Re: Hunting 308 round
i used to think it was the bullet, but as i get older i've realized its more placement than anything.
ive hunted whitetails with my 30-06 here in michigan using core-lokt 180 SP for most of my hunting life. 14 bucks and a few doe - all 1 shot wonders, but the longest was about 125 yds. Shot placement is 90% of the game, but occasionally you'll get a runner if you hit them in the boiler room. 4th or 5th buck i killed was perfect heart shot (took off the top 2/3) and he still ran 300 yds before he fell over and realized he was dead. I switched to neck shots from there and they drop like a sack of potatoes (with the occasional spin on the closer shots)
last fall started loading 165 sst's for my 30-06 and of course didn't see a buck all season.
switching over to my 308 this year with the 165 sst's. I'm perfectly comfortable saying that if one comes into range of my shooting abilities, its not walking away.
between our hunting group - most of us shoot core-lokt 150-180gr in our various .30 cals, but a couple of the guys are shooting win ballistic silver tip. bro's Father in law is running a 243 (with core lokts). I'd say we have 4-6 different types of bullets in the field every season. None of our crew has trouble killing deer as long as they do their part. We've taken over 30 deer in the last 4 years - and no matter the bullet or caliber - shot placement seems to be the success key.
find what your gun likes best and stick with that!