What's with the lack of 175 gr 30-cal hunting bullets?
So I have been toying with the idea of starting to reload and I've been trying to figure out what kind of cartridge I want to build. I have a .308 with a 1-10" twist and an 18" barrel so it prefers the heavier loads (168-200 gr) versus lighter loads, which is fine because I want this recipe to work for deer and the occasional elk. My best groups were with M118L loads with a 175 gr SMK, but the only hunting bullets I can find in that weight range are Berger VLD's, which aren't widely available and have a checkered reputation (some people swear by them and some people swear at them).
When I look at match bullet weights it seems like the go-to bullets are either 155, 168 or 175 grains, while the majority of hunting bullets are either 150, 165/168, and 180 grains. If the match weight bullets are supposed to optimize energy retention over long distances, then why is the match load 5 grains lighter than the hunting loads? Is the amount of case capacity lost negligible when going up five grains of lead? Or is it just economics--it's cheaper to make an all purpose medium-heavy bullet that will work better for the 30-06, 300 WinMag, etc., but will still work "pretty well" for the smaller cased 308? Anyone have any thoughts on this?