Grans Slam over a charge of RX15 at 2,500 fps. That bullet is designed to run in the big magnums and at 2,500fps I'd expect it to almost stay in one piece. Penetration is 90% of the goal with those critters.
Flat base bullets fly straight and resist tumbling after impact unlike boat tails.

So many bullets to choose from in 30 caliber you can find one to fit the target. Even 125 grain SP's that can shoot at 3,000 fps as flat as a 223 runs. A light varmint constructed bullet will greatly reduce ricochet which a big game 30 cal will do up in spades. They will seriously bounce a mile. So if you go coyote hunting I'd highly recommend a high fragmenting varmint bullet.