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I have two Sakos in .308 that are very enjoyable for me to shoot and are impressively accurate. One is a lever action Finnwolf (top rifle in the photo above a .243) and the other is a bolt action L579 Forester. Both are from the 1960s. Now that I'm not living and hunting in Alaska, I think I might like to hunt using a .308.
Without getting into "shot placement is everything," what do you think of .308 as a hunting caliber...and for what game...in the lower 48? What are your .308 hunting experiences? What ammo, bullets, and bullet weights do you like? (I won't be reloading.).
Thats a real nice pair of guns you have
Ive used a 308 on Moose & deer, its a good cartridge for alot of game, ive only
hand loaded the 308 so cant help ya with factory ammo
The 308 will kill elk at 400 yards, a 300 magnum, 500. At 150 yards or less, a kodiak bear couldn't tell the difference between the 2. hope that helps.
I've always thought of the .308 as an intermediate .30 caliber cartridge between .30-30 and the .30-06, even though it's velocity is only slightly less than the .30-06. (I usually go with the .30-06.)
I'd guess that the inherrent accuracy of the .308 is it's winning feature. I guess that short action is a plus in some respects too.
I have a .308 that I use for nightime hog hunting to good effect, generally at ranges between 150 and 200yds, but it's a semi-auto. Pretty much puts 'em down where they stand. Up to now, I've only used the 180gr Winchester PP factory stuff. Never liked 150gr .30 cal bullets for some reason, not even in .30-30.
A .30-06 properly applied can take any large game animal in NA, and I would assume that a .308 is equally as capable.
I did use one on an elk about 35 years ago from about 70yds.
As I recall, it worked.
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I think the .308 is just about the perfect cartridge for hunting in the lower 48. Recoil is less than a 30-06, but you don't lose much power by dropping down to .308. The guns chambered in the caliber come shorter and lighter because of the action. If you reload, you use less powder than with the bigger calibers. It will kill anything that walks in North America. It wouldn't be my first choice for a primary grizzly hunting gun, but like someone else said, I'm not sure a bear could tell the difference between it and a .300 Win Mag at 100 yards.
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I used the .270 for about 15 years for most of my hunting, deer and coyotes etc, with a few detours to test different calibers, then I finally decided to try a Browning BLR Leveraction, and at that time the long action models were not made yet, so I went with the .308 Win thinking that the short action and fast handling qualities of the BLR leveraction would outweigh the disadvantages of of that sawed off underpowered, little brother of the 30-06.
At the time it wasn't long till I ended up trying the old Winchester 180gr Slivertips in the BLR, and I started noticing that most everything I shot died right away, and most of the time, I felt that I got faster kills in general then the .270 I had been using. It seemed that the little BLR just kept growing on me, as well as the .308 chambering.
The .308 also seems to kick about 15% less in general compared to the 30-06, but frankly I have seldom felt that more power would have helped me kill anything I used it on. I have been using the .308 for most of my hunting for over 20 yrs now, and frankly I see little need for anything else, although I do use other calibers, just for the experience and fun. I could use the .308 the rest of my life exclusively and give up nothing, except the excitement of trying other guns from time to time.
Like the others have said, there isn't anything in the lower 48 that I wouldn't use a 308 on. I have only owned one for a couple years, so my actual hunting experience with the 308 is limited having taken just one animal, a pronghorn antelope at 370 yards. There are many pluses, few negatives with it. Ammo is plentiful, rifles are common, inherently accurate, easy to reload. If I could have but one hunting rifle, I would do quite well with a 308.
There was a time when I didn't care for the 308 Win cartridge. I was young and it got a bad rap from a few elders I respected. Eventually I sold mine. 20 something years later I bought it back mostly due to sentimental value and interest in leverguns moreso than the caliber. I got carried away shooting different media to get bullet performance I wanted. Eventually, Mike at Grizzly Cartridge starting loading different bullets styles and weights at different velocities and he'd try them out too. He finally sent me a couple boxes without saying what they were and said "try these". They did everything I wanted - accurate, expand pretty easily while penetrating quite a bit and retaining a reasonable amount of weight. I did not know what the load was. I loaned the rifle to my friend Omar who took it to Africa on his second big game hunt ever. He killed a Gemsbok first at 170 yds with a pass-through lung shot. Then he took a blesbok at 255 yds but hit low and to the rear. A second shot when he got closer to 125 yds killed it outright. Both bullets passed through. He shot a klipspringer, an impala and a warthog with one shot each. Then he shot a waterbuck that scores #4 for that country in the record book with one shot at 150 yards. We recovered that bullet and it is a mushroom but with little lead in the front. Upon return from Africa we asked Mike what the load was. It was a 165 grain Nosler Partition @ 2550 fps from my rifle. I did not believe it was that low a velocity considering the excellent long range accuracy and performance on game. The chronograph proved it was indeed 2550 fps. That year I shot the biggest whitetail deer I ever shot at 100 yds and got a pass-through lung shot. It went around 50 yds but there was an easy to follow blood trail. A few months later I shot an Oryx at a little over 100 yds and it dropped to the shot, dead. The hard quartering away shot made the bullet hit in front of the right hip and the bullet lodged in the left shoulder. My friend Paul liked the lower recoil and cheaper price of ammo of the 308 Win compared to what he was using so he bought one. After the deer season he told me he tried different ammo but was not getting the same results that I reported. After 5 deer and 2 hogs he had experienced different effects from different bullets and velocities. I told him about the 165gr NP @ 2550 fps and he ended up reloaded them to those specs. Suddenly, he reported the same results I had seen. What I learned about the 308 Win is that there are a lot of .308 diameter bullets that were designed for '06 - 300 Mag velocities and don't give their full potential in the 308 Win. Then there are just a few .308 diameter bullets that were intended for 300 Savage or lower velocity that don't shine in the 308 Win. The 165 grain Nosler Partition was made for the 308 Win and perform within its medium muzzle velocity range. There are several other bullets that were made for the 308 Win so they perform consistently without having to get 2700 fps and more recoil. Seek out those bullets that are made for '08 and then find the accuracy you want. After that, just know your trajectory and you can shoot about anything you'd want to with deadly results.
Power wise plenty but I prefer the better BC and flatter trajectory of the 7mm-08. Then again, I like less popular things like that so my vision is kinda scewed.
Well, like most suitably potent rounds, you hit your target where you should, and it will do the job. Miss or worse hit one bad, and it ain't worth a darned.
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I shoot a .308 a whole bunch for deer hunting. My bolt gun has downed 131 whitetail and 130 with a single shot (also zero misses!).
I generally shoot a bigger gun for bear, elk or moose. But I would be very comfortable with that .308 with a premium 180 or 165 grain bullet for anything on this side of the ocean, outside polar or kodiak bears.
I think you should take that .308 to the woods and use it on any of those critters that roam the woods up your way. I'm sure they won't know the difference between it or a 30-06 and it should gather game as cleanly and efficiently as one could wish. Best of luck.
Mike Johnson,
"Only those who will risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot
86er, I have used that Nosler 165 partition in my 30-06 Browning High Wall for years and really admire it's performance. Runs a little quicker out of it though. Generally use 150s in the BLRs to get more velocity that I don't really need. Will try some Nosler partitions in them now especially since I had a couple of failures of the 150 to give the penetration that I thought there should have been. Remington Core-Lokt are what they are.
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Remington 742 in 308. Handloads with 44 grains IMR3031 & Speer 150 gr. RN. Not quite as many deer as buckeyeshooter, but all have been one shot kills. 85-180 yards.
I used to call the 742 the meat gun.
When paired with the proper bullets for the velocity, as 86er said, it has showed some very good results in a lot of places. If you handload, then it would work for anything you want to use it for in the 48 contiguous states.
D. Brian Casady
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I have hunted mule deer, elk, moose, antelope, coyote and a variety of smaller game and varmints, and one nasty stupid grizzly, during the last 50+ years over a large portion of the Rocky Mountains. During that time my one and only caliber has been the .308. It is a great do-it-all cartridge for everything short of big bears. I have used several different rifles, most of them Ruger and a Winchester Mdl.70. Each of my guns had a slightly different preference in ammo, but generally in the 165 gr. range. So try a few types and sizes, if you can find them, and see what your rifles like the best. If you have already done that, good!! You can feel confident your rifles can handle any reasonable hunting chore at any reasonable distance. Good hunting.
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86er wrote:There was a time when I didn't care for the 308 Win cartridge. I was young and it got a bad rap from a few elders I respected. Eventually I sold mine. 20 something years later I bought it back mostly due to sentimental value and interest in leverguns moreso than the caliber. I got carried away shooting different media to get bullet performance I wanted. Eventually, Mike at Grizzly Cartridge starting loading different bullets styles and weights at different velocities and he'd try them out too. He finally sent me a couple boxes without saying what they were and said "try these". They did everything I wanted - accurate, expand pretty easily while penetrating quite a bit and retaining a reasonable amount of weight. I did not know what the load was. I loaned the rifle to my friend Omar who took it to Africa on his second big game hunt ever. He killed a Gemsbok first at 170 yds with a pass-through lung shot. Then he took a blesbok at 255 yds but hit low and to the rear. A second shot when he got closer to 125 yds killed it outright. Both bullets passed through. He shot a klipspringer, an impala and a warthog with one shot each. Then he shot a waterbuck that scores #4 for that country in the record book with one shot at 150 yards. We recovered that bullet and it is a mushroom but with little lead in the front. Upon return from Africa we asked Mike what the load was. It was a 165 grain Nosler Partition @ 2550 fps from my rifle. I did not believe it was that low a velocity considering the excellent long range accuracy and performance on game. The chronograph proved it was indeed 2550 fps. That year I shot the biggest whitetail deer I ever shot at 100 yds and got a pass-through lung shot. It went around 50 yds but there was an easy to follow blood trail. A few months later I shot an Oryx at a little over 100 yds and it dropped to the shot, dead. The hard quartering away shot made the bullet hit in front of the right hip and the bullet lodged in the left shoulder. My friend Paul liked the lower recoil and cheaper price of ammo of the 308 Win compared to what he was using so he bought one. After the deer season he told me he tried different ammo but was not getting the same results that I reported. After 5 deer and 2 hogs he had experienced different effects from different bullets and velocities. I told him about the 165gr NP @ 2550 fps and he ended up reloaded them to those specs. Suddenly, he reported the same results I had seen. What I learned about the 308 Win is that there are a lot of .308 diameter bullets that were designed for '06 - 300 Mag velocities and don't give their full potential in the 308 Win. Then there are just a few .308 diameter bullets that were intended for 300 Savage or lower velocity that don't shine in the 308 Win. The 165 grain Nosler Partition was made for the 308 Win and perform within its medium muzzle velocity range. There are several other bullets that were made for the 308 Win so they perform consistently without having to get 2700 fps and more recoil. Seek out those bullets that are made for '08 and then find the accuracy you want. After that, just know your trajectory and you can shoot about anything you'd want to with deadly results.
Most of the game I have shot was with a BLR in 308 caliber.
Before I started to handload, I used remington green box ammo. 150 grain for deer and 180 grain for elk.
The only time that I didn't get the performance that I wanted was when I shot a bull elk that was quartering to me, standing uphill at about 60 yards on a very steep piece of real estate. I held in front of his front leg and tried to shoot through the brisket into the lung cavity. The 180 grain bullet was stopped by the heavy bones in the brisket. The elk dropped in its tracks, got up and tried to leave with the herd, but he only traveled 75 yards before he was unable to go any farther and I finished him off.
I used the 308 in a BLR for 10 years with 150 gr Remington Corlokts years ago and got fantastic results. I don't remember any running and most passed through. When I tried 180 Win power points I had to trail them but not far.
I sold the rifle to a friend who needed one when I was in a bolt phase and realized latter that it was all I ever would of needed.
Have the 308 in BLR, brother has it in a Rem 700 varmint. I killed a Red Stag at 86er's with it, one shot, no bullet recovered. It did run about 50 yards though, but it was dead when the bullet finished going through. That was a 180gr Federal Soft point.
I have killed a great deal of Nebraska Whitetail with that 180gr load. And better still were the Winchester 200gr silver tips, that I still have about 5 left. Anyway, these were very good bullets for velocity they are thrown at least ways for deer.
I would hesistate (and did, bought a Marlin 338) on moose with it. Now, that being said, The BLR went as back up, and I would have used it if I had to and not worried about it.
But in most situations, and if you have confidence in shooting the gun (and with a Sako Forestr in 308, why would you not?) than the 308 will foot the bill for a wide range of animals including Alaska.
I had Mike at Grizzly load up some 200gr Nosler Partitions (for impending moose hunt)
I have yet to use them, but I think they would certainly work very well on moose and elk, and I think Double Tap has some 200grainers as well!!
I have several boxes of th Hornady Light Magnums, which are 165gr Soft Points but at about 2600+fps, and they are outstanding out of the BLR. These would be my open country deer/antelope loads.
With the exception of my .357 Rossi, every big game critter I've shot has been with a Savage 99 in .308 using 150gr bullets. Never a failure.
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Spoke to Kobus who makes the Rhino bullets. He makes 200's designed for 308 win and intended for animals over 500 pounds, which might include Wildebeest and kudu (on the light side of that) and Eland (which can get near 2K) , so they'd likely shine on bears, moose and such.
I notice that Federal loads up Nosler Partition bullets in their premium line of ammo in .308 as well, but not in the 150 gr (I think it was 160 and 180 gr). Joe, do you know or suspect that the other bullet weights would also likely perform well or is it that particular 150 gr bullet/weight combo that is the only one you can vouch for?
165 gr Hornaday inteloc bt bullet will blow clear thru an elks ribcage at 200 yds, will blow thru one shoulder and be a lump under the hide of a large bull's shoulder at 250. Have yet to ever recover one from a deer or antelope..... Not exactly sure what the need for a highdollar bullet is...
What's not to like? Accurate, powerful, versitile, flat shooting, ccompact, efficient, manageable, popular, widely available, easy to handload, widely chambered.....
I have used 25-06, 270, 30-06 and 44 mag on deer. The 308 is what I use mostly now. I feel I'm good to go for feral hogs or our giant black bears if the opportunity presents.
The only failures, if you can call it that, which I have witnessed with the .308 was when shooting Remington 180gr Corelocks, and know of a few more, but didn't actually see. I have had complete failure to expand on a broadside Whitetail buck, just a tiny pencil hole in and out, but a quick second shot to the neck bagged the deer. Rifle in this case was a Remington model 7 with a very short barrel at a range of about 200yds.
Seen another failure out of a Browning BAR, 22 inch barrel, same load, once again around 200yds, 8 point buck was bagged, but was shot and hit at least twice, with one bullet traveling lengthwise front to back, and the bullet was actually recovered lodged in the back leg, and that bullet did not expand at all. My cousin shot the second deer, while I watched. At anyrate we both quite the 180gr Corelocks. But I have never had the 180gr Winchester Silver tip fail to open up on anything from coyotes to deer, so I have stayed with them. Unfortunately, I think Winchester quite making that load, glad I have a stash of them which will probably last me, if I don't waste them with excesive target shooting.
Anyway, with a good bullet that opens up like it should, the .308 win is all I need for about any thing I will likely get to hunt.
The late Jeff Cooper liked the .308 and the Remington Mdl 600 carbine. He likened that combination to something like "A gun you could stick in your back pocket and with it shoot a lion" or words to that effect.
