Non-premium 308 WCF bullets?

[Naphtali]

Among non-premium (strongly prefer those available in bulk) jacketed bullets satisfactory for use in 308 Winchester, what bullets in the range of 180-220 grains retain sufficient bullet weight under 100 yards to be satisfactory for use on elk?

[Rocky Raab]

You'll find that 180 is about as heavy as you can go in the 308 and still develop decent velocity. Of course, if you are truly shooting at 100 yards or less, that won't matter.

You can get Rem Core-Lokt or Winchester Power-Point bullets in bulk, and either one in 165 grain weight will do admirably. They also may come in 180s if you truly think that is necessary.

[Wayne Smith]

For short range work you can get either of them in 170 FP for the 30-30 and do fine, too,

[GabbyM]

Many of those "bulk" bullets aren't so low price anymore.

I like Hornady spire points. If you've a 12" barrel twist in that 308 you may want to use a flat base bullet in a 180 grain to keep length down. I would anyway as they should penatrate straighter.

If you look at Speer hot core take note on their site as they state their boat tails are made with thinner jackets than the falt base. So again I'd go with a flat base in the Speer. They do make a nice 200 grain SP

[runfiverun]

a 165 hornady i-lock will do fine from your 308.
you are gonna be in the 2700 fps range with it, and that is where the bullet is designed to work at.
their 180 would do fine also.
second the flat base.

[cbrick]

Among non-premium (strongly prefer those available in bulk) jacketed bullets

Now I fully understand what "bulk" is but what pray tell is "Jacketed bullets"? Is this something new? A new casting technique? :confused:

Rick

[MtGun44]

165 or 180 Hornady regular bullets are excellent. A friend used a 165 in a .30-06 a
couple of years ago on elk, one shot kill. The 165 is SKU 3040 and the 180 is SKU
3070. These are the flat base, interlock. Old reliable design, no superbullets are
needed at .308 heavy bullet velocities. With the 165 try about 43 to 43.5 gr of
IMR 4064, you will likely find this to be extremely accurate.

Put it in the right place and you will be fine.

Bill

[softpoint]

All the makers have an offering that is excellent for the .308. In real bulk lots, I'd go for the Remington Core lokt; although they may not be the cheapest anymore.
Most of the makers have promotional names attached like Interlock, Interbond, Hot Cor, Accubond, etc,etc, The good thing about a .308 is that it is not a hyper-velocity round, and if a bullet of decent weight is selected, it doesn't have to be the latest whiz-bang -high-dollar- over- promoted selection. I use Sierra bullets in both of my .308's, from 165 to 200 grain, and although I haven't shot a LOT of game with them,I've never lost an animal yet. I tend to lean towards hunting bullets in .30 caliber of 180 to 200 grain weight, a long bullet can both mushroom and penetrate .JMO:drinks:

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have been using the Remingto Core Lokt for years, with excellent results, in my 30-06. I use both the 180gr and the 150 gr bullets, but recently I have been using more 150 grs for deer, coyotes and hogs. In the past I always used 180 gr for large hogs, but a couple of years back, I shot 2 hogs with 150gr bullets, one weighed in at 275 and the other at 250lbs, and both of them were shot through both shoulders at 160 yds, and both bullets exited. Both hogs folded up and dropped in their tracks. At that point I decide I really didn't need 180's for hogs. In the past I have used Sierra and Speer bullets, but I have never been let down by the Core Lokts. I have killed at least 20 deer, 10 hogs and quite a few coyotes and nothing has ever gotten away yet. My only thought is that when I run out of my current stock, that I will try the 165 gr bullets.

G

[nicholst55]

FWIW, several years ago one of the gun rag writers reported that Remington's Core-lokt bullets aren't, any more. Core-lokt, that is, except in name only. I dunno how much difference that's going to make to anyone; just thought I'd offer it up.

[JIMinPHX]

I'm hunting with cast these days.

[Bullshop Junior]

The only bulk bullet I ever used was the 180gr Remington in a 30/06, and they worked well.
I would not recommend using a 220gr in a 308.

[NuJudge]

I like the Remington Core Lokt. Next in line would be Hornady.

CDD

[Tom308]

I'm sold on the Remington core-lokt. I'm not sure but, these may be the ones that started out as belted bullets then became inner belted and then core-lokt. If these are those bullets, they were an early premium bullet. They seem to stay in one piece better than most. I don't have much experience with Winchester bullets. I can say I have heard no complaints about the Winchester bullets. A nephew took an elk with a Winchester factory round. He was happy with it. I would think either of these bullets should fill your needs well. Both ARE available in bulk.
Tom

[Kraschenbirn]

The Sierra 165 gr SPBT shoots quite well in both my .308s...but I imagine you'd have to go the factory to get them in "bulk."

Back in the mid-1990s, I had the opportunity to tour the Sierra Bullet works at Sedalia, MO and, at that time, they would sell...over-the-counter only..."factory seconds" BY THE POUND! Other than pull-down military FMJs to feed my milsurps, I haven't bought a JB since...and still have a fair stock of JSPs in four (rifle) calibers.

Bill

[Naphtali]

I'm hunting with cast these days. With 475 Linebaugh, 480 Ruger, 45 Colt, and 45-70 - you betcha.

308 Winchester, though, I'm skeptical that the tiny meplat on .30-caliber cast bullets @ less than 2100 fps provide satisfactory wound channels on elk. I would be skeptical of any .30-caliber cast bullet because I couldn't goose velocity sufficiently to have its wound channel compare favorably with my 425-grain LFN GC 45-70. The bullet would almost certainly kill. The bullet would be unlikely to stop. Where I hunt, and at my age, elk/deer fleeing present a major retrieval headache.

I'm picking up a Savage 99 action - I owned a 99 in 358 WCF decades ago - and will enjoy the next couple of years building the rifle I wanted back then, but never had.

[Wayne Smith]

Back in the mid-1990s, I had the opportunity to tour the Sierra Bullet works at Sedalia, MO and, at that time, they would sell...over-the-counter only..."factory seconds" BY THE POUND! Other than pull-down military FMJs to feed my milsurps, I haven't bought a JB since...and still have a fair stock of JSPs in four (rifle) calibers.

Bill

Bill, when they were in Sierra Vista, CA, they were just up the road from me in Whittier. I've bought many a pound of the "seconds". They typically had flash that did not come off easily or were discolored. I was shooting them into 1/2" 100 yd groups with my, then, 25-06 Remington. That was a lot of years ago! No flies on those bullets.

[Kraschenbirn]

Wayne the Shrink wrote:

They typically had flash that did not come off easily or were discolored. I was shooting them into 1/2" 100 yd groups with my, then, 25-06 Remington. That was a lot of years ago! No flies on those bullets.

Yep! The three hundred+ pounds of "seconds" my buddy and I picked up at Sedalia were the same story but a five-gallon capacity tumbler, a 40# bag of ground corn cobs and a can of Bartender's Friend for Copper cleaned 'em up in short order.

Bill

[MT Gianni]

i have killed Elk with the 308 with the Hornady 150, 165 and the BarnesX 165 but none were closer than 100 yards. I killed a moose with the 165 X bullets and over 100 yards also.

[JIMinPHX]

With 475 Linebaugh, 480 Ruger, 45 Colt, and 45-70 - you betcha.

308 Winchester, though, I'm skeptical that the tiny meplat on .30-caliber cast bullets @ less than 2100 fps provide satisfactory wound channels on elk. I would be skeptical of any .30-caliber cast bullet because I couldn't goose velocity sufficiently to have its wound channel compare favorably with my 425-grain LFN GC 45-70. The bullet would almost certainly kill. The bullet would be unlikely to stop. Where I hunt, and at my age, elk/deer fleeing present a major retrieval headache.

I've got my .30-30 kicking 150-grain flat point slugs out at over 2300fps with good results. I normally get a little over 20 inches of penetration in soft tissue on deer size game with them. I would expect that with a .308, you would be able to edge that up a little more.

If you're worried about not having enough expansion, then a small hollow point might just do the trick. I use hollow pointed .223 cast on coyotes. They expand just fine. I generally don't get exit wounds from solid hits.

I'll tell the truth though, I've never gone after elk myself, so I'm just speculating what it takes to bring that particular beast down reliably.

I'm not going to say that cast in a .308 is the ultimate rig for hunting large North American game. I don't think that it is. But I wouldn't feel undergunned carrying that in the field if I was in a place where the distances were reasonable. In fact, I'd carry it with pride. That's just me though. I probably don't take my hunting as seriously as some other people might.

[dakotashooter2]

Just don't let that Elk know your shootin him with "cheap" bullets. If he figures that out he'll never go down. Elks knows they can't die from anything but premeum bullets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL