308 ammo question.

[duck_phoo]

I just bought a 110 in 308, I know that every rifle may like a different round. With that being said, what is the most consistently accurate round that you have shot? Not looking to spend hundreds of doll hairs on ammo to find what my rifle likes. Just wanting a good stating point of 2-4 different rounds.

[hamiltonkiler]

Serria match kings are the knees.
They have a new 169gn the old 168gn and the 1000yd king 175gn.

Federal gold metal match or black hills.

Cheers good mate.

SMKings… [emoji106]


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[Dave Hoback]

You want this to be in Ammunition & Reloading Forum here.

To your question, if you are using factory, you may very well need to spend quite a bit to find what it likes. You may get lucky on the first try. No way to know. Reloading is how to find the most accurate for any rifle/barrel. All I can say is to stay away from surplus…no Winchester White Box, or PPU Range ammo. Also stay away from ammunition using FMJ bullets. And although hunting ammunition may be accurate, it likely won’t be the most accurate. So, best to stay away from Soft Point, Partition, STT & most Bonded bullet ammunition. These bullets are made short & heavy, & lack high Ballistic Coefficient numbers. Look for ammunition using Open Tip Match, Boat Tail & Ballistic Tip bullets. Sierra, Hornady, Norma, Nosler, Fiocci, Lapua, Underwood, Federal, & Black Hills all produce Match loaded ammunition. A place like MidwayUSA is great to look through all the available branded and loads. Your local gun store is about the worst place to find the best ammo. Good luck

[CFJunkie]

I'd start with 168 Sierra Match Kings.
hamiltonkiler is right on with the factory Federal Gold Medal Match and Black Hills being good choices.
I think they both also sell versions with Nosler 168 CCs - they shoot good too.

I have two Sierra .308s and both shoot 168 gr SMKs and TMKs well.
One shoots 155 TMKs slightly better and the other shoots 175 SMKs and TMKs and 195 TMKs slightly better, but both barrels shoot 168 SMK and TMKs very well.
The 168s seem to fit right between the two barrel's favorites, so even if your barrel has a light or heavy bullet preference, the 168s should be a good starting point.
You'll be learning the feel of your new rifle with ammo that should shoot well enough to satisfy you out of the box.

[charlie b]

What do you want to use it for? Hunting is usually a different answer than range use.

These guys have some info on factory match ammo
https://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html

For hunting Sierra also makes the Game King ammo. I'd also look at some of the other premium stuff.

It will not be cheap. I'd figure out what weight bullet I need based on the intended target (elk, deer, coyote, etc) then get a box of stuff in that weight to try. Federal has loads with some of the premium bullets. Then there are the Hornady, such as the ELD-X line, Barnes, etc.

If the selected box doesn't shoot well, then I would be inclined to try a different weight bullet of the same brand/bullet (if you can find some). For example, if deer hunting then a 150gn bullet first and if that didn't do well then try 168. For elk I'd start with 175 and then maybe 168.

FWIW, Savage used to use Federal Gold Medal 168gn ammo for testing in the .308.

[Hdskip]

My best hunting load was 150 Sierra Game Kings with 46.5 gr of 748. With large rifle primers.

[jkv45]

As others have mentioned - target or hunting?

What distance?

As mentioned - Federal Gold Medal Match (FGMM) 168gr SMK is often an excellent performer, as long as you are target shooting and stay under about 800 yards.

FGMM 175gr SMK is usually the better choice after that.

My .308 Savage Model 10 FCP HS Precision likes Lapua 175gr Scenar-Ls slightly better than the 175gr SMKs past 600 yards.

[prdatr]

Start with this and see how it shoots.

https://www.texasammunition.com/product-p/r-fed-308-150-fmj-nt.htm

[Dave Hoback]

150gr Soft Point? Ok. :tea: Like I had said, I’d probably lean towards an Open Tip or Ballistic Tip. And certainly a Boat Tail bullet. But then, we haven’t heard back from the OP as to if this for hunting, or general/long distance target shooting.

[Fuj']

If not reloading..... IMI (Israeli) OTM 175gr M118-LR. They use Sierra bullets. One of
the most accurate 7.62 rounds I have shot out of a 10 twist bolt gun. sgammo.com is
my usual source. Buy it by the ammo can.

[hamiltonkiler]

Target or hunting a match king.
No deer or elk is walking off a well placed match king through the shoulders. Cheers


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[wbm]

If not reloading..... IMI (Israeli) OTM 175gr M118-LR.

+1

If reloading, use the above bullet with an appropriate amount of IMR-4064.

[jkv45]

If not reloading..... IMI (Israeli) OTM 175gr M118-LR. They use Sierra bullets. One of
the most accurate 7.62 rounds I have shot out of a 10 twist bolt gun. sgammo.com is
my usual source. Buy it by the ammo can.
Have you ever tried their 168gr SMK rounds?

[vince_ross]

One ammo brand that 2 of my 308's really shoot well is called Australian Outback. They're 168gr Sierra HPBT Match Kings and they shoot incredible consistent groups. I bought these at Cabela's several years ago and can't find them anywhere since (I should've bought a few more boxes).
I also would recommend 168gr SMK's if you reload.

[charlie b]

I know others who have done well with the 168SMKs, but, mine did not care for them that much. The 168AMax were ok but the 155's (ELDm and Berger) and 175's (SMK and 178ELDm) were better.

While the 155's were excellent at 600yd, they were only ok at 1000yd. The 175's were just easier to hit with at 1000yd. My first 5rnd group was sub MOA and I had a 6" group right after that one. I just don't like the recoil of the full bore 175 loads.

[duck_phoo]

Thanks for all the info. Primarily hunting deer and hog inside of 100 yds, maybe 150.

[charlie b]

Then I'd just get the bullet that performs best on the target. They are all capable of less than 3" at 150yd. Even the less expensive stuff.

[Dave Hoback]

Thanks for all the info. Primarily hunting deer and hog inside of 100 yds, maybe 150.


Ok.. so yeah.. you are hunting. Which means you should look for the most accurate hunting round, which is going to be a far cry from the MOST ACCURATE round period. The Sierra Match King’s, the the Berger VLD’s, the Lapua Scenar’s, the Hornady ELD-M’s… all become a “No Go” for your intended purpose.

Luckily, there are some really accurate hunting bullets made. I would try the Sierra 165gr Tipped Game Kings.

[hamiltonkiler]

Just by Remington core locs

Winchester soft points..

Federal fusion line is great.


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[prdatr]

Just by Remington core locs

Winchester soft points..

Federal fusion line is great.


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Agree 100%.