Good ammo in .308 for deer hunting

[LucasMcCain]

Searched first and didn't see a discussion. I picked up a Ruger American in .308 from Gander Mountain's going out of business sale. I'm hoping to get to go deer hunting for the first time this fall. I have a scope on the rifle, and I need to take it out and sight it in. I'm told you should do so with the same ammo you're planning to hunt with. I know way more about handgun ammo than I do rifle ammo, so I was wondering if y'all could steer me in the right direction for what to look for. Brand, bullet weight, anything else to look out for would all be great. Thanks.

[KC5AV]

I have had good luck with 168 or 175 gr. bullets from various makers, but I'm rarely shooting deer beyond 75 yards. A lot will probably depend on what your rifle likes. Mine (Rem 700 AAC-SD) likes heavier bullets. The Ruger American has the same 1:10 twist as my Remington, so you might start out with something like in the 168 to 175 gr. range in a Sierra Matchking or a Hornady Amax or ELD-x.

I have handloaded both of the Hornady bullets for mine, and had very good results on paper targets.

[txglock21]

The last three deer I have taken with Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain in my Mossberg .308. I used to deer hunt with my 30.06 until I bought my .308. I have yet to miss a deer with it even as my eyesight gets worse.
Btw, you don't have to go through a whole box of shells to sight it in unless you are having some serious issues.

[canvasbck]

https://www.orrtactical.com/store/produ ... -20-rounds

These will be more consistent than anything you will find mass produced. They are made by a retired Marine Colonel right here in Texas.

ETA: If you want REAL tack driving accuracy, you can take your gun by Orr Tactical in Needville and they will work up a load for your individual gun. Custom ammo will be pricey and the out of the box stuff is outstanding as is, but custom ammo is an option.

[uthornsfan]

I have had really good luck with Winchester Super-X Ammunition 308 PowerPoint in both 150 and 180 grain. I have bagged 3 deer and 3 pigs. They all have dropped on the spot minus 1 pig which I had to shoot through the front shoulder plate. He ran 20-30 yards and dropped in the orchard so I didn't have to track him.

[BHill]

I use Federal ammunition with the 165 Game Kings. They track the same as my Gold medal match 168's out to 300 yards. That being said if i didn't have plenty of inventory and was looking I would give the guys at ORR a shout.

[Jago668]

I've had good luck on hogs with Nosler Partition 165gr.

[troglodyte]

The last three deer I have taken with Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain in my Mossberg .308. I used to deer hunt with my 30.06 until I bought my .308. I have yet to miss a deer with it even as my eyesight gets worse.
Btw, you don't have to go through a whole box of shells to sight it in unless you are having some serious issues.

Core-Lokt serve you well. You may have to play around with weights to see if your rifle likes one better than the other, no different than any other rifle round.

[WTR]

165 gr. Game kings.

[Weg]

The Ruger American is a great gun for the money, and the .308 is about the best all around cartridge. As for ammo, I have found that just about any softpoint from 150 grains and up will put down Texas Deer no problem. I've handloaded for years so I can't really speak for loaded ammo other than to comment on what a friend uses in his AR 10 to kill hogs. He uses 150 Grain factory loaded Hornady SST ammo. The ammo groups very well in his gun, sub moa at 100 yards. I have seen him shoot many hogs large and small, and only one has ever run off, which happens now and again with big hogs no matter what you shoot them with. My favorite bullet to handload for hunting is the plain old Remington Core-Lokt, they can be had for less than the newer fancy hunting bullets, are accurate enough, and have never failed me on hogs or deer.

[puma guy]

I usually hunt with my .270 Model 70 but occasionally I use my Model 88 .308. I also gave my son-in-law a model 742 Remington in .380. I shoot Federal Premium Vital Shok in the .270's and the .308's and I gave my son-in-law several boxes of my ammo. The Federal .308 is product number P308C, 165gr Sierra GameKing Boat-tail soft point. Federal Premium is the most consistent ammo I've found in almost 25 years of deer hunting. Even from one batch to another. Whatever ammunition you decide on I suggest you buy look for the batch number and buy several boxes of the same batch. Watch for rebate offers if you go with the Federal.

https://www.federalpremium.com/ammuniti ... l-sp/p308c

[flechero]

Whatever ammunition you decide on I suggest you buy look for the batch number and buy several boxes of the same batch.

That was to be my suggestion as well... today's hunting ammo is generally good across the board so if you stick to name brands marketed for deer, you should be fine.

Personally I would buy 2-3 boxes of various loads that meet your criteria and shoot all of them. The one that shoots most accurately would be my choice and I'd go buy 3-4 boxes of the same lot number. (qty depends on your wallet, amount of hunting you want to do and how often you think you'll want to re-zero or confirm POI)

[The Annoyed Man]

I've had pretty good luck in accuracy from hunting ammo with Federal Fusion 165 grain .308. That's fired from a 1:10 twist heavy barreled Remington 700. It's not "match accuracy", but it is pretty good. I've averaged about 1" to 1.5" groups at 100 yards with it. And the bullet is designed specifically for thin skinned game like white tail deer: http://federalpremium.com/ammunition/ri ... le/f308fs2. They also have the same cartridge with a 180 grain bullet that should perform well in a 1:10 barrel.