308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

after hearing what you all had to say about the "best short action" im gonna get the 308 WIN. But would it realy be big enuff for the biggest deer in the woods ie moose and elk. without any bull$h!T, realy? i dont shoot anything over 300 yards anyway, its not worth risking it. too much can go wrong at that long range, so i wont do it. what round, factory or handloaded should i use for deer that get to be 300lbs live weigh aroud here? one last thing, what would a guide/ outfitter say if i showed up with a 308 to hunt elk, good to go or not with that pop gun? if there are any guides/ outfiters out there i would really like to hear it from there point on that side of it. thanks for every comment that comes in, BRIZBO/iowa

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

You don't need the newest super duper magnum to kill elk and moose, the .308 with a properly constructed bullet can kill them quite easily.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

i realize that, but what is a good bullet. a winchester xp3 or a interbond?
i want the same load for deer, elk ect so i dont have to try to learn a new roud when i go after something other than deer. is that even possible, to have a "one for all" gun and bullet combo?

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

I like the Nosler Partition, or TBBC.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

You don't even need the "best" bullet. I know people who have taken elk using a .243 and good ole lead tip bullets. My uncles have always used .270's shooting 130-140gr bullets in whatever the cheapest ammo they could buy was, and they have taken more elk than most people will take in their lifetime- in addition to a few moose. My father has shot 150 Remington Core-lokts in his 30-06 since before I can remember, and he has killed a whole pile of elk as well and a moose to boot. I once tried 160gr Nosler Partitions in my 7mm Mag to see if there really was a difference, and to be honest with you, the elk didn't look any more dead than did all of the other elk I took using more affordable bullets. Now I'm back to using 150gr Sierra Game kings.

Just be aware that if you hit an elk in the shoulder, while it won't be able to go anywhere, it might not die right away either. You'll have to put a finishing round into it. Not that theres anything wrong with that. Just something to keep in mind.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

if you shoot a 180 grain Federal Nosler Partition for deer and then switch over to 180 grain Trophy bonded bear claw by federal for elk chances are you will not have to touch the scope. every rifle is different

My 308 shoots all different types of bullets the same...Just try them out. I am not sure one bullet fits all works the best but it can be done......people killed ELK and deer long before the supermagnum existed

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

Barnes TSX (150-165), Nolser Partiton(150-180) orAccubond (165-180), Hornady Interbond or Interlock SP (165-180),TBBC, etc.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

Killed several big deer with it and a couple decent size bull moose, never hunted elk..

What would a guide say if you showed up with one??? "hand me the cheque!"

you put that bullet where its supposed to go,,, it will kill any cervid in North America!

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

The .308 is perfect for deer, elk and moose.

Great choice!

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

I'd think that most guides would say "have enough gun (which a .308 with the right bullets and not stretching it's range is)!
I'm also sure they would rather see someone with a .308 that they can shoot, than someone with a "superdupermagnum" that they can't hit the side of a barn with!

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

I would use 125 to 150 for deer. I would use at least a 165 grain for bigger. A 165 would be prob good for both. IMO a 180 is way more then needed for deer.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

Hell, I'd use the 308 Win. on the big bears.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

.338 federal is a 308 win. case necked up to .338 in. dia. they say it develops more speed and is better on the recoil. looks like a step up from the .308 to me so if you think 308 win. is a little bit small then why not look at the .338. its perfect if you dont (or wont) want to get a magnum.
Just remember the .308 is the us millitarys 7.62 mm cartrige. the same cartrige that replaced the 30-06 as the main battle rifles round. then it was delligated to some machine guns and mostly sniper duty. mostly with the SF now, the standard issue GI JOE average soldier gets a m-16 in 5.56 (aka hopped up .223 remington) now a days. just fyi.
also I was wanting a .308 to put next to my 270 win. in the gun safe but im looking for a rifle in .338 federal that I like for my deer hunting and the 270 will under go a make over to become my main cyote sniper gun.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

While I love the Nosler Partition in the right weights for about everything, If I wanted one bullet for everything in the 308, it would be the 165 Grain Barnes TXS.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

I have used the 180 gr. Speer Grand Slam with great success in this caliber. Seat it out to 2.800" andtry WW 748 powder. Youshould be able to get over 2700 fps in a 24" barrel. I believe Speeralso loadsthis in a factory offering called "Nitrex" ammunition. This bullet will kill elk, bear,and moose real well as long as the distance is not extreme. May be a little overkill, in terms of penetration, for deer. I like 165 Ballistic Tips for deer in this caliber, but if you want to load one bullet for everything I would go with the GS.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

I only own one big game rifle, a rem 660 in 308. Even with its short barrel(18" or so) I have taken two of my elk @200yds+. It is aextremely accurateround, and since you are not comfortable shooting over 300yds, would be enough for any big game specie in North America. Personally, I would opt for a larger Mag for brown bear and maybe Yukon moose, but 308's have taken plenty of thoe in the past.m As a veteran, i have a close relationship with the 308(7.62 NATO), and know that even in a rifle such as mine, it isplentyenough for most everything. It is all a matter of bullet selection and proper shot placement on the larger game. Personnaly, I shoot 165gr Swift Scirrocos, out of the box my first year, and handloads this last year. Out of the box first year I took my first cow elk @ 200-225yds running, and hit vitals with 2 of 3 shots. Good enough for me. One round shatered a rib, went through a lung, through rib on other side and then shatered the forearm. She only made it about 100 yds downhill and was done. Three days later I took my first doe @ 15 yds and she only went 30 yds and was done. Great blood trails with all. I have had great results with that setup and it works for me great. With as short of a barrel as I have, 300yrds is my max with factory ammo, 400 with my handloads. The few guides that I knowhave no issues with the 308,if it is what you are comfortable with and can shoot accuratley,then it is fine. You know your range limit and what you are comfortable with, so just don't exceed them. And if a guide for a Elk hunt tells you that you have to take a shot over 300 yds, I would find a differant guide, but that's just my opinion. This is not to say that every guide will feel this way, nor that Scirrocos are the best choice, we all know there are plenty of choices out there. Barnes, Nosler Partitions, Hornady Interbonds/SST's, just to name a few. It is really your call. I would however advise against shooting the heavier 30cal bullets(180+gr) that are offered.I know that energy is increased, but ballistic tajectory suffers greatly limiting a 'comfort range'. I hope this helps, and feel free to ask anything else about this subject. Best of luck.

Jerry

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

308 is a true DO IT ALL CALIBER! I own two guns a 260 remington moutian rifle lss and a browning a-bolt composite stalker in 308. this year that 308 dropped a nice cow moose from about 125 yard dead in her tracks . the bullet was a nosler accubond 150gr.the bullet hit her just above the sholder and exited on the off side leaving an exit hole bigger then your fist very impressed with those accubonds.my father and his 3 brothers all use remington model 7400 chambered in 308 and over the years the have taken alot of moose with great susess.my unkle shot a 60 inch over 1200pounds bull at close to 300 yards with his 308 one shot to the heart was all it took moose ran about 50 yards and died.

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

yeah...i realize that..i spent 8 years in the army,{ 18 month combat deployment to iraq.}...and i was a combat engineer, digging up mines and disarming roadside bombs aka IED's..so i wasent a 'pogie or a fobbit' who never saw the outside of the wire. so i know that the military uses the 308 in there M 240 series,B,G,E and so on. the GI was given the M-14 in the early 60's then thay went to M-16A1 and A2 and then A3 and now there useing the M-16a3 flattop and the M-4, the m-14 was 308 and there were somedays i wished i would have had one of those. you hardly ever see a "sniper' rifle over there. and the ones i did see were old 30-06 grands and 50 cal barretts. fyi but thanks brizbo

RE: 308 WIN deer, ekl,....moose???
 

Do you want to be trendy, or do you want a good cartridge for a decent price. 165 grain bullets would be optimal. Buy Federal Premium's with the Sierra Gameking bullet. If handloading get the 165 grain Gameking, or the Nosler BT in 165. If you are trendy and like to spend money, then buy the more expensive bullets, but I personally do not consider them to be any better. I have shot alot of animals with my 1886 45-70 and cast bullets, I have not had any problemswith these bullets, and they are fairly inexpensive.

As far as the guides are concerned. I have found that a guide prefers a hunter who has a rifle that he knows how to shoot. Alot of people show up with magnum's that they can not shoot. I can assure you a guide prefers a hunter who can hit with a 308 over a hunter who can not handle a 300RUM. Tom.