Help with 308 hunting

[pls1911]

Amen.
I guess old guys are less patient because we have few miles ahead of us than behind...

I'll confess to fretting about this kind in question 20 years ago.
I grew to know better...
My mantra is Cast well, load well, shoot well.

I spend less time fretting and a whole lot more time shooting.

[WinchesterM1]

Update: I have loaded and shot over 300 of these since the first post and the 35grn of Varget is doing great, I have captured 4-5 of the bullets and they are all the same. They are holding around 3/4-1” at 100 yards with every once and a while a flyer opens up to 1.5-2” most likely due to my casting flaws.
I have killed a couple of deer with the Lee 309-200 out of a garand and they all did fantastic. As a matter of fact the only deer I have seen run was last year when I shot 2 on opening day with a 6.5 grendel using factory hornady black ammo they both ran around 75 yards

[WinchesterM1]

That's a pretty mushroom. I stand by my 150gr recommendation but if you have freezer space take a deer with each and see what YOU think.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I have the space I usually kill 4-5 a year to fill the freezer, I may load the 311299 in my mosin sniper and see how it does

[WinchesterM1]

Killed a deer opening morning with the Lee 150 fn over 35 grn of Varget and 2 dead deer, one ran 20 yards maybe and the other dropped. One was shot at 73 yards and one was shot at 157 yards( she dropped) I’m impressed with the damage done


exit

[Screwbolts]

Congrats, you can't argue with success, good shooting!

[waksupi]

the older I get the heavier I like my boolits

That's only because they work best for accuracy and killing ability. Aside from that, they ain't much good.

[Les Staley]

Thanks, guys! I took two whitetails last fall with castys, one w/ the Lee 311 170 gr fp in the 308 and one with the RCBS 35-200 in the 35 Whelen. Also a nice Tom Lion with the Whelen. All died very cooperatvly, no muss, no fuss. I'm casting for the next few days, making good use of my "shelter in place" days. Powder coating these boolets, they shoot a treat at near condem bullet speeds. Everybody stay healthy

[GooseGestapo]

Ive used the Lee .311-150 FN for close to 50yrs. I have my original single cavity mold and sizer kit I bought in early’70’s. I later bought a two cav and gave my 1cav to my older brother.

I’ve taken many deer with the boolit loaded in the .30-30 to same speed as mentioned by OP. If he can’t drop deer to 200yds, he needs to sell the .308 and buy a 7mmRemMag, shoot factory ammo. Failing that, buy pork or beef at the grocery store.

I’ve killed dozens of deer and several pigs with the 150, and have yet to recover one!
The only one recovered was by a coworker of my brother, while he was stationed in Maine at Loring AFB. The coworker wanted something for snowshoe hares while on leave to upstate NY. My brother gave him a coffee can full of .30/30 loaded with 7.5gr of Unique (1,200fps). Tumble lube, unsized, no gascheck. After hunting all morning in sleet and snow, he decided to try to jump some hares. He jumped a doe! Hit it in the flank at about 70yds, bullet was found partially expanded against the hide of the far shoulder. (Think .357mag revolver power).
Thereafter he referred to the .30/30 as “something for rabbits”... (line from “Valdez is Coming”, -a 12ga s/s with buckshot...). BTW, 2,250fps is factory velocity for jacketed .30/30ammo from a 20”bbl. Even moose are killed with this...

[WinchesterM1]

Up date!!!

I finally bit the bullet and bought a NOE 311-165hp RD 4 cavity bullet I cast up around 40lbs of the deep HP and around 40lbs of the shallow cup. The deep HP were explosive at 2300fps, however the cup hp expanded nicely. I will reserve the Deep hp for coyotes, and the shallow for hunting.

[megasupermagnum]

What did you use for alloy?

[WinchesterM1]

What did you use for alloy?

The same as before 75/25 WW/PB with 3% tin

[WinchesterM1]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I have kept working on the RD 165hp and I have finally found what I am going to keep. Feel free to copy my load as it shows no pressure signs out of my rifle

[Win94ae]

The one with the least amount of drift at your expected ranges.

[versa-06]

WinchesterM1; Looks like you've found the load, Now go kill something with it & we are waiting for the story & pic's. Thanks for sharing. -06

[WinchesterM1]

Killed another deer with that same load, going on around a dozen deer taken with it, the entry holes are huge! This blew the lungs out of the exit, kinda like a 9mm…

[Milky Duck]

great results...why I said 150 over 200grn is the 150 will exit so the 200 wont do anything more.
having recently loaded up some flatpoint powder coated 212grn in .44magnum for a buddy and seen the results ,Im convinced pure lead soft boolits powder coated have a huge potential. 180grns recovered and 2cm across..cant call it a mushroom as wes more like a dished coin.

[versa-06]

Seens that load is doing a fine job. Nice deer !

[WinchesterM1]

Killed 2 more this morning, still doing a great job!!!

On one of the does the bullet didn’t exit, so I’m hoping I can find the bullet to see what it looks like, I hope it wasn’t in the gut pile, I shot her at a full run at 127 yards