308 win max effective range
- Thread starter Big Mike
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Glock4ever
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
Max Effective Range is what your scope/rifle and you are capable of. The .308 can kill easily out to 800m. However, if you are shooting with iron sights on a 3-4MOA rifle your effective range could be only 1-200m. Your standard hunting rifle with a duplex reticle and say a 1-2 MOA rifle is good to about 250-300m max. That is about as far as most guys can comfortably range and shoot and hit an 18" killzone area while compensating for ~18" of drop (depending on your load). I happen to use a LRF and I have a bullet drop compensator for my specific load. I would comfortably take shots at about 500-600m but only if the conditions are right (little to no wind and plenty of time to setup). I prefer to shoot animals up close and personal (<150m) so I almost never shoot at animals at distance.
Eyesight/optics/skill would be the limiting factor in most situations. I've seen a nice large-bodied deer whacked at 487 yards with a 150gr TSX and achieved complete penetration, so I have little doubt 500+ yards is doable. However, the shooter in particular was using a match rifle which usually gets a steady diet of Matchkings and sees 600 yard target duty regularly, and was firing from a bipod across an open field.
I would suggest that the maximum effective range is wherever you are masterful enough to place a bullet with confidence.
While the bullet may still kill, very few hunters (other than on the internet, of course!) have the skills necessary to put a bullet into the vitals of a game animal at 550 yds. "Web" hunters can do it with ease, of course.
Try something - put a 45 gallon barrel down in a safe spot, walk away for an honest 550 paces, turn around and try three times to hit that barrel (if you can still see it) in the central third. Walk back towards it for 50 paces and try again. Repeat until you finally get three consecutive holes in it, anywhere in the central third. That is the effective range of your rifle under hunting circumstances - walking, heart rate up, partially winded. By all means, use shooting sticks if you choose - but carry them too.
A shooting bench at a range is NOT a realistic hunting circumstance, but it sure does fool a lot of people into thinking they should shoot at animals at 550 yds. I've been doing it for more than 40 years, and I still think 300 yards is a damn long shot. I try very hard to work my way to within 150 yds. so that I can place one bullet exactly where I want it - to me that's hunting.
If you think a 30-30 is a 150 yard gun, then you can think a .308 is a 500 yard cartridge. If you are less than awed by the 30-30, you might want to adjust that downwards accordingly.
Personally, I don't like my .308s much past 300, but then again I don't like the thutty thutty at all.
Personally, I don't like my .308s much past 300, but then again I don't like the thutty thutty at all.
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
This is the right answer, as are others postings with the same sentiment.
The maximum range is up to you with your own skill set. Be sure you can hit it well [ie cleanly in the vitals] BEFORE you pull the trigger on an animal. That means practice! Don't take a 550 yard hail mary shot and wound an animal. That's poor form.
If you've practiced A LOT and are confident in the shot, because you've done it many times before when practicing, then give'er!
Sure the 308 is plenty for deer sized game out to 500yds..BUT.
Depending on who is shooting it. My personal max rang is around the 300yd +/- a bit. Some I have seen shoot should keep ranges 50yd, and under.
The further you get out the percentage of shooters that can shoot effectively at extended ranges goes down. Many think they can shoot way out there just because the cartrige they use is capable. I have seen this more than I have seen shooters who can actually do it. Sad but true.IMO personal effective range is more important than cartrige effective range
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
There are 2 answers here.
#1 How far the cartridge is effective on game. This is easy to figure out. You will need to look at the velocity at the range you think you may want to shoot with the appropriate bullet you are going to use. This means chronographing YOUR rifle with YOUR bullet. Use a Ballistic calculator to determine the down range velocity. The velocity must be high enough to get the bullet you have chosen to open up on impact.
#2 How far your ability and equipment will let you shoot accurately enough to responsibly take game. This is easy to figure out. Just do what Tumble Weed suggests and start shooting at long range.
99% chance the average person with the average equipment will not be able to accurately shoot as far as the 308 cartridge can potentially take game.
#1 How far the cartridge is effective on game. This is easy to figure out. You will need to look at the velocity at the range you think you may want to shoot with the appropriate bullet you are going to use. This means chronographing YOUR rifle with YOUR bullet. Use a Ballistic calculator to determine the down range velocity. The velocity must be high enough to get the bullet you have chosen to open up on impact.
#2 How far your ability and equipment will let you shoot accurately enough to responsibly take game. This is easy to figure out. Just do what Tumble Weed suggests and start shooting at long range.
99% chance the average person with the average equipment will not be able to accurately shoot as far as the 308 cartridge can potentially take game.
I haven't been at it for 40 years, but I will agree that a 300 yard shot in uncertain field conditions is a very long shot. The same shot is a piece of cake at the range, under known conditions, with no time pressure, no adrenaline, etc.
Mark
This sums it up nicely. If you can't ensure a vital shot at a given range you should not shoot that far. What happens if you just wound the animal? Now you have a wounded animal that you HAVE to track with a 550 yrd head start.
And you have to tack it, just leaving it is wrong, unethical and cruel. If you shoot something you follow through to the end.
I am not saying you would leave it but I see far to many people that think this is ok. I am embarrassed to say that the second deer I shot was a shot I should not have taken. It was too far and up hill and I only wounded the Doe. I spent three days tracking this deer and never found it, it was constantly snowing which didn't help.
I will never do this again.
Sorry for the rant, I work with hunters daily and this comes up a lot a really makes me angry. Especially when they come in with another deer they shot ten minutes later.
Shawn
He probably fell out the window trying to catch the bullet in his hands.
When I was in the British Army (1980s) the GPMG (FN MAG) in 7.62mm NATO was considered effective to 1800metres. At that range the bullets were still going too fast to catch them with your hands.
Actually they did some experiments with map-predicted shoots with that machine gun in the sustained fire role and apparently at3km they were still accurate enough (in terms of a machine gun's beaten zone) but the rounds were too spent to do enough damage to be effective.
Jordan Smith
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
This post is 100% the correct answer.
Thanks guys for all the replies. I am looking at buying a long range hunting rifle and by that I mean an accurate rifle topped with good glass capable of taking game at an extended range if need be. I am already set up to load 308 win. and have a good supply of berger bullets. I was just wondering if the 308 would have enough energy to cleanly take an animal providing the shot was good. The other option I was looking at was a 7mm mag but the shots in my area in B.C. arent usually that far so it might be overkill so to speak. I really like that Remington 700 5R milspec rifle in 308 and think it would be a great one for my intended purpose.
WOW...you guys must have much better eyesight and be much better marksmen than ME...I can hardly SEE a deer at two hundred yards....but I know I can hit him at 100 yards and kill first shot....It would have to be extremely good conditions before I would shoot at anything much farther out....Unquestionably the .308 is capable of much greater range, but anybody claiming to make kills beyond 300 yards I would suspect of cyber bragging...
