Aug 2010
Deer hunting for meat only
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I am primarily a bow hunter and I got to that age when things just need to be easier. This year I just want to hunt for venison and not a trophy. I dug through my garage and found my .308 Remington. So my question is what grain and type of round should I use for minimal meat damage? I’d like to reload later down the road as well. My question for this old timer is what would be the preferable setup for my type of hunting? Powder type and amount, primer, bullet, any other variables?
Thanks,
Travis
I use and highly recommend the 150 gr Sierra’s because they get the job done! That and the Winchester 150 gr. Ballistic Silvertip. It’s been killing deer since the day I started using them. Also, I’ve tried the Remington Core Loks and they would fail at times depending on the shot. As recommended the Sierras and Winchesters perform flawlessly.The 308 approximates the power of the original loadings of the 30-06, designed to penetrate an earthen embankment and then a steel helmet! Sportsmen have found that this weapon with 200 grain bullets is adequate for big Brown bear species, often requiring multiple hits for fastest put-down. The 180 grain moose bullets have found use in trophy deer harvest, as their strong construction and heavier weight to limit velocity, combine to give extremely deep penetration from the modest expansion, allowing the Texas Heart Shot (from the rear) to ensure the trophy of a lifetime doesn’t get away, at the sacrifice of much venison to gut juices. The same big bullet on broadside presentations, offers reduced venison damage, from the explosive results of using 150-165 grain bullets on deer. It has been suggested by many that the extreme waste of venison from the lighter bullets at 308/30-06 power on deer may not even be legal. Mostly, the high recoil of the full loads is simply unnecessary to endure on mere deer.
IMR-4064 powder is known for consistent performance at a variety of temperatures. I use it when appropriate. The Hornady manual shows many midrange 308 loads for low-recoiling 150 grain bullets (Nosler Partition being the best) halfway to 30-30 velocities, which still have plenty of power and trajectory for elk. Low recoil means better shooter accuracy, and more fun!
Hope this helps.
With a 308 cartridge you want to stay with 165 more so,with 180 grain bullets and the short case neck you get powder impingement and decreasing performance if using SAMMI COL lengths. You could use 150 grain,but I’ve always had better luck with 165s in 30 calibers for consistent accuracy and performance. I always recommend a bonded core or controlled expansion bullet for game,even deer. I use the Nosler Accu-Bond and the Barnes Triple Shock bullets in my 30-06 and 300 WSM, and I have absolute confidence in either out to 400 yards (hand loads). These type bullets retain near all their mass,don’t tend to fragment and have dynamic terminal effectiveness. As for bullet design, for me the standard cup and core bullets just don’t look as good once I started reloading,and event he Nosler Ballistic Tip is too frangible for my taste. Having used the Accu-Bonds I trust them, and having friends use the Barnes on an African hunt plus my using one on a bison (we bought it,not hunting) they have been 100% effective on deer,elk,Cape Buffalo,everything.
As for minimal meat damage, that comes with shot placement of a good bullet. Many standard bullets expand quickly,some near explosively ,so there can be a lot of kinetic energy transferred into the upper surfaces instead of deeper into the vitals. If you look at the Barnes video,that position on the deer,directly behind the front “ham” and about 1/3 up the chest is ideal for taking out heart,lungs,aortic arch,and many times the Barnes will “over penetrate” giving an exit wound,but they aren’t large. Perfect bullet performance puts 100%of the energy into the animal,so the bullet ends up against the opposite ribs,but having an exit isn’t a bad thing most of the time. Most of the bullets in the second link are bonded core or Barnes-and Barnes also makes Varmint Grenades-intended to expand explosively for varmints.
As for specific reloading info, you need 2 or 3 reloading manuals and then cross reference loads with the bullet supplier and the powder supplier for good loads and places to start. Never trust mine,your uncle Bob’s or anyone else reloading information until you verify it . With that being said,BL-C(2),Varget, IMR 4064 are good powders to start with. I use CCI Large Rifle primers,but primers are what ever you can get these days, and normally not critical in a hunting round.
I use Nosler 150 grain BT in Remington brass with 42 grains of IMR 4064 and the CCI large rifle primers. This has worked very well for me in my Remington Model 700 in 30-06 for the past 5 years. The 308 and 30-06 are both 30 caliber bullets so the same setup should work, except maybe the amount of powder you would use. I would use a 150 grain bullet of your preference. Powder use IMR 4064, primers I would use CCI. This should work well.
I suggest that you would load up about 3 or 4 – 5 rounds sets of different varieties of bullets. Take them to the range and see what your rifle likes. If you can get ballistic gel then you will be able to see how much damage a particular bullet will do.
Good luck and have fun.