Fallow - 308 too much gun?

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Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by Ben78 » 06 Nov 2017, 10:56 am

Shot my first fallow over the weekend with my 308. Previously I had shot plenty with a .204 and with that it is easy, point at eye, pull trigger, collect carcass. I've taken a fair bit of criticism over it and decided to start using 308 "a proper deer gun". Usually I use it for plinking longer range targets etc and use 150gn SST projectiles. Anyway, found a deer over the weekend, standing directly side on, took the shot and hit the animal behind and above the shoulder - not quite ideal, a bit lower would have been nice. He folded and went down on the spot. When I got to him I rolled him over and the exit hole was literally fist sized. On dressing the bullet had hit rib on entrance, exploded and sent bone and bullet fragments through he backstrap on the other side. Lost maybe a kilo of meat over it.

So on from the ramble - What bullet should I use for deer that doesn't result in wasted meat. If massive exit holes and wasted meat is par for the course I think I'll go back to the laser beam!

NB. Yes taken in NSW, on a property in an LGA subject to suspension order. Taken on foot during daylight hours.
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by juststarting » 06 Nov 2017, 11:24 am

I use Woodleighs 165gr, seems to work fine when presented with a bone.
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by bigfellascott » 06 Nov 2017, 1:01 pm

Just use a lighter varmint type projectile in the 308 - should work better. I just use the 204 myself if one presents (poke em in the head and they all fall over dead).
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by VICHunter » 06 Nov 2017, 1:33 pm

.308 is certainly more than enough for Fallow.

Is it "too much"? Well, you're going to lose a bit more meat of course, but how much will that matter to you?

A fist size exit would equates to about, what, 2kg of lost meat? Whether or not that's too much is up to you.

As for the whole "proper gun" comment, that's just macho bulls**t to be honest. I swear half the people who say this crap have never seen a deer in real life.

Fallow aren't Sambar... Their bucks are usually about 80kg, does about 40kg, you don't need a canon to drop one.

I don't know if there is a minimum caliber for deer in NSW? In Victoria anyhoo it's .243 / 80gr projectiles for Fallow, Chital and Hog. This is plenty.

There are a few .243 aficionado hunters here who I'm sure can confirm.

There are loads of cartridges around or near enough this size that do the job fine. .243 Win, .257 Roberts, 25-06 Rem, .260 Rem etc. There are a couple of medium-caliber Weatherby magnums around there too. Loads of choice and all perfectly capable of dropping Fallow cleanly and humanly all day long.

If the meat loss of a .308 is too much for you, any of the above and more would be suitable choices for heart/vital shots with less loss.
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by bigfellascott » 06 Nov 2017, 2:03 pm

No min cals in NSW just recommendations.
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by RoginaJack » 06 Nov 2017, 2:52 pm

When in NSW (Nth. tablelands), I used a 7mm Rem. Mag. with 130gr Hornady pills. Stopped Fallow dead in their tracks.
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by Lorgar » 06 Nov 2017, 3:41 pm

VICHunter wrote:I don't know if there is a minimum caliber for deer in NSW? In Victoria anyhoo it's .243 / 80gr projectiles for Fallow, Chital and Hog. This is plenty.

There are a few .243 aficionado hunters here who I'm sure can confirm.


I'll second that.

.243 is a great small game cartridge.

I used to have a .243 and .308 before I swapped to a 7mm-08 (with a light and heavy load it works as a 'cover all' rifle for me, that's why I switched).

I used to shoot 95gr Nosler Ballistic Tips in the .243 and they were great. Very flat shooting, plenty of damage on the receiving end. Plenty.
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by marksman » 06 Nov 2017, 6:22 pm

Ben78 wrote:Shot my first fallow over the weekend with my 308. Previously I had shot plenty with a smaller cartridge and with that it is easy, point at eye, pull trigger, collect carcass. I've taken a fair bit of criticism over it and decided to start using 308 "a proper deer gun". Usually I use it for plinking longer range targets etc and use 150gn SST projectiles. Anyway, found a deer over the weekend, standing directly side on, took the shot and hit the animal behind and above the shoulder - not quite ideal, a bit lower would have been nice. He folded and went down on the spot. When I got to him I rolled him over and the exit hole was literally fist sized. On dressing the bullet had hit rib on entrance, exploded and sent bone and bullet fragments through he backstrap on the other side. Lost maybe a kilo of meat over it.

So on from the ramble - What bullet should I use for deer that doesn't result in wasted meat. If massive exit holes and wasted meat is par for the course I think I'll go back to the laser beam!

NB. Yes taken in NSW, on a property in an LGA subject to suspension order. Taken on foot during daylight hours.


its not the calibre it is shot placement, a 243 will do as much damage, shoot it in the chest with a 22-250 and you will be still throwing at least a forequarter away, to hard a projectile like woodleigh's into the chest and they will be pin holed and run away and die somewhere you wont find them, if you want to eat the whole animal you need to high neck or brain shoot, a really good straight shooting rifle into the neck or brain is the go from a decent rest
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they drop on the spot and you take the whole deer home
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Re: Fallow - 308 too much gun?

Post by Oldbloke » 07 Nov 2017, 8:51 pm

Seems to me that at 80kg a 223 would do the job. But not in Victoria.
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