Looking for some rounds for hunting deer and elk out of my 16” 1/10 twist 308 AR (with surefire suppresor)

My friend who sell some ammo has a few options for me to pick from. Gonna get like 60 rounds of 3 different type to see what shoots best. Probably want something for deer, something for elk and then something else to try in between

He has the following available
1) hornady SST 150gr or 165gr or 180gr
2) Remington Core Lokt 150gr or 165gr or 180gr
3) Win super x in 150gr
4) Fed Power Shok 150gr or 180gr

I wish he had some bonded or copper bullets but you know how ammo is these days.

I know a lot of it is what shoots well in your gun but it’s a new gun so what 3 rounds would you suggest I try out?

Thanks
Amurr

The Remington rounds aren't measured as accurately as the Hornady rounds.

165 grain is optimal for the .308 and the 30-06.

My 30-06 will put nickel sized groups at 100 yards, but with the Remington rounds only 3/4 of the rounds will be in a nickel sized group with fliers that can make a 1/2 dollar sized group. I don't get fliers when using the Winchester Supreme 165 grain with the Nosler ballistic tip rounds.

Only choosing 3 I would pick the 3 Hornady SST loads.

I typically picked the heaviest option for whatever cartridge I was hunting with, so I'd go with the 180s.
Exit holes fill freezers.

Others may disagree, and that's ok, just giving you the best chance for both species under the most conditions based on my experience.

The SSTs expand very rapidly. I personally like hunting bullets that maintain integrity a little better and always punch two holes. I wouldn't count SSTs among them. Deer aren't very tough but the bone mass on an elk is much larger. Plenty of people kill elk with SSTs though, and I've never shot an elk so take it fwiw.

If I were going to hunt elk, I personally would look for something like an Accubond or Nosler Partition or perhaps a solid like Barnes TSX. I would definitely expect more meat damage on a deer or elk with SST than with the others, especially if you hit bone. You can still find hunting ammo like this in stock on the internet.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
The SSTs expand very rapidly. I personally like hunting bullets that maintain integrity a little better and always punch two holes. I wouldn't count SSTs among them. Deer aren't very tough but the bone mass on an elk is much larger. Plenty of people kill elk with SSTs though, and I've never shot an elk so take it fwiw.

If I were going to hunt elk, I personally would look for something like an Accubond or Nosler Partition or perhaps a solid like Barnes TSX. I would definitely expect more meat damage on a deer or elk with SST than with the others, especially if you hit bone. You can still find hunting ammo like this in stock on the internet.

I've shot dozens of whitetail deer with Hornady 7mm-08 ammunition loaded with 139 gr SSTs. I've never once had a round fail to (generally spectacularly) exit.

They do expand fast and I would probably pick something else for elk, but on deer they work great.

I been thinking about getting some 178gr EDL-x rounds from Hornday. They are built for long range hunting and have a lower expansion threshold. While I don’t plan on engaging targets beyond 300yrds, I thought the lower velocity 16” barrel might be good with that concept.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
The SSTs expand very rapidly. I personally like hunting bullets that maintain integrity a little better and always punch two holes. I wouldn't count SSTs among them. Deer aren't very tough but the bone mass on an elk is much larger. Plenty of people kill elk with SSTs though, and I've never shot an elk so take it fwiw.

If I were going to hunt elk, I personally would look for something like an Accubond or Nosler Partition or perhaps a solid like Barnes TSX. I would definitely expect more meat damage on a deer or elk with SST than with the others, especially if you hit bone. You can still find hunting ammo like this in stock on the internet.

I've shot dozens of whitetail deer with Hornady 7mm-08 ammunition loaded with 139 gr SSTs. I've never once had a round fail to (generally spectacularly) exit.

They do expand fast and I would probably pick something else for elk, but on deer they work great.

yeah agreed. I think they can rip through a deer no problem but probably do a little more meat damage than necessary. I wouldn't pick them for elk, but I do have some factory SSTs in 270, though I haven't actually used them on a deer yet because I'm working through some other ammo.

Only the Hornady is a polymer tip round, the other three are soft points. The polymer tip rounds will expand more explosively, and will have a higher BC than the soft points.

I don't hunt enough to have an opinion, but I would look and see what velocity you get at 300 yards with the 180 out of a 16" barrel.

.308 is a slower round than .30-06, often starting at 2400 fps or so at the muzzle from a 16" tube. After doing a bit of screwing around on the internet and with ballistic calculators, this means that with a standard hunting bullet, at 300 yards the bullet will be doing 1720 fps or so, and have dropped about 21+ inches over that 300 yards. In short, with a short barrel, a factory .308 cartridge, and a relatively heavy bullet for caliber, your MPBR is closer to 260 yards than 300. Obviously, you will do better at range with lighter bullets.

Energy and velocity are fine to kill an elk at that range, but you will need to practice to ensure that you are hitting in a vital zone at 300 yards range, as it will be outside of MPBR for that rifle and bullet combination.

Here is a very good resource, with information on specific manufacturers at the bottom of the page. https://www.ballisticstudies.c...ester+7.62+NATO.html

Good luck with your hunting!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ArtieS,

Go with the 180s and use the same for both deer and elk.


SST bullets are IMHO a little too explosive. I used a 165 SST on a whitetail deer and the damage was incredible. But it didn't kill any better than a soft point 180. Just blew out a bunch of meat from the offside.


Go with the Federal 180 gr and see how they group.

generally speaking , 165's (out of the choices listed) is the best round for that caliber and twist,

180's will do well with a 10 twist as well,

the nickel or similar groups are great, and build confidence in the firearm and shooter, but a deer and elk have a much bigger kill zone, so any will do, if you do your part

Not on your list but the Federal Fusion line is my budget hunting round choice.

quote:

Remington Core Lokt

That's what I use in my 7mm-08 whitetail deer rifle here in PA and they've worked very well. One shot and down for good!

I found 200 rounds of 178gr ELD-x @ standard market prices and figures that should hold me out for a while with the SMK stock for range fun.

Should be a good alround 0-300yard hunting rifle that is slightly tactical. Just need to get a scope now. Leaning towards the nightforce NXS

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Remington Core Lokt

That's what I use in my 7mm-08 whitetail deer rifle here in PA and they've worked very well. One shot and down for good!

My vote would be for the Remington Core-Lokt as well, either the 165's or the 180's--No, they're NOT the newest "High Speed, Low Drag" high B.C. bullets, but they are well-proven by literally GENERATIONS of hunters--If I was looking to put meat on the table, I would--And have--Used the Core-Lokts with complete satisfaction.