What factory ammo do you use for .308

[buster]

Hi guys,

I usually shoot hand loads, but would like to have a factory load up my sleeve in case I'm caught out and need to buy a box somewhere.

It's for a Howa 1500 if anyone shoots the same with factory ammo.

Any suggestions for what's worked well and things to avoid?

Cheers.

[Lorgar]

I only ever used Federal Premium in my Hawkeyes for a little while before going to hand loads.

95gr Ballistic Tips shot sub-inch groups in the 243. Never tried anything else...

180gr soft points shot terrible in my .308, but to be fair it doesn't seem to like pills this heavy anyway. Went straight to hand loads after that.

Not that that's very helpful but there you go

[pmomd]

Remington and Federal Fusion both shot well in my CZ 550.

[huccl]

I've used Winchester and Federal factory ammo and both were decent.

We're really just blurting out random names here though... Doesn't mean much without trying it in your rifle...

[buster]

I've had a bit of a dabble with some new factory stuff now.

Federal soft points were pretty crook...

Their 150gr Ballistic Tips shot well though, pretty common too. They'll work as emergency ammo if I have to pick something up from a shop so problem solved I guess

[Dylan.m]

It's a bit hard to recommend because I could say what I use and it may be useless for you.

All I shoot in my 308 is Federal Tactical ammo which is designed for the police but normal people can still buy it.

Shoots sub MOA at 100m but I'm using it with a Police sniper rifle so the gun is rated to shoot that ammo well.

Scary thing though, I've actually decapitated goats with that ammo. It's got more than enough power.

[teedo]

Extra power/penetration is the whole point of the Federal Tactical ammo though isn't it?

Where normally there is a concern of over-penetration, I remember reading somewhere the Federal Tactical ammo was designed to penetrate hard cover?

Fuzzy memory here though.. I could be wrong.

[Skadoo]

Extra power/penetration is the whole point of the Federal Tactical ammo though isn't it?

Where normally there is a concern of over-penetration, I remember reading somewhere the Federal Tactical ammo was designed to penetrate hard cover?

This is the spiel from NIOA, presumably they got it from Federal...

"When your life depends on it, you want a product that performs! Federal prides itself on developing the world’s best tactical duty ammunition, products with superior barrier penetration, expansion, and weight retention. The Federal Premium tactical duty ammunition range includes the following brands:"

The different types of tactical ammo are listed here.

[Baldrick314]

I use the standard federal powershock 150gr loads. Plenty accurate for factory stuff and I've found the brass really good for reloading

[Aster]

Plenty accurate for factory stuff and I've found the brass really good for reloading

Federal gets a bit of a bum wrap I reckon.

Their reloading components are better than a lot of people give them credit for I think.

[Hennie Dreyer]

Help me understand....normal barrel twists for .308's are in the 1:12 range, depicting (according to info I have) bullets between 165 - 168gr.

I learn from the replies above that lighter grains are used generally - forgive me my ignorance - but am I missing something?

[Baldrick314]

Help me understand....normal barrel twists for .308's are in the 1:12 range, depicting (according to info I have) bullets between 165 - 168gr.
I learn from the replies above that lighter grains are used generally - forgive me my ignorance - but am I missing something?

150gr projectiles are a common factory loading for 308 plus it works well on the game we have here in Australia, 168gr projectiles sometimes prove too much weight and can punch through lighter game without proper expansion

[Antie]

Help me understand....normal barrel twists for .308's are in the 1:12 range, depicting (according to info I have) bullets between 165 - 168gr.

I learn from the replies above that lighter grains are used generally - forgive me my ignorance - but am I missing something?

1:12 is pretty common, 1:10 is just as common as well.

150gr or 168gr will shoot find in the 1:12. The 1:10 could handle heavier again... 180gr, 200gr etc.

It all depends on what you want to do though.

A 168gr will have a higher BC than a 150gr in the same bullet. It will shooter better, but heavier bullets also have more recoil.

If you're competition shooting and a 168gr bullet makes your groups better then it's worth the extra recoil.

If you're hunting though, a 150gr kills anything just as dead as a 168gr but with less recoil.

If you 're shooting 1.5" groups with the 150gr or 1" groups with the 168gr bullets as a deer hunter, it doesn't make a difference either way when you're out in the field. A deer isn't the size of a postage stamp obviously... That 1.5" group from the 150gr bullets will be more than enough to hit home.

You might as well take the 150gr and subject yourself to less recoil. You'll still be having deer for dinner either way.

It's all about what you need or want to do.

[Lorgar]

Help me understand....normal barrel twists for .308's are in the 1:12 range, depicting (according to info I have) bullets between 165 - 168gr.

I learn from the replies above that lighter grains are used generally - forgive me my ignorance - but am I missing something?

Baldrick and Anite have covered it pretty well above...

If you get the chance, trying shooting a 150gr and then 180gr/200gr .308.

You'll appreciate quickly why hunters sill sacrifice a fraction of accuracy for a lighter bullet that will do the same job bringing down game.

[Hennie Dreyer]

Never too old to learn, I suppose! I think my issue really is that here at home one can not go too light on animals such as a blue wildebeest, and a shoulder shot on them with the wrong bullet will almost certainly result in tears - these things really do not die for nothing!!!

Happy with the Nosler Partitions in 165gr though - yesterday proved to me that the weight retention (nearly 70%) and mushrooming after hitting a big bone was totally sufficient.

Happy hunting!!

[Blackened]

There's always something more to learn with shooting.

So many calibres, powders, bullets, barrels, actions and the list goes on...

I can't claim to be a wildebeest expert, but a 165gr Partition isn't for mucking about. It'll definitely do the business on decent size game.

[jeebo]

I think my issue really is that here at home one can not go too light on animals such as a blue wildebeest...

It must be great hunting in South Africa.

Jealous

[Hennie Dreyer]

It must be great hunting in South Africa.

Jealous

Come visit us man!

Yes, the hunting is great, and we are really privileged! In my case, some game/hunting farms are situated as close as 40k from home and the variety of choices between species available is just a 5star experience.

I am a member of two associations here that really promotes ethical hunting and conservation of our fauna and flora - these are core values.

In this community I met some of the greatest people on earth.

Having said this, I also dream of being able to visit Australia one day and experience your hospitality - however, to be able to do that, I need to win the lotto first - the value of our rand vs your dollar

[beepar]

Having said this, I also dream of being able to visit Australia one day and experience your hospitality - however, to be able to do that, I need to win the lotto first

I'm sure that's the case for most of us coming to your neighbourhood too