308 longrange shooting/hunting

L

lwing

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Vancouver Island
interested in a 308 for longrange shooting and hunting island blacktail, where to begin? any suggestions appreciated, budget under $2000 scoped, hand load info? thanks
been researching since november on my own,still unsure, decided to look for some experienced advice.
if no patience for newbies please move on
 
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The place to begin is sifting through the forums that have discussed this topic many times. I spent many nights actually weeks reading old posts and searching stuff before I asked a question when I first started.
 
a quick search can provide you with lots of reading material. Don't forget to set the time frame. the short answer is

If you want a solid rifle with money left over for a good scope you have
Remington R5 $1125
Remington 700 P $1200
Savage 10 with HS stock $1129
Savage 10 with McMillan A-5 $1299
Tikka Varmint $1079

If you want a good rifle with money left over for better optics you have
Remington 700 SPS Tactical $699.95
Savage 10 FP $799.99

Optics are something only your eye can really decide. I have bought scopes that came highly recomended and talked about and was dissapointed. The other end is I have bought scopes that have been bashed and been surprised. Just remember you get what you pay for with optics. what works with you behind the rifle might be different than what works for another guy. my eye doesn't see what your eye does and vice versa.

Handloads will depend on what your rifle likes. Different barrels and guns all shoot different powder loads and bullets. A good start is usally pick a bullet between 155-175 and stoke it with IMR 4895, IMR 4064, or Varget. Match primers if you have them. Lapua brass if you want to spend the money. Winchester has worked fine for me with prep.

All rifle prices are from sponsors above

Edit.
If hunting is gonna be a main use and you don't like hauling a 11-12 lb rifle (I do but not everyone can depending on body type,health,terrain) I would recomend the Tikka (8lbs) or a used Remington 700 LTR (7lbs or so) they seem to offer good accuracy with handloads. Just remember with factory rifles you never know what your gonna get. Just like cars, lemons are out there. Tikka's accuracy guarantee in nice peace of mind but I personally haven't had a remington or savage that wouldn't shoot with some work and handloads.

Good Luck
 
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thanks jayph, much appreciated, all positive feedback helps, the lemon bit shocks me,
i,m looking for an heirloom i can pass to my son and teach him to shhot with
thanks again
 
This could be something that could be built over time as well. You could start with the SPS Tactical, and upgrade the stock later, and still have a decent platform to build off of. How long are your long range desires? And is it a deer only rifle?

R.
 
If you visit my website and look in the rifle tech section, there is a series of articles that will answer your questions and help you build a great shooter for under the budget you have.

Not a big deal anymore.

Jerry
 
lwing said:
type of response i,d expect from someone with a name like bushmaster,
how many gophers you kill to earn that, thankfully theres others out there with more class
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Lets not get snappy, Don't start judgeing people when you just got here.
I DO compete in F-class and I do try do as much long range hunting as I can.

I'm only stating the truth. I ment no disrespect towards new shooters or forum users. Its just that this questions gets asked at least 3-4 times a week when it can be answered just by doing some reading on previous posts.
 
Bush Man said:
Lets not get snappy, Don't start judgeing people when you just got here.
I DO compete in F-class and I do try do as much long range hunting as I can.

I'm only stating the truth. I ment no disrespect towards new shooters or forum users. Its just that this questions gets asked at least 3-4 times a week when it can be answered just by doing some reading on previous posts.
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i apoligize i sometimes get defensive just ask my wife
you repleyed twice still haven,t got your opinion
have been researching previous post no where have i found a consensus answer, im starting to realize there may not be one, thats why i wan,t experienced hunters and shooters opinion, not forcing anyone to read my personalized post
 
Be advised that shooting deer at 800 yards is a *very* long shot. If you want to realistically make such a shot, it can be done, but you should know that it will probably take several thousand rounds of practice to learn what is involved in making this sort of shot. Taking up target shooting (e.g. F-Class) with your rifle is something you might enjoy, and if you do, it would probably be the quickest and most useful and fun way to develop your shooting skills for long range hunting.
 
lwing said:
thanks jayph, much appreciated, all positive feedback helps, the lemon bit shocks me,
i,m looking for an heirloom i can pass to my son and teach him to shhot with
thanks again
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If your gonna practice enough to shoot deer at 800 yards you are gonna need a new barrel for him anyways so a lemon shouldn't bother you. :)
 
Just thinking out loud here...
I don't believe a hunting bullet from a 308win has enough energy to humanely kill a smallish deer at 800 yards, not including phenomenal shots. The error to misplace the bullet at this distance using a 308win is great. You would be better served with a better long range caliber for hunting.
 
Lethality for a 30 Cal Medium Capacity Case ranges from 600 to 1000 yards for a 150 pound game animal.
- 300 pound game - 350 to 600 yards
- 600 pound game 100 to 250 yards.
Depending on bullet wieght, and of couse shot placment.
 
Don't have experience shooting that far, for me 400 yard is a very long shot. But I think good optics would be as important as the rifle. I just ordered a Savage Model 10 Precision Carbine in .308. I will start with a scope that I have (Elite 4200) and might upgrade later on when I can free up some money.
Good Luck
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Be advised that shooting deer at 800 yards is a *very* long shot. If you want to realistically make such a shot, it can be done, but you should know that it will probably take several thousand rounds of practice to learn what is involved in making this sort of shot. Taking up target shooting (e.g. F-Class) with your rifle is something you might enjoy, and if you do, it would probably be the quickest and most useful and fun way to develop your shooting skills for long range hunting.
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Yes it is a very long shot. I did it to a deer and a few bears with my 338 Lapua AI with less than 50 rounds under my belt. Combination of factors: Great rifle, great scope, great load. Actually I found it very easy.
 
Rman said:
It has more than enough jam for deer at 800 yards, as do many other cartridges based on that case. Deer don't wear flak jackets.

R.
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The 308 has more than enough "jamb" at 800 yards, but remaining velocity is well below the required minimum to reliably expand any known bullet.

I think there are much better choices for 800 yard hunting.
 
Toomanyguns said:
Yes it is a very long shot. I did it to a deer and a few bears with my 338 Lapua AI with less than 50 rounds under my belt. Combination of factors: Great rifle, great scope, great load. Actually I found it very easy.
Click to expand...


You may have sipped a bit too much Koolaid. :D
 
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