Hunting loads for the 10TR?

[telsonman]

Ok so this is my hunting rifle. I already have a 24in model 10 in an HS precision for my long gun. I was going to get a HH for a new deer gun, but I found the TR for cheaper. Anyway, I tried all season to find the best factory hunting load. I tried 150gr winchester silver box, 150gr federal vital shock, 150gr CL and 180gr CL. Out of those four, it was a toss up between the 150 CL and the 180 CL, with the 180 coming in a tad better. We're talking like 1.5 moa, which is unacceptable to me.

It shoots FGMM 168 like a dream, and I can cover the groups with a time most of the time. I haven't tried any 165gr hunting, like the hornady whitetail or the fusion (can't find any).

has anyone else hunted with their TR this past season or found a good hunting load?

[Hotolds442]

I've had really good accuracy out of 3 different short barreled .308 rifles using the Sierra 150 SBT over 42.5gr of IMR3031. I've used that load for years, and it seems to burn well, without any excess unburied powder leaving the barrel. I prefer the 150's for the .308, 165's for the '06, and 180's in the 300winmag but that's just my preference. As always, drop 10% and work your way up looking for signs of excess pressure in YOUR rifle.
If you're tied down to factory loads, you pretty much just have to shoot what you can get to find the loads that work best for you. 150gr CL's have always performed well for me on deer sized game, and are accurate enough to shoot minute-of-deer.

[telsonman]

Yeah, its just where I hunt you have opportunities to reach out and touch deer to 5-600 yds, granted I won't take one past 450 because there are just too many variables to play with out far. I like to keep it under 300 so I don't have to factor wind in too much. This is another reason why I need to find a good factory load. I don't want to risk a gut shot because of ammo.

I'm curious if I should order some 165gr since mine likes 168 fgmm.