what bullets for Hogs and/or whitetail in 308 20"bbl 1:10

[raider1v1]

Hey Guys,

I just picked up a savage hog hunter in 308 and wanted to know what you guys recommend for hogs and/or whitetail. If you think i need two different bullets thats ok, but id rather have one that can do both.

the hog distances are inside 100yds

the deer are 300yds max

I have some hornady 150gr interlock and 165gr sst's right now, but would be open to buying something else. I have mostly experience with varmint and match bullets. the hunting rounds are new to me.

What would you recommend?

 

[adluginb]

What you have will do fine.

 

[raider1v1]

would i want to go for the 150's for a bit more speed or the 165 for more gr?

 

[Sako man]

Im a fan of the Berger VLD 168. Instant take down. Really accurate. If your rifle prefers the 175 those are very good and same performance for what your wanting to do.

30 Cal 168 Grain Match Grade Classic Hunter

 

[FCS]

150 TTSX / TSX or 165 TTSX / TSX, 150 or 165 Swift Scirocco though either of the bullets you listed in original post will get job done. What bullet can you put exactly where you want it at 300 yards? That is the one you want to be using, IMHO.

YMMV

 

[NFW]

I'm gonna be using the Barnes 175 LRX BT just cause I plan to shoot at deer at 500-600 they are suppose to a good long range hunting bullet, if yours shoots 150 shoot em and get that velocity up, I've just always like shooting something a little heavier. Last year before I got set up for reloading, shot Ted Nugent bullets he was using a 180ttsx reaked havoc on one old doe.

 

[Mad_Charlie]

With what you have, I would use the SST's

 

[Powermac]

130 or 150 grain TTSX would be my choice if you stay within 400.
Using the barnes bullets for longer range is not ideal though, under 2200-2000 fps the performance will suffer greatly, as they high velocity or a lot of resistance to work as intended.
Going with the 165,175,180 etc for a 308 will just give you sub par performance, as you lack the velocity to ensure the best performance and proper expansion at distance.
The TTSX and LRX bullets does expand faster and more reliably then the TSX line.
Now i have never shot a american whitetail, and they are leaner and smaller then the european deer, i have shot around a 100 deer, and a few moose, with mainly the 150 ttsx/tsx in 308, so my opinion is based on the results i have seen at ranges from 50-400 meters, average distance is about 150-250 meters.
Would use the 130 exclusively in 308 for this, if it was legal here.

If using match/varmint bullets the heavier weight will help them hold up and penetrate better, along with a higher bc so no reason to with a 150 sst fx if you have a 165.
For barnes, and to some degree a-frame and other bullets that needs more resistance to expand properly lighter weight and higher speed will make them more effective at distance.
The opposite gives similar results, using a light match bullet like a berger hunting and drive it at very high velocity will often give undesireable results at short ranges.

Tailor your hunting bullets to the rifle, game and the distances you shoot.
This will save you from having to track down animals due to undesireable bullet performance, or slightly miscalculating your shot.
I've had to track down a few deers after my hunting partners, shot with 150 Partitions that met solid bone and fragmented.

 

[clrems77]

Just got back from a Texas hog hunt and used the 165 SST and 168 Amax. Both preformed nearly identical to each other. Dropped three pigs from 120 (SST) , 275 (Amax)and 285 (Amax) Yrds with no problem. Save your money and use what you have as the others have said. Just for reference, my pigs were all between 135-170 lbs. Goodluck on your hunt!!

 

[Rookie]

As others have said, use what you have. the 308 will kill deer and hogs at any practical range. I'm a fan of the Sierra Game King bullets especially for hogs. I've never been able to get good accuracy with Barnes bullets.

 

[RyeDaddy]

I agree that either of the two you have will work fine.

I use the 168 Amax from a 16" 308 and have killed hogs out to 350 yards without issue.

 

[raider1v1]

ok thanks guys, i think im going to try out some 150's and see how they shoot. between them, when i ran it through shooter they were VERY similar out to 400.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Can't speak for hogs... but for whitetails, any .308 will be fine if your shot placement is adequate. Unless you shoot sternum to rectum, the bullet will pass right through anyway. And even an end-to-end shot will probably pass through. I've shot more deer than I can count with .308 and .270. All the shots are through and through. And this is with big New England deer. Not little Southern Whitetails, which are much smaller.

Boars... no experience, though at some point, I want to hog hunt. But my guess is that they are a lot more like bears. Chunky, thick and muscular. Heavy bullet is probably a good idea.

For whitetail... anything a .308 will digest is fine. Concentrate on shot placement.

Cheers,

Sirhr