I've Never owned a .30 cal. Rifle
I'm interested in getting a .308 , what are the deer killing ranges
I also prefer light to caliber bullets ...what bullet is the lightest grain over the counter for the .308?
I like 150s for deer. You can shoot from 110gr to 220gr in .30cal. 150 to 180 is the most comon sold ammo in 308.
range with good terminal effect , anything you can reasonably range and hit inside 400 probably further just wind gets to be an issue , so you need to read the wind which can be harder and takes more time shooting in the wind to learn where to hold.
I would keep shots on game under 300 but as long as you know the range of your animal , where your load hits and aren't in crazy wind 308 is still trucking along faster at 300 yards than many 30-30 rounds leave the muzzle .
we clocked some 150gr 30-30 yesterday 2095 avg for factory loads
at 300 a 180gr 308 that started at 2620 should be 2100 fps
at 300 yards 180gr 308 will absolutely crater mild steel 1/4 inch plate almost through at 200 it will go through
this is where providence and I differ I like the hand loaded 180s in my 308 but 150 s would work fine on deer at most deer hunting distances
a 150 from a 308 is 70fps less than it is from the 30-06 in Remington by their boxes Winchester puts them 100fps apart
it is really more about finding what your gun likes to shoot and your drops at whatever distance you would like to be shooting.
all of our 308s have a 1:10 twist that seem to prefer heavy or slower there is a reason 1:12 was the norm for 308 for a long time in 308 as 150gr bullets were the norm for 308
the Army M24 sniper system uses 1:11.25 as the gun is optimized for 175gr bullets
1:12 isn't quite Ideal for 180s and 1:10 might spin 150s a little hard as I don't get the best groups from some 150gr factory ammo it is also factory ammo
my 180 hand loads perform for me and I make them fairly cheap and in quantity with speer bullets
both are easily minute of deer heart at 100 yards so either would work.
depending on the brands it is 100-120fps difference so nothing huge , we might just be splitting hairs with the actual difference,
go with what ever shoots better in your gun.the light 110, 120 , 125, 130 ammo for 308 tends to be varmint bullets intended for rapid expansion which may mean no exit hole.
