.308 too big for larger pests?

Varminting and vertebrate pest control. Small game, hunting feral goats, foxes, dogs, cats, rabbits etc.

Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Elmer » 11 May 2020, 6:50 pm

After a pest popping session I normally pick them up and chuck them under a thick bush.
Sometimes if it's late I will leave them there, cos guaranteed the foxes will come and clean them up during the night.
If it's a fox, I will remove it's tail for the collection and dump the feral away from the property under a thick bush on the side of the track.....and away from other farm houses.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Lorgar » 11 May 2020, 6:55 pm

Aliqua wrote:I just wanted peoples thoughts on whether or not you believe their is a maximum, also?


Aliqua wrote:but would you consider a .308 too big for pest animals such as fox, pig or wild goat? The website says in VIC .22 is mimum but some use .243.


There's no such thing as a "maximum", really. I mean, you're trying to eradicate a pest. You shoot it. It's dead. Mission accomplished. Can you say you exceeded some maximum and killed the animal "too much"? :lol:

Obviously common sense dictates that at some point you're just being wasteful though. You're absorbing recoil you didn't need to shoulder, and using lead/powder you didn't need to consume, and not getting the job done any better for having done them.

.308 is unquestionably more than enough for foxes, a center hit will simply obliterate them. Likewise for rabbits, feral cats, etc.

I don't think many would dispute that it's on the larger side for goats. But not crazy. It'll routinely put them down with authority, and fast, ethical kills are never a bad thing.

With a 150gr - 180gr projectile, .308 a solid choice for pigs in just about any hunters book.

At the end of the day, you can't have a rifle for every pest that does precisely the amount of damage required, and not a single ounce more. If you want a single rifle as a bit of a "do it all" walk around gun you're going to be applying overkill at times.

This is going a little off-topic, but food for thought from a fellow Victorian here. If you think at some point you may want to start hunting deer, keep the minimum calibers in mind (.243 for the smaller 3 species, .270 for the 3 larger ones.)

I originally had a .243 and a .308 with the intent of them being my "small" hunting rifle and "large" hunting rifle.

The trap was, every time I went out I'd think I don't want to take the .243 and then have fate put a larger deer in front of me and I have to let it go, so I ended up always taking the .308, and the .243 eventually went largely unused.

I ended up selling them both and going for a 7mm-08 replacement, and I have 120gr and 140gr loads for "smaller" and "larger" hunting to cover both bases.

Anyway, not to turn this into a pitch for the 7mm-08... My point is if you go for something smaller for your initial pest hunting, then decide you want to go for larger deer it means buying a second rifle and finding yourself in the above conundrum.

My 2c.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Archie » 11 May 2020, 6:57 pm

Oldbloke wrote:If you think about it. An unexpanded 308 is about same diameter as a mushroomed 22.


Albeit going at least twice as fast. That did get me thinking though whether with a fast 308 round you could have a no-expansion pencilling hit at close range on a small animal, or whether it’s just not going to matter because even that would be a bang-flop on an animal that small.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Archie » 11 May 2020, 7:01 pm

This is worth a read. Scroll about halfway down to the section under “performance” unless you want a rather in depth history lesson, in which case start from the beginning.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowle ... +NATO.html
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Oldbloke » 11 May 2020, 7:33 pm

Archie wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:If you think about it. An unexpanded 308 is about same diameter as a mushroomed 22.


Albeit going at least twice as fast. That did get me thinking though whether with a fast 308 round you could have a no-expansion pencilling hit at close range on a small animal, or whether it’s just not going to matter because even that would be a bang-flop on an animal that small.


I used to worry about penciling through. Until I shot a couple of foxes with 180gr 308 interlocks. Gutted them.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by bladeracer » 11 May 2020, 7:37 pm

Archie wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:If you think about it. An unexpanded 308 is about same diameter as a mushroomed 22.


Albeit going at least twice as fast. That did get me thinking though whether with a fast 308 round you could have a no-expansion pencilling hit at close range on a small animal, or whether it’s just not going to matter because even that would be a bang-flop on an animal that small.


I've shot rabbits with factory 139gn FMJ 6.5x55mm and they just dropped dead on the spot with a hole drilled through them.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Archie » 11 May 2020, 8:36 pm

Sounds like not an issue then. To be honest it’s probably like a person getting hit with a cannon ball really isn’t it - expansion isn’t going to really matter.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Blr243 » 11 May 2020, 9:16 pm

Better to have 30-50 per cent more unnecessary energy than to be 10 per cent under .....I recently shot a fox close range with a 300 grainer from a 450 bm and I was expecting it to just pencil through but it made a mess
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by bladeracer » 11 May 2020, 9:29 pm

Archie wrote:Sounds like not an issue then. To be honest it’s probably like a person getting hit with a cannon ball really isn’t it - expansion isn’t going to really matter.


Either the size of the hole, or the velocity, still provides plenty of shock to the support systems without requiring the bullet to deform, put it in the right place and it works just fine.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by straightshooter » 12 May 2020, 7:35 am

Aliqua
You don't say whether you handload. That can make all the difference.
There is a very wide range of projectiles available in 30 caliber so a 308 would probably be one of the most ideal chamberings if due to resources or calamity one could have only a single centerfire.
Think about it.
A 110 grain FMJ at moderate velocities for smallish game to minimise skin or meat damage. A 125 grain soft or hollow point for medium sized pest destruction and 150 to 180 grain projectiles for larger game.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Aliqua » 12 May 2020, 1:18 pm

No I dont hand load. Unfortunately I dont have the time or patience haha!! I'm using the .308 Hornady 165gr SST. I thinks it's about a 900m/s projectile.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Die Judicii » 13 May 2020, 2:35 pm

In answer to your question (even smaller ones) NO

I've shot many feral cats with the .308

It's a real good all rounder cos they end up with a big round hole. :silent:
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by bladeracer » 13 May 2020, 3:16 pm

Aliqua wrote:No I dont hand load. Unfortunately I dont have the time or patience haha!! I'm using the .308 Hornady 165gr SST. I thinks it's about a 900m/s projectile.


I don't think it takes that much time, or patience, unless you're really trying to get the best results.
I can make my ammo quicker than driving into town for it. And once you've found the load that works, it's pretty easy to churn out 100rds in an evening.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Aliqua » 13 May 2020, 3:20 pm

It's something I would like to consider in the future, but for now I just need to put my first rounds through the new rifle and then see just how much time I can allocate. Space in my house is also an issue. I will definitely be speaking to you guys when that day comes!
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by AussieCapitalist » 18 May 2020, 9:16 pm

Funny you mention 50 cal on rabbits Aliqua. I have seen it and it there is bugger all left, it is rather brutal. I want to drop something big with my 338 lapua one day. Like a massive pig or a buffalo. The 308 has to be the jack of all trade calibres. If you could only pick one most people would pick the 308 because it can drop the little stuff and the big stuff.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Aliqua » 18 May 2020, 9:42 pm

I only had the opportunity for one purchase... so I think we share the same thoughts!
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by SCJ429 » 19 May 2020, 8:24 am

AussieCapitalist wrote:Funny you mention 50 cal on rabbits Aliqua. I have seen it and it there is bugger all left, it is rather brutal. I want to drop something big with my 338 lapua one day. Like a massive pig or a buffalo. The 308 has to be the jack of all trade calibres. If you could only pick one most people would pick the 308 because it can drop the little stuff and the big stuff.


Hitting a rabbit with a 500 A-Square sounds brutal but it is not as effective as you would think. Obviously a bullet with 8,000 foot pounds of energy as going to cause some damage but big bore bullets are not designed to do their best work on this type of game. The 308 has the advantage of having highly frangable bullets like the Hornady ZMax or the Speer TNT. They work well on foxes or rabbits.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Aliqua » 19 May 2020, 4:28 pm

I have chosen to go with the hornady superperformance 165gr sst in 308. Because I will spend more time at range practicing precision at long distance than I will hunting (at this stage) so it makes sense to calibrate my scope to that... should i take those rounds hunting yes they're more expensive but i dont plan on shooting 100 in a day?

Should hunting become more prominent and I want a cheaper round, I'll recalibrate...

Or if the wife says yes.... I'll get a 2nd rifle and calibrate one for long range and one for hunting hehehe
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by SCJ429 » 19 May 2020, 5:38 pm

I have never had any luck with Hornady SST, I much prefer a Speer if I am looking for a cheap bullet. The poor accuracy you get with SST can be frustrating.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by TassieTiger » 19 May 2020, 5:43 pm

I’m shouting 180 sst’s and a friend is shooting 140’s in his 6.5 to great effect. The friend shot 5 touching in his 6.5 weekend just gone, but I do see wayward Unexplainable shots every now and then...
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by Aliqua » 19 May 2020, 7:33 pm

TassieTiger wrote:I’m shouting 180 sst’s and a friend is shooting 140’s in his 6.5 to great effect. The friend shot 5 touching in his 6.5 weekend just gone, but I do see wayward Unexplainable shots every now and then...


I think this would engage the factory vs self loading debate? Factory from what I've heard do not have the same consistency as self loading?

I'm going to try these out, and if not, try another. But the guys at the shop all swore by them with browning. A lot of reviews have said the browning is a very selective barrel.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by TassieTiger » 19 May 2020, 9:44 pm

You’ll have to try several brands mate And probably several weights...every rifle is different - even if you take these out and they shoot pretty good Say 1.5 moa, there will be this nagging little devil prick sitting on your shoulder saying..”.but brand xxx will tighten that group up, you know it will”..and thus begins the journey.
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Re: .308 too big for larger pests?

Post by bladeracer » 19 May 2020, 9:48 pm

Aliqua wrote:
TassieTiger wrote:I’m shouting 180 sst’s and a friend is shooting 140’s in his 6.5 to great effect. The friend shot 5 touching in his 6.5 weekend just gone, but I do see wayward Unexplainable shots every now and then...


I think this would engage the factory vs self loading debate? Factory from what I've heard do not have the same consistency as self loading?

I'm going to try these out, and if not, try another. But the guys at the shop all swore by them with browning. A lot of reviews have said the browning is a very selective barrel.


In the old days, hand-loading your own ammo would virtually always see improvement over factory ammo. Nowadays, due to improvements in primers, powders, and bullets there is some very, very good factory ammo that can be difficult to better.
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