School me on .308...complete rookie here!

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I searched and did some reading but it was all over my head.

I have a new bolt gun, my first ever, in .308 Winchester. Mossberg Patriot, 22" barrel, 1:10 twist.

I didn't realize all of the different ammo for it. 147 grain, 150, 155...etc.

I want an economical round for plinking and maybe deer. I'm not sure about distance. 100-150 yards should be adequate. I'm not looking to do any Canadian sniper antics.

Is there an all around round? Honestly, I'm clueless and would appreciate some advice from learned INGOtarians familiar with the subject.

TYIA,

Stocks

 

[chevy2]

I have had good luck with the 150 grain Hornaday Interlock soft point . MOA groups or less, great performance on game and $20.00 - $23.00 per 100 for component bullets.

 

[Broom_jm]

Are you wanting to know about reloading or buying factory ammo? Either way, the options are extensive and could only be narrowed down with a further understanding of your intended goals.

 

[billybob44]

Welcome to the .308 Winchester Club....

As Broom__jm said, reloads, or factory loads?? it is a reloaders caliber..
For me, I like to assemble my .308 loads with 165-168 grain projectiles..Does the best for me..Bill.

 

[IndyDave1776]

If you don't reload, I am going to suggest a hunting round it likes in the 145-150 grain neighborhood so you can alternately use military ball for your plinking with relatively minimal adjustment to your scope, as opposed to what you would have with a larger variation in bullet weight.

 

[Mgderf]

Try the 150gr Remington Cor-Lokt.
I have a couple of .308's that like that round.

 

[sht4brnz]

1st.) 168 federal gold match or 2nd.) 168 black hills have been the most accurate factory ammo across all the platforms i own, and the twist rates vary.
The accuracy falls of after 800

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I should have specified factory ammo. Thanks for the replies.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I settled on 150 gr. to get my feet wet. Found a deal at Sportsman's Guide.

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/fiocchi-308-win-fmj-rifle-shooting-dynamics-150-grain-20-rounds?a=893950

Thanks for the help! Much appreciated.

Stocks

 

[sht4brnz]

Don't have too high of expectations for this ammo.
I highly suggest you buy a single box of Federal Gold Match to shoot at the same time as the Fiocchi to compare.
Seeing is believing!

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Sounds like a plan...thanks!

 

[two70]

I settled on 150 gr. to get my feet wet. Found a deal at Sportsman's Guide.

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/fiocchi-308-win-fmj-rifle-shooting-dynamics-150-grain-20-rounds?a=893950

Thanks for the help! Much appreciated.

Stocks

You mentioned possibly hunting in your op, just remember that FMJ is not legal for hunting. Target ammo is not a good idea for hunting either. If you do decide to take the .308 hunting find a good bullet intended for hunting which shouldn't be very difficult.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

You mentioned possibly hunting in your op, just remember that FMJ is not legal for hunting. Target ammo is not a good idea for hunting either. If you do decide to take the .308 hunting find a good bullet intended for hunting which shouldn't be very difficult.

Will do. Thanks!

 

[tbhausen]

I didn't notice it was you that was the OP. I'm in the same place, brand-new .308. I'm going to be giving the 168 gr. Federal Gold Medal Match a try first. My rifle has a 24 inch barrel and 1:10 twist. I'm going to sight it in and shoot it almost exclusively suppressed.

 

[oldpink]

Since you're restricted to factory ammo, your best bet is to buy small quantities of ammo to evaluate to see what groups best for your purposes.
As was already mentioned above, FMJ or hollowpoint (almost all target ammo is hollowpoint) ammo for rifle is either a very bad choice or (with deer and FMJ) illegal for deer.
For target shooting/plinking only, your bullet styles (FMJ, hollowpoint, softpoint, etc.) are wide open, but for deer, you should either have softpoints or other type of bullet specifically designed for big game, such as Nosler Accubond or Barnes TSX/TTSX.
Find the ammo that groups best and most consistently, then go with that.
There is no one perfect ammo and each rifle is an individual, so what performs very well in my rifle won't necessarily do well at all in yours.

 

[ChrisK1977]

My daughter used Federal 150 grain SP to kill her buck. Shot half way decent and it was pretty cheap for factory loads. I used reloads for my two deer.

 

[Sgt7330]

I don't get caught up in the higher price bonded bullet hunting loads for deer. The traditional soft point, cup and core rounds work great on thin skinned whitetails. Find one that shoots decent out of your rifle and bring home venison.

 

[two70]

I don't get caught up in the higher price bonded bullet hunting loads for deer. The traditional soft point, cup and core rounds work great on thin skinned whitetails. Find one that shoots decent out of your rifle and bring home venison.

Bonded bullets are certainly tougher than necessary for whitetails from anything .270 Win and larger but they still work very well especially if you drop down a bit in bullet weight as you should. Most premium bullets tend to shoot well also and guarantee an exit wound.

 

[singlesix]

Federal Gold Match 168 gr. Shot great out of my AR-10 and my Remington 700, both 1:10 . Winchester 180gr softpoints worked well also.

 

[oldpink]

Bonded bullets are certainly tougher than necessary for whitetails from anything .270 Win and larger but they still work very well especially if you drop down a bit in bullet weight as you should. Most premium bullets tend to shoot well also and guarantee an exit wound.

Exactly
They also keep the core on the jacket (or have no core at all, as with the TTSX, SST, and other similar types) and greatly improve your odds of properly anchoring your deer from unusual angles (quartering away, for example), while guaranteeing reliable expansion out far and staying together for very short ranges where a cheap game bullet could fragment and let the deer run a good distance before dropping, leaving a good portion of the venison bloodshot and inedible.
Being cost-conscious with ammo is only rational, but the average deer hunter won't be shooting more than two or three rounds per deer, so trying to economize even with hunting ammo makes about as much sense to me as trying to economize on defensive loads.