I've got an SSK custom XP in 308 on it's way to me.

I've played with the 308 a bit in a rifle, but have never found a load that really pleased me.

What kind of bullet do ya'll like out of your 308? This gun will be used almost entirely on blacktail deer, which average 90-125 pounds. Bullet expansion is paramount - a lot of bullets just zip through them before they even start to expand.

Was thinking about using a 125-130 grain bullet, but it seems most like 150's. I'm worried about bullet expansion with that weight of bullet, since a lot of those are designed with 300 Magnum rifles in mind, not handguns.

Any advise would be helpful, as I have zero experience with this cartridge in a handgun and I'm sort of in the dark at the moment.

Thanks guys,
Brian.

The Nosler BT's I have found work well at handgun velocities.I think the 150s would work well!

What is the barrel length?
I would use the 150 NBT as well.
Not sure how the 125NBT performs at 308 Win MV's.

The 155 grain A-Max might be a good choice.
I have used the A-Max in 6.5 and 7mm for whitetail, muley's and antelope with great success.
Cartridge capacity was 6.5-284, 7mm SAUM and 7mm WSM.
With the WSM and the 162 A-Max we (Dan and I) killed antelope from under 200 to as further than you would, and the bullets performed great each time.
Just never used them in a 308 Win, so I can't comment from experience.

Gregg Richter has a lot of experience with the 308.
I do not.

165 gr Nosler BTs are very accurate in my 15" Encore barrel with Reloader 15 at just over 2200 fps. Ballistic Tips are supposed to expand at velocities as low as 1600 fps. This info is from Noslers site.

Ballistic Tip:
Minimum Impact Velocity for Reliable Expansion- 1600 fps
Maximum Impact Velocity for Reliable Expansion- 3000 fps

I use the 150 Hornady Spire point, nothing exotic. The 150 Nosler Ballistic Tip is also fine, but more expensive.

When I called Nosler they said the 125 NBT was designed with the 30-30 in mind. They said it did well in handguns and would work just fine out of my 30-30 AI. The gent strongly encouraged the 150 NBT because the 125's were a tough bullet, but he didn’t think I would have complete penetration on hogs.

When I called Hornady they told me not to use the 150's because they are designed for rifle velocities. They told me to use the 125's.

I went with the 150 NBT’s because my 30-30 AI barrel has a long troat and is set up for the heavier bullets.

Ernie,
It's got a 16 inch barrel, including the muzzle break. So probably more like 15 in actual length.

I wasn't aware of the 155 grain A-Max. I know I really like their 120 grain V-Max out of my 7 BR.

Have any of ya'll tried Sierra Matchkings out of a specialty pistol? I see that they make a pretty snazzy looking 135 grain boat tail in 30 caliber.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

Brian.

The old Hornady 165 gr is the bullet that made the reputation for the 309 JDJ. The 308 will be somewhat similar, IMHO, to the 309. Thus, I would think that the 165 Hornady would work well in the caliber, even though it may be a little "more" bullet than you need for blacktail deer.

Brian,
Brakes will typically run from an 1-1.5 inches in length.
I have used SMK's with success on deer but not that many times and never in 30 caliber.
I have used the 115 DTAC's (Made by Sierra) in my 6-284 on whitetail and antelope, and I have used the 142 SMK in a couple of different 6.5's on whitetail.
Sierra's GameKing worked great for me on deer.

Ernie,
I've used Sierra Game Kings quite a bit, mainly in a 7mm Remington Magnum rifle (160 grain BTSP). They always worked well. Never really considered them for use in a handgun for some reason. I'll take a look at what they offer in 30 caliber and see if anything appeals to me.

Brian.

Nosler BT's in 150 Gr. would be my 1st choice. 125 Nosler Bt's come a close 2nd. I have used both to good effect on 15 or so antelope in the same weight range as your blacktails. All were one shot kills out to 300 yards. The calibers were 30 Bower AK (similar to a 308) and a 10" 30 Herrett.

You can't go wrong with a Nosler BT for game to 150 pounds or so. I've even used the 165 BT's on elk.

Bill

I used to use the 180 SGK with my 7.82 Patriot XP-No longer have that barrel. It worked great on pd's through elk. It was running around 2775 from the muzzle though.
I would assume they have a 150 gr. SGK-I think that is what I would look at if I went the SGK route.

BTW-Congrats on the XP!
Your first?

It's my third XP. I've also got a 7 BR and a 223.

Brian.

Great

Has anyone ever tried the Speer 130 grain HP?

Brian.

Regarding Nosler BT's in .308 caliber.

309 JDJ - 2300-2400fps. I've been shooting my 309 for a long time and lost count of how many deer I've taken with it. I would recommend 150-165gr BT bullets for deer and hogs. Personally I think the 125 is too light for either for my tastes.

300 Whisper 1950fps. - I've killed deer, blackbuck, and exotic sheep with the 125's and everything died but a good sized VA buck shot in the heart did not have an exit wound. I know my 309 with the 150's would have punched through. I love the 300 Whisper for smaller critters in the size range of blackbuck and sheep and TX whitetails with careful shot placement. I shot two spikes this year with the 300, one of which was about 200 yards out; he went 50 yards and piled up. If I was after a big bodied buck I would up the ante to the 309.

Try the Hornady 130 gr. sp, I use it in both my 308 and 30/06 Encores. Every deer that I have killed with this bullet has left an exit hole, the bullet # is 3020 good luck.

I have used the 130 gr. speer in my 30-30-10 in for 1 deer ,worked very well at 30-30 vel. I have also used the 130 Speer on 1 deer out of my savage striker .308 .A broadside shot at 40 yds.thru the meat on back side of shoulder and top of heart only ribs no other bones hit. Bullet did exit off side .Blood shot both shoulders bad, bullet fragments under skin at entrance hole and through out chest cavity. ruined a lot of meat.
Judgeing from one experience they are to explosive at .308 vel.
I normaly use 165 gr. sierra b.t. s.p. and they work well on deer. Both 130 speer and 165 sierra's shoot under 3/4 in. in the striker, the 165 h.p. sierra not so well. hope this helps

I've got a box or two of those sitting around here somewhere. I used to shoot them out of one of my 30 caliber rifles (can't remember which one at the moment).

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll load some up when I do load development.

Brian.

Junebug,
Thanks for the info. Sounds like that 130 grain Speer is a little bomb out of the 308. I shoot the 125 grain Speer Pro Hunter spitzer out of my Dominator 30-30. Haven't gotten a chance to shoot any game with it yet, but it's extremely accurate out of my gun.

Thanks much,
Brian.

I've used the 125gr NBT's, 150gr NBT's and 130gr speer, in my encore .308. I have no complaints with any of them. For southern whitetail, they have all performed well. As of late, I've been using the 125 NBT's pushed with 50 grains of W748; they are awesome on southern whitetails. I've taken deer out to 217 yards (if memory serves me) and all were DRT. The only one I didn't have a complete passthrough on, was the 217 yard shot. If you're shoot'n animals larger than 150lbs, and want pass through shots, I would recommend the 150 NBT's (You won't be disappointed).

Can anyone satisfy my curiosity as I do not have a chronograph? I read the loading manuals and wonder how close the published velocities are to reality. In a 15 inch .308 Winchester launching the 150 grain NBT, what can be anticipated? I know that there are slow guns and fast guns. I usually load Varget in my 7-30 Waters Contender and the Hodgdon manual shows it delivering 2675 f.p.s. with 47.0 grains in the .308.

Trust KRal! He gave me the same load to try. I made my longest hit with the 125 gr. NBT last year.(whitetail deer) Just over 200 yards and down she went. I have also taken wild hogs with this load.

Wheeler, check out Hodgdon's websight. From what I can see you are looking at 2600-2700fps with a 15in barrel.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Hodgdon data is pretty darn close in my experiences, but there is no substitute for a chrony if you really want to dial it in.

Thanks for all the opinions guys! Gives me something to ponder.

Brian.

The velocities listed in most manuals are usually a bit higher than what my loads come in at. In my experinces, it seems like straight wall cartridge velocities are usually closer to what the manuals show than bottle neck cartridges.

Wheelchair Bandit:
Sounds like you got plenty of advice and consequently, choices.

And I see that several giving advice like Nosler Ballistic Tips.

For what it is worth (and I have said this a number of times here already) I have been blessed with starting and organizing the Handgun Hunters International Antelope Hunt for 24 consecutive years now, and have personally seen about every one of the 600 plus antelope killed plus had the pleasure of hearing most of the stories...

The only reason I bring this up in this post is that it relates to the post's question of 'bullet selection,' and most of us like to hear from experience in the field, so please bear with me.

From the hunt start (1987) and up into the early 2000's, many of my antelope hunters concurred and gave a nickname to the Nosler Ballistic Tips:
"Ballistic Bombs"
This was due to the explosive nature of this bullet on antelope, and in several different calibers, including .308. And I will vouch for that; having seen it...

Recently I have heard "through the grapevine" or ?? that some years ago ? Nosler became aware of this problem with the Ballistic Tips and changed their design by "beefing them up," without announcing it publicly. This may be why many of you have used them with good results.

In the meantime, most of the readers that have been here on HHM for a while, know that I am a diehard Nosler Partition bullet afficionado. In my "Handgunning Mule Deer and Pronghorn Antelope" video, there are many kills made with a Partition Bullet. I like the Partition Bullet because it has a "soft front nose" for expansion, and a rear locked in core for penetration. In my opinion, it gives the best of both worlds. My son Joe and I have used the Partitions in .30 caliber pistols on a couple dozen deer, elk, and antelope with great results; and I believe that if it ain't broke, then don't fix it. Just my 2 cents worth.

PS: Some may argue that the Partitions are not known as an "accuracy bullet," but for the ranges I am comfortable at for shooting game, they are plenty accurate.

By the way, I DO like the 150 grain Ballistic Tips for antelope in .308. But for big mule deer and definitely, for elk, I would recommend the Partitions. Again: JMHO

...bandit,

I've used Remington Core-Lokt, WW PSP, Hornady InterLocks, and Sierra Game Kings ( not Match Kings ) in 150s in my 309 JDJs and 308 WCF XPs for years. Vels. run about 2300-2400 fps. I've taken bunches of antelope, whitetails, and muleys with'em. The are the old cup-and-core bullets, very inexpensive, and work fantastic at handgun velocities. There is definately a place for the "plain jane" non "designer" bullets, especially at handgun velocities. How is the Goerg transcription going? I definitely want on the receipt list!

Doc

Gregg,
Thanks for the response. You are certainly right about the "evolution" of the Ballistic Tip. A friend of mine in the early-mid 90's shot a 300 Weatherby Magnum with either 150 or 165 grain Ballistic Tips (I don't recall which). I recall seeing a buck he shot with the load, about a 150 pound blacktail. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "Was this deer blown up with a hand grenade?" The *entrance* hole was nearly the size of a pie plate.

According to John Barness, Nosler started thickening the jackets on the particular Ballistic Tips that they knew would be used on big game in the late 90's/early 2000's.

I've watched your video several times, and that Nosler Parition sure seems to be working for you and your son. The vast majority of the game shot on the video are DRT, although a lot of that is due to very good shot placement on your guy's part.

Brian.

Doc,
I'm a big fan of the Remington Core-Lokt (probably my favorite bullet), but for some reason wasn't really considering them for this 308. I think I've got Core-Lokt 125's and 165's already, but no 150's.

I agree with you that for the vast majority of the game hunted in North America, you don't really need a "designer" bullet in a handgun. Cup n' core will work just fine for deer, black bear and pigs if you put the bullets where they belong.

And the Goerg transcription starts tomorrow - I finished reading the book last night, then had to let my old man read it as well. He just gave it back to me a few minutes ago, so I'll start working on it tomorrow. BTW, it's one of the best hunting books I have ever read, and I've read most of them. Just reading it makes you want to pick up a pistol and go hunting ASAP. There are some very, very exciting stories in it.

I'll let you know as soon as I finish it. The only thing that's going to be tricky is the photos, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Brian.

I have a bunch of old 6.5mm NBT's in 120gr. I haven't bought new ones in years. So don't know about Nosler beefing them up. I can attest that after shooting a deer at a measured 334 yards( I was testing the bullet and gun and myself) the deer I shot looked like a grenade had gone off in it. It was a head on quatering towards me in the right shoulder and blew the left ham to pieces.Definately did some damage!

Well crap. The 308 got here yesterday, and it has severe throat erosion. It's going back Monday.

Thanks for the advise guys, but it seems a 308 isn't in the cards right now.

Brian.

So sorry to hear it had a bad barrel.

It was shocking Ernie. Didn't look like it had ever been cleaned. I let it soak overnight, and put several hours in scrubbing it. It only looked worse when I was finished. Severe throat erosion for the first 2-3 inches, then scattered pitting the rest of the length of the barrel.

I don't know how someone shoots out a single shot, bolt action 308 handgun, but they managed to do it.

Brian.

Shooting loads too hot IMHO...

If I had to guess the reason they got rid of it is because it wasn’t grouping anymore... ...

I think shooting without regards to barrel temperature is what did it, along with general negligance in cleaning.



The dealer I bought it from claimed he shot it and that it was "accurate". I didn't ask him to define what he meant by "accurate". I'm sure it would keep all shots on a pie plate at 50 yards, but that's not exactly the kind of accuracy I'm looking for out of a custom XP-100.


Brian.

Very sad indeed

In the end, it's going to cost me close to $100 to do nothing but clean someone else's barrel. Good times!

Brian.

Best of luck, Brian, on this endeavor. If people just abided by the Golden Rule; life would be so much better...