I have hunted with a rifle chambered for 308 Win. for over 40 years .... white tail deer, mule deer and feral hogs ... and popped a few coyotes along the way. It is my No. 1 and favorite hunting cartridge for the critters I chase. I have no experience hunting bear, elk, moose, etc.

My expereince hunting medium game the 308 Win. is deadly out beyond the range that most of us can manage. I have killed mule deer cleanly well past 300 yards with a great rest and lucky shot a coyote at a raged 415. I have found that the optimum bullet weights are going to be 150gr., 165 gr. and 180 gr. My personal choice is the 165 gr. Your Axis will be like every other rifle that I have come across in that it will group better with some loads than others. You will have to try a few to see which. I would think that starting with something loaded with a 165 gr. bullet would be a good place to begin. You should expect under 2 MOA .... and probably closer to 1 MOA. That was the case with the Axis I bought for my grandson in 243 Win.

I have experienced groups over 4 MOA and as good as sub-MOA with the same rifle as my buddy and I went through many factory loads. So you may have to try 3-4-5 or more different loads. In the case I mention in this paragraph, it took us 11 different loads before we found one that my buddy would accpept! That was by far the most different factory loads that I ever have been through in an attempt to select a "winner". I will add , there were 5 so called "premium" ammo that grouped best, with one grouping excellent. As far as what to plink with at the range? What ever you can afford would use.