308 - Big Game Effective Range

30-06 will run any given bullet weight faster than the 308 win, only exception is if you load the 30-06 light, but then its not really a comparison anymore.
 
...

RigPig,

Absolutely on board with that. I've seen some 308 barrels run 150gr loads faster than some 30-06 loads (Speer had a blurb about that in one of their manuals as well), but I'd bet you can squeeze more out of the 06 by handloading....and it overtakes the 08 fairly quickly as the bullets get heavier and start cuttin into case capacity etc.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mr.Rigpig said:
30-06 will run any given bullet weight faster than the 308 win, only exception is if you load the 30-06 light, but then its not really a comparison anymore.
Click to expand...

you right .. my comment was based on factory loads where I have more velocity from a 308 then a 30-06 ...
I sorta forget that most of you's handload and that changes it , But not all of us do
I never stated that to stay out of the bashing " out perform " test
Just wanted a common ground of performance
 
Last edited:
My longest shot on moose (measured) is 393M. Nice 21 Point Bull. Double lung shot. Dropped instantly, struggled to get up but no go then game over.
Longest shot (measured) on Caribou (comparable to deer) is 448M. Mostly bang flops.

Based on my abilities, my bullet selection, how my rifle shoots (all handloaded rounds) and what I have seen on my bullets / animals I'd take either to 500M but no more to ensure sufficient energy to still do the job if the shot was just a little off the mark.

Skill and shot placement are the determining factor but I'd never recommend going past 500M to guarantee humane kill. YMMV
 
I mainly shoot Sika deer and have taken a few with the 308 in the 400-460m range that seemed to drop well. Two Red deer at 420m all with 168 A-Max. Then one Sika at a little over 500m that did not impress. Maybe a bullet with higher bc would have been better but I think it is close to the limit of the 308.
edi
 
Shot most of my moose with .308, remainder with handloaded 7x57 which is ballistically identical on the killing end, and .375 H&H which didn’t kill them any deader than the former two. As for range I’d shoot a moose at 300-400 from a good rest with the right .308 load and not feel undergunned.

On mountain goat, tougher than deer by good measure our longest shot with a .308 armed client was in the 500 range. Worked great, if the shooter is up to it 500 is entirely within reason on deer sized game with the right load. That’s not advocating 500 yards with a .308 that gets shot 3 rounds a season to sight in with Power Points however.
 
With a 308 it really depends on the wind. With light or no wind, I'd shoot a 308 to 600 yards on either deer or moose. With over 10 mph wind, I'd drop down to a max of 400-ish. 20+ mph wind...get closer! With the right bullet for long distances, of course, which means NOT a thick jacketed Accubond or similar. Low impact velocity requires a "softer" bullet. Moose haven't been very hard to kill, in my experience (all my moose were in BC).

I now live in windy southern AB so I don't hunt with a 308. 300 WM with 200gr ELD-X. Half the wind drift of a 168gr 308. And plenty of bullet to provide penetration on close shots. Don't believe Hornady's hype; the ELD-X bullets come apart real quick, almost like an SST. Heavy for caliber is the way to, IMO.
 
I got myself all set up for 400 yard shooting in anticipation of the possibility of one presenting itself, but killed my moose last year at 13. Sh*t happens fast and glad I made sure the bullet selected is suitable for 0-400, or whatever your self imposed limit is - not just at your max distance.
 
rifleman762; I now live in windy southern AB so I don't hunt with a 308. 300 WM with 200gr ELD-X. Half the wind drift of a 168gr 308. And plenty of bullet to provide penetration on close shots. Don't believe Hornady's hype; the ELD-X bullets come apart real quick said:
100 % Agree . 300 PRC with 200 gr NOSLER Accubonds for me. No Hornady JUNK . JMO RJ
Click to expand...
 
With a splashy, sleek 178gr ELDx bullet pushed quick from a 24" barrel (2650 fps), it could stretch into a 600 yard cartridge in a pinch. With shorter barrels and better do-all hunting bullets like a Partition or Barnes, 300-350 yards is a more sensible max distance
 
I love the 308 and I am currently wanting to get back to one through either a factory rifle or a build. I have not done the math on this one but after dropping a good whitetail at a bit beyond 600 metres with a 6mm Remington using a Powershock 100 grain, I feel quite confident that a 308 with anything in the 150-170 grain range will have more than enough power to effectively reach out a bit further and drop a bigger animal. Someone already said it, moose are easy to kill. I am not advocating for long range shots on game, but just the potential of a 308 with a good bullet and in the right hands.
 
My 308 has a 16.5” barrel and with the 150 Hornady SP it’s a 300 yard deer killer, it’s also very accurate with the 220 RN but not sure of the speed Iam getting, it would probably pass clean through with no expansion.
 
todbartell said:
With a splashy, sleek 178gr ELDx bullet pushed quick from a 24" barrel (2650 fps), it could stretch into a 600 yard cartridge in a pinch. With shorter barrels and better do-all hunting bullets like a Partition or Barnes, 300-350 yards is a more sensible max distance
Click to expand...

I agree. Since leaving BC I have been using exclusively low drag bullets for hunting loads. VLD, ELD, ABLR, LRX. That's where my perspective is coming from.
 
I loaded them over 35grs of H4895 to test them, they stabilized and were accurate but far too slow. You’re time travelling your .308 to the turn of the 20th century which we moved past ballistically for good reasons. A 190 or 200 is a much better fit for the .308 if you need heavy in your life.
 
I get a bit over 2200 fps with 220gr in my 18.7" Ruger 308, using CFE223. I don't hunt with them, just loaded up for curiosity. Accuracy was good enough
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom