whats the 308 win effective range as a hunting round?

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hawk-i

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I picked up a Remington 783 (couldn't resist the price of 299.00) in 308 win a few months ago and in the last month have gotten around to playing with it a bit. I should say this isn't my only 308 but it is my first 308 bolt action rifle. In the past I've never really given this caliber much respect but now the more I shoot this rifle the more I like the 308 win.

After playing with a few different loads of components I had kicking around I found 180 Hornady interlock BTSP's (#3072) with anywhere from 45.2-45.6 grains of IMR 4064 to shoot pretty much into the same group so I settled on 45.4 grains in winchester cases and Fed 210 primers...might be a touch hot but doesn't yet show any high pressure signs at all in these colder weather conditions.

Being a budget rifle I stuck to the budget theme and installed a Sightron SI 4-12x40 AO HHR Tac (Adjustable turret) scope on it....this rifle/scope/reload combo (scope dialed up 13.5 MOA)will hit a 6" target at 600 yards with such regularity that it becomes boring.

Now at 600 yards the bullet is still going roughly 1625 ft/sec and has 1050 ft/lbs of energy....should be plenty for medium sized game? Shouldn't it? :)
 
The effective ramge of the 308 Winchester is farther than the average hunter can shoot well.
With that being said, dead on hold on a deer with proper sighting would be somehwere around 250 yards. a backline hold would stretch that to possibly 300 yards.
Good range estimation is, of course, paramount.
 
If thinking of the ethical issues, and you are saying you hit the target gong regularly at 600 where is the issue? Deer are not issued kevlar. Dead deer is a target the size of a dinner plate, at what distance you can do that is your ethical distance.

Since you are loading, might want to look into projectile choice, as a lot of premium bullets are not going to open well at low speeds. The interlock might be okay, perhaps even a Amax.
 
I agree, 250-275 yards is a simple point and shoot affair with proper zero. Anything beyond that and you need to start compensating for bullet drop.
 
snoopycda said:
The effective ramge of the 308 Winchester is farther than the average hunter can shoot well.
With that being said, dead on hold on a deer with proper sighting would be somehwere around 250 yards. a backline hold would stretch that to possibly 300 yards.
Good range estimation is, of course, paramount.
Click to expand...

The hold for my 308 is just a hair above the shoulder on a deer at 300m, shooting 150gr bullets
 
I love my 308,, I shoot 150 gr bullets max and have had great success with the 308, it will kill anything in alberta that I hunt as well as mag cal will with less recoil ,,, I think many try and shoot too far with too heavy a bullet 165 to 180 gr are fine for a 30-06 however 150 gr bullets shoot a little flatter and are plenty heavy even for the largest moose and bears my 2 cents worth
 
hawk-i said:
I picked up a Remington 783 (couldn't resist the price of 299.00) in 308 win a few months ago and in the last month have gotten around to playing with it a bit. I should say this isn't my only 308 but it is my first 308 bolt action rifle. In the past I've never really given this caliber much respect but now the more I shoot this rifle the more I like the 308 win.

After playing with a few different loads of components I had kicking around I found 180 Hornady interlock BTSP's (#3072) with anywhere from 45.2-45.6 grains of IMR 4064 to shoot pretty much into the same group so I settled on 45.4 grains in winchester cases and Fed 210 primers...might be a touch hot but doesn't yet show any high pressure signs at all in these colder weather conditions.

Being a budget rifle I stuck to the budget theme and installed a Sightron SI 4-12x40 AO HHR Tac (Adjustable turret) scope on it....this rifle/scope/reload combo (scope dialed up 13.5 MOA)will hit a 6" target at 600 yards with such regularity that it becomes boring.

Now at 600 yards the bullet is still going roughly 1625 ft/sec and has 1050 ft/lbs of energy....should be plenty for medium sized game? Shouldn't it? :)
Click to expand...

Most modern hunting bullets need 1700 fps to expand reliably, and down range velocity is dependent on your load and choice of bullet. For the sake of argument lets say between a quarter mile and 500 yards is about the limit for a .308 if you're using a typical pointed hunting bullet that weighs between 150 and 180 grs. Checking with JBM, sure enough your 180 gr Interlock with a MV of 2600 is bang on 1700 fps as it crosses the 500 yard mark. If you want to shoot big game beyond 500 yards with a .30 caliber rifle, a .300 magnum would seem appropriate, and increases the useful range where expansion can be counted on to about 700 yards, assuming a MV of 3000 fps with the same bullet. I believe that should one which to reach out to a half mile or more, a high velocity mid bore like a .338 Lapua or a .338-378 is in order, not to mention the high degree of dedication, the location, and the deep pockets necessary, to master long range marksmanship on game.
 
Instead of trowing a #, let say, the 308 effective range is more from the capibility of the individual holding the rifle... Your milage may vary a lot... JP.
 
The military says it is good to hunt humans at a fair distance.

Can the results be correlated to animals?That is the big debate.

The weak link will always be the individual behind the rifle.Maybe it is 50 yards maybe it is 500.

Personally on deer sized game,400-500ish with proper projectile.(not that I am capable, just my opinion on the chambering)
 
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Boomer said:
Most modern hunting bullets need 1700 fps to expand reliably, and down range velocity is dependent on your load and choice of bullet. For the sake of argument lets say between a quarter mile and 500 yards is about the limit for a .308 if you're using a typical pointed hunting bullet that weighs between 150 and 180 grs. Checking with JBM, sure enough your 180 gr Interlock with a MV of 2600 is bang on 1700 fps as it crosses the 500 yard mark. If you want to shoot big game beyond 500 yards with a .30 caliber rifle, a .300 magnum would seem appropriate, and increases the useful range where expansion can be counted on to about 700 yards, assuming a MV of 3000 fps with the same bullet. I believe that should one which to reach out to a half mile or more, a high velocity mid bore like a .338 Lapua or a .338-378 is in order, not to mention the high degree of dedication, the location, and the deep pockets necessary, to master long range marksmanship on game.
Click to expand...

This.

1700 fps is kind of your magic number for proper bullet performance with most centerfires; big bore (45-70's etc) not included.
 
blasted_saber said:
The hold for my 308 is just a hair above the shoulder on a deer at 300m, shooting 150gr bullets
Click to expand...

You must prefer to hit a little higher than I do. 165 gr IL 2750 ft/s zeroed at 200 yards in my rifle prints 7.5 inches low at 300 yards.

To the OP I consider a 308 a reliable big game killer (not huge game) to 400 yds. It'll work a little further than that but I don't like to stretch things to their outer limits.
 
Hunting is not about taking the longest possible shot.
What are the chances of seeing a deer at 600 yards where you hunt? It's highly unlikely that you'd have time to adjust your scope's magnification before Bambi disappears anyway, but hitting a 6" gong on a range isn't the same as hunting.
500 is pushing the .308 with any bullet. The ballistics of a 180 are such that that bullet drops around 4 feet or a bit more at 500 with a 200 yard zero(Hornady factory 178's. They don't seem to load a 180)and your 1050 ft/lbs is light for deer sized game.
One Minute Of Angle equals 1" at 100 yards, 2" at 200, etc. 13.5 MOA is 13.5" at 100.
 
I use ranging binoculars when hunting so I know the exact range to the target and the holdover info is given in the display out to 1000 yards. The HHR reticle in the scope also has hash marks for 300 and 400 yards with a 200 yd zero. Bullet drop isn't a problem.... I was asking to the effectiveness of the bullet at 600yards for hunting with the 308.
I don't know my exact MV because of a chrono mishap last fall but with a zero of 200 I need to use 2700ft/sec or faster to match 13.5MOA drop at 600yards.
I'm thinking it should work fine at that range...don't know that I would actually take that shot with the 308 win as I do have other calibers more suited to long range including a 338 Lapua....however this rifle is just nice to carry and fun to shoot. :)
 
I've crunched the numbers using the Speer reloading manual for 165 and 180 gn bullets. Using 1000 ft.lbs as a minimum energy for deer and 1500 ft.lbs as a minimum for elk, the .308 has enough energy to take elk at 400 yards and deer at 500 yards, approximately. Can it be effective beyond that? Yes, but shot placement becomes very important. If you use a rangefinder and know your exact drop, there's no reason why you can't kill deer at 500 yards. But in my experience, 99% of my deer have been shot within 250 yards. For 600+ yards, I'd reccomend a 300WM, a very accurate one... At long range, a range finder and ballistics calculator become essential equipment, and a Kestrel weather gage would be highly reccomended. Air density becomes a significant factor at long range, and crosswind will be the hardest part of the equation.
 
For me personally, I would not shoot further than 300 yards, being that down range energy may not be enough for full penetration. With a magnum 30 caliber, no problem to go further than 300 yards.
 
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The only ethical issue is, 600 yards is a long ways away... what happens between you squeezing the trigger and the bullet impact... as you squeeze is there something that startles the deer and your 6" group just turned into a much larger area no where near the heart, and now you're got to track down a gut shot buck that has a 600m lead on you.

military will use .308 out to 1km as an anti personel device
but it boils down to how consistant you are and how the ammo you're using expands at that distance
 
Its relatively simple - put some 8" gongs up at various distances, say to 500yds. Then shoot the gongs from simulated hunting positions - try offhand, with a trigger stick, leaning against a tree, etc.... you get the idea!
Shoot at the 8" gongs until you find the range where your abilities will allow you 100% hits - i.e. - hit the gong 3/3 or 5/5 times - Then shoot a deer no farther than the distance you can hit the gongs 100% of the time.
I would bet, like most of us, that you'll find your effective range is well under 400yds, prob closer to 300, for an ethical, clean kill.
 
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