Best factory 308 win deer hunting ammo?

[j-bird]

Ok - I have a 308 ordered so now the next question is which ammo should I look at for it? I realize I have to find out what ammo works best for the rifle (from an accuracy perspective)....but one of the reasons I selected 308 is because of the HUGE selection of factory ammo out there for it.

So to start we are hunting deer at ranges of 200 yards or less. What ammo will perform the best as far as harvesting that animal is concerned?

I plan on buying or trying ammo from different companies and bullet weights and the like to see what the rifle shoots best.....but there is no point finding an accurate ammo that performs poorly on game!

 

[Elkaddict]

Big fan of cheap federal blue box or rem cor-lokt in 150. Both regularly shoot<1” in my AR10 (LaRue PredatAR). Nothing fancy, just dead reliable.

 

[E_308]

I used Remington cor-lok or Hornady interlock 165 grain in mine before I started reloading.

 

[Mo-Ape]

TREMENDOUS success with Hornady Superperformance SST in 150 and 165 grains


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[swat1018]

For match accuracy you can buy more expensive rounds, but Federal Gold Metal Match 168gr BTHP, is still a great, accurate round for close to mid-range (up to500yd). I've killed a lot of critters with it too, including a speed goat at 592 yards...

 

[Docfather]

Ok - I have a 308 ordered so now the next question is which ammo should I look at for it? I realize I have to find out what ammo works best for the rifle (from an accuracy perspective)....but one of the reasons I selected 308 is because of the HUGE selection of factory ammo out there for it.

So to start we are hunting deer at ranges of 200 yards or less. What ammo will perform the best as far as harvesting that animal is concerned?

I plan on buying or trying ammo from different companies and bullet weights and the like to see what the rifle shoots best.....but there is no point finding an accurate ammo that performs poorly on game!

You probably won't find much for hunting cartridges that flat out "don't work" on game. Just purchase the correct type of bullet - HP or SP - and you'll be fine. Avoid anything that is intended for match shooting. OTM bullets are not designed to expand like a hollow point or soft point and certainly aren't needed for a sub 200 yd. shot anyway. You're right on when you said you'll test a few different kinds to see what your gun likes. I like to run a few boxes of the cheapest stuff I can find (usually FMJ's) to break in my barrel and zero my scope at 100 yds. Clean your barrel a couple times during that process and you'll be ready to find out what it really likes when you test different brands/loads for hunting. Don't get stuck on one grain weight either, you might find your barrel likes 165's more than 150's or 180's more than 168's etc. Good luck!