Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

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Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by TBJ » 04 Aug 2018, 9:42 pm

Hi all, I'm wanting to see what you think is the best .308Win hunting projectile for Sambar in sub 150m distance hunting? at the moment I've been loading up Barnes 165gr TSX projectiles but they just seem to go straight though although they still manage to drop the deer, I have some Sierra 165gr GameKings, but want to know what you guys think of over penetration and going straight through at the closer distance of Sambar hunting in the High Country mostly sub 150m or 100m. I like the 165gr, 168gr and 170gr, as I think that 180's or 200's are a bit too much, just wondering what you guys think and suggest for me? I was thinking about the Nosler Partitions maybe as I've used them on Roo's out of the .223, or maybe a Berger VLD's, Hornady SST's or GMX's or Nosler Ballistic Tips, Sierra GameKing?
thanks for your help and suggestions
Last edited by TBJ on 05 Aug 2018, 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Have: .17H .22LR .204R .222REM .223REM .22-250 .243WIN .270WIN .308WIN .300WM 7.62x39 30-06SPRG .303BRIT 30-30WIN 9.3x62 45-70GOVT 44RMAG 45LC 20GA 12GA .410GA
Want: .220SWIFT 6.5CREED .260REM .375H&H .416RIGBY .444MARLIN .458WIN 16GA 28GA
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Cal-ApeR » 04 Aug 2018, 9:53 pm

What size barrel do you have?
For bushed areas I personally wouldn't see a problem with over penetrating with 180gr around the 100-150m mark.

Can vouch for the 165 & 150 grain Hornady SST. Good weight retention too. Never used the interlocks but only hear good things about them too.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by TBJ » 04 Aug 2018, 10:57 pm

Cal-ApeR wrote:What size barrel do you have?
For bushed areas I personally wouldn't see a problem with over penetrating with 180gr around the 100-150m mark.

Can vouch for the 165 & 150 grain Hornady SST. Good weight retention too. Never used the interlocks but only hear good things about them too.


Righto cheers, the barrel on my deer rifle is 22in, also I have shot quite a few under the 100m mark like 50m-70m as well.
Have: .17H .22LR .204R .222REM .223REM .22-250 .243WIN .270WIN .308WIN .300WM 7.62x39 30-06SPRG .303BRIT 30-30WIN 9.3x62 45-70GOVT 44RMAG 45LC 20GA 12GA .410GA
Want: .220SWIFT 6.5CREED .260REM .375H&H .416RIGBY .444MARLIN .458WIN 16GA 28GA
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Cal-ApeR » 05 Aug 2018, 8:40 am

Your getting nice and close. Curious as to what loads your typically using? You could always soften the loads or use the starting published loads.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by TBJ » 05 Aug 2018, 9:35 am

Cal-ApeR wrote:Your getting nice and close. Curious as to what loads your typically using? You could always soften the loads or use the starting published loads.


the load I'm using for the 165gr TSX Barnes is from the Barnes suggested load data, using 43.5gr of 2208, I don't know the speed as I don't own a chrono but according to the Barnes data its probably going around the 2600fps mark. Although I think my over penetration problem may be due to the TSX being such a slowly expanding projectile, thats why I'm wanting to see what you guys use
Have: .17H .22LR .204R .222REM .223REM .22-250 .243WIN .270WIN .308WIN .300WM 7.62x39 30-06SPRG .303BRIT 30-30WIN 9.3x62 45-70GOVT 44RMAG 45LC 20GA 12GA .410GA
Want: .220SWIFT 6.5CREED .260REM .375H&H .416RIGBY .444MARLIN .458WIN 16GA 28GA
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Aug 2018, 9:54 am

I the Game Kings should do the job fine.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Rod_outbak » 05 Aug 2018, 11:38 am

TBJ,

For the 165Gn T-TSX, I load 44.5Gns of AR2208, which gives me roughly 2790fps over the chrono from a 26" barrel (Rem 700 VSF).
As a rough guide, the same load in your 22" barrel would be departing around 2700fps (Lose ~ 20fps per inch of barrel shorter).

Not sure of how fast your 43.5gn load would be, but likely less than 2700fps at any rate.

From what I am reading, adult Sambar is roughly the same weight as a medium-sized cow(~400-500kgs)??
I'm thinking I'd be starting at 165gns, and working up from there, but thats my opinion.

I've used the 165 T-TSX loads, and found them to be a bit too hard for my liking(all copper).
However, I havent shot anything the size of a Sambar with them; just a few large pigs.
We did liquidate ~15 feral bulls with the factory Hornady 168 BTHP match ammo a few years ago, mostly from a helicopter, and were mostly head-shots, so hard to say if the shots were too hard for the job.... Hornady seem to think they were very much the wrong projectile for the job, but the bulls didnt seem to care.
For lighter game like large pigs and big Billy goats, I was using 150Gn Nosler Ballistic-tips, and found them very effective. I wonder if trialing the 168gn or 180gn Ballistic Tip Hunting projectiles might be worth it? They look to have very good ballistics (~ BC of .500) and I reckon they should hit pretty hard.

I've just bought a couple of hundred Hornady ELD-X projectiles, in 178gns. Some time in the next 6 months, I plan to test them out in both my Rem 700, and my Ruger Precision Rifle, which has a 20" barrel. Given they have a BC of around .550, I expect they should perform pretty well over distance, and they seem to get really good reviews. If they perform as well as people suggest, I think I'l consolidate on 125gn SST's for my grasshopper-pokking, 150gn Ballistic Tips for goats & hot pork, and keep a few hundred 178gn ELD-X rounds loaded up for when the cattle go feral again...

Cheers,

Rod.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by TBJ » 05 Aug 2018, 12:30 pm

Rod_outbak wrote:TBJ,

For the 165Gn T-TSX, I load 44.5Gns of AR2208, which gives me roughly 2790fps over the chrono from a 26" barrel (Rem 700 VSF).
As a rough guide, the same load in your 22" barrel would be departing around 2700fps (Lose ~ 20fps per inch of barrel shorter).

Not sure of how fast your 43.5gn load would be, but likely less than 2700fps at any rate.

From what I am reading, adult Sambar is roughly the same weight as a medium-sized cow(~400-500kgs)??
I'm thinking I'd be starting at 165gns, and working up from there, but thats my opinion.

I've used the 165 T-TSX loads, and found them to be a bit too hard for my liking(all copper).
However, I havent shot anything the size of a Sambar with them; just a few large pigs.
We did liquidate ~15 feral bulls with the factory Hornady 168 BTHP match ammo a few years ago, mostly from a helicopter, and were mostly head-shots, so hard to say if the shots were too hard for the job.... Hornady seem to think they were very much the wrong projectile for the job, but the bulls didnt seem to care.
For lighter game like large pigs and big Billy goats, I was using 150Gn Nosler Ballistic-tips, and found them very effective. I wonder if trialing the 168gn or 180gn Ballistic Tip Hunting projectiles might be worth it? They look to have very good ballistics (~ BC of .500) and I reckon they should hit pretty hard.

I've just bought a couple of hundred Hornady ELD-X projectiles, in 178gns. Some time in the next 6 months, I plan to test them out in both my Rem 700, and my Ruger Precision Rifle, which has a 20" barrel. Given they have a BC of around .550, I expect they should perform pretty well over distance, and they seem to get really good reviews. If they perform as well as people suggest, I think I'l consolidate on 125gn SST's for my grasshopper-pokking, 150gn Ballistic Tips for goats & hot pork, and keep a few hundred 178gn ELD-X rounds loaded up for when the cattle go feral again...

Cheers,

Rod.


Cheers for all of this info, from the sounds of it I was right thinking the TSX are a bit to hard and slow at expanding for close range deer, and I might give the GameKings and the Nosler Ballistic Tips a go and try them on some deer.
Have: .17H .22LR .204R .222REM .223REM .22-250 .243WIN .270WIN .308WIN .300WM 7.62x39 30-06SPRG .303BRIT 30-30WIN 9.3x62 45-70GOVT 44RMAG 45LC 20GA 12GA .410GA
Want: .220SWIFT 6.5CREED .260REM .375H&H .416RIGBY .444MARLIN .458WIN 16GA 28GA
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Oldbloke » 05 Aug 2018, 1:01 pm

From just one experience interlocks 180gr don't exit at about 180 yards. Lots of shrapnel. From a 30-06.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by marksman » 05 Aug 2018, 2:17 pm

I recently dropped a doe with berger 168gr classic hunters in my 30-06
dropped on the spot with a neck shot, from the wound I believe they work how they are supposed to
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I do like sst's and gamekings for the job as well :thumbsup:
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by sungazer » 05 Aug 2018, 7:51 pm

The Game Kings are a really good bullet. Sierra have pretty good tolerances on all thier dimensions to. The Nosler vary a lot more dimension and weight wise. None of that would matter at less than 200 yrds neither would the BC.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Rod_outbak » 06 Aug 2018, 7:32 am

I went out yesterday sunset; it's been over 10 days since I last pokked grasshoppers, and I'm getting a little fretty.

Given I have been away, I havent had time to load up some more 125gn SST's for the Ruger, so I was making do with the 150gn Nosler Ballistic Tips; shot from the Rem 700 VSF .308. This rifle, which I call my Exploding Rabbit Gun (ERG), is in a TAC-21 chassis, and is still one of the most consistently accurate rifles I've ever used in my life.
[Since I loaded these BT loads up about 12 months ago, I have tweaked my reloading process, and so I'd like to fire them off, and re-do them.]

It's been a while since I've done much pokking with the Rem 700, and I've gotten very used to the configuration and handling of the RPR. But, despite the ERG being large, cumbersome, and a lot more bitey to shoot (no brake), I am yet again impressed with how it just reaches out and touches things at long range.
This rifle was the one that taught me that shooting beyond ~150 metres isnt some weird voodoo magic, but easily possible even by crappy shooters like myself.
Quite a few grasshoppers died yesterday; under the illusion that 250 metres bought them some form of immunity....
Nyet...
I'm pretty sure my sunset tally was around 22 grasshoppers, for roughly 25 rounds expended. I would have kept going, but I ran out of daylight, and the last 3 grasshoppers were nailed using the driving lights on the ute. Best guess the average target was around 170 metres, so I'm happy with that. VERY satisfying to see the grasshoppers fold up like they are a sack of spuds.

Excluding game like deer(which I dont get to see), I reckon the 150 BT loads have been one of the most consistent and predictable loads I've ever made up. They arent overly affected by wind, and hit hard. I've not noticed the BT projectiles being anything other than really effective. I dont load any SP rounds any more (the amount of lead they throw around when rattling around in the ammo-case in the car doesnt appeal to me), and while I use a few other Sierra projectiles, I dont use any of the Game King range. If I had seen an all-copper pill that opened up effectively on smaller game, I'd be using them a lot more, but many of the copper projectiles need to be trialled to see if they work, and I simply dont see enough of them in my LGS. So, I mostly use Ballistic-tip-style projectiles, and some of the HP varmint projectiles.

A couple of the grasshoppers last night were freaking huge, and the 150BT hits them REALLY hard. Overkill for grasshoppers in general, but the consistency in their performance, is hard to beat.
[Apologies; diverging a bit from the original topic, but kinda relevant...]

Cheers,

Rod.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Bigjobss » 07 Aug 2018, 8:27 pm

Ive never had barnes ttsx not exit, they are lazers and have been told that you need to get them going as fast as possible.
I run 165g in my 300wm and nothings gone further than 50m and with a sizeable blood trail, these are all shoulder or heart/lungs.
Ive shot deer with softer projectiles such as corelokts and the projectile rarely exits or stays together, but with a perfect shot seems to drop them on the spot easier than a barnes. I stick with the barnes as it gives me confidence on those less than perfect shots such as when you want to quarter through a shoulder and exit the lungs on the oppsite side.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by SamHuntVic » 17 Aug 2018, 10:58 am

Unless I missed it, I don't see a mention of the Woodleigh range. Premium hunting bullets made in Australia and for Sambar I reckon you cannot go past the 180gr PPSN or the 150gr or 180gr Hydrostats.
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Re: Projectiles for .308 Sambar Hunting?

Post by Oldbloke » 17 Aug 2018, 7:21 pm

Honestly, if you hit them in the boiler with any reasonably constructed 150 to 200 gr bullet they won't go far.
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