In the .308 I like the 165 gr. bullets. I don' t know, its just a personal preference. The 150' s are good too! Once again, there is no such thing as a " brush buster" . No matter what caliber or bullet! If you don' t have a clear shot, you don' t have a shot, period.

On shots that close I think the 180 grain bullet because of its heavier construction would do less meat damage. Other than that I would just use witchever bullet over 150 grain shoots best in your gun.

At 50 yards or less their ain' t noway you shouldn' t hit the bread basket and if thats the case meat damage is not an issue...or am I missing something here??? I would say 150-180, but a 180 may not expand leaving a pinky in/pinky out scenrio. Personally I want to put the animal & lots of blood on the ground and would be looking for something that will punch through with some decent expansion.

As to the bush beaters theory, ain' t no such thing! I have seen it first hand and nobody will convince me a 180 is more likely to finding way throw twigs vs 150. Hell one case was a 200 gr 338 win that hit one single branch and missed a bull elk[].

Since your range is so close I would use a Round Nose bullet, but as far as I can see the only round nose I can find at this time is a 180 gr. Norma 180 gr. Alaska loaded by Norma. If you can' t find the Norma 180 gr. Alaska, I would go with a 180 gr. Soft Point. Good luck.

The advantage for a 150gr is it usually works great in a 308. Its the wieght its the most effiecient. With the case capacity, you can almost match 150gr 30-06 velocities. But thats the extent of it. When you start moving past 165gr, the 30-06 will pass it up in a hurry, due to its case being able to handle the slower powders. With my 308Win, I can get 2950fps with 150gr Nosler BT and 47gr of Varget. Only problem is it usually is compressed.

I mean think about it, you can shoot a bullet 20gr heavier almost as flat as a 270Win shooting 130gr.

james S...

you can get a " premium controlled expansion buulet " like nosler partitons ,trophy bonded bear claws, barnesX bullets.

so you can use 150gr. and no to little meat loss. i used 165gr. sierra gameking' s like said in prior post. the bullet went in the size of the caliber. and came out the size of a half dollar. no meat loss just alittle bruising on the exit wound. but hit real close to the shoulder.
i would not worry that much about meat loss. it should be minimal anyway. if you want meat loss go with the BT' s i have seen some nasty entrance wounds from them.

So Quilly, when you butcher you animals, what meat are you losing when using the bullistic tips? I have shot deer with screamers, and never lost a scrap of meat when hitting broadsided. I don' t keep the ribs either.

Try a variety of weights and brands between 150 to 180 grains. The one your rifle shoots best is the one to give preferential consideration. If there is a possibility that you will need to shoot lengthwise through your deer try to pick either a premium bullet, (like Nosler Partitions or a bonded bullet), or try to find a conventional 180 grain that shoots well. With a .308 Winchester you can reach the vitals of a Whitetail from any angle......assuming your bullets hold together and penetrate. Don' t forget though that if the bullet is too tough it won' t expand as well on a broadside shot and as a result will NOT transmit shock as well. So a lot depends on how well your rifle handles different bullets, how you envision using them, and the terminal performance you expect from your bullets.

If you handload other options become available to you depending upon your needs. For many years I carried a Sako Mannlicher in .308 Winchester while deer hunting in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Because of the hunter density, and the willingness of some of those hunters to tag any animal, (regardless of who made the killing shot), I wanted a bullet that would transmit massive shock in an effort to put the animal on the ground before it could get out of sight. I loaded .308 caliber bullets in both 150 and 170 grains that were intended for .30-30 velocities. Knowing that these bullets would not handle the much higher velocity well I intentially loaded them to velocities approximating .300 Savage velocities and limited my shots to strictly broadside shots through the ribcage into the chest. I killed 13 or 14 deer with those loads and predictably I got " near explosive" performance on those shots. Many of those deer had heart and lung tissue nearly liquidfied by those bullets and they seldom penentrated completely through the body. But you would not want to take anything resembling an angling shot with those loads....they would NOT have given certain enough penetration to reach the vitals on anything but broadside-ribcage shots. Of all of those deer only one of them moved more than 20 or 30 feet after the shot. (The lone exception traveled nearly 100 yards but left a blood trail a blind person could have followed.)

To make a long story short...determine your needs....find a load that shoots accurately in your rifle....and pick your bullet to fill its intended purpose. Any accurate bullet between 150 to 180 grain in the .308 Winchester will work well on Whitetails, (and most will give total penetration from any angle). Whitetail are not big nor heavily built. Reaching the heart/lungs from any angle will provide a clean and quick kill.

With a 308 at 50 yrds or less (thich woods), I bet you will not be able to find a load that will not be hunting accurate. Hunting accurate being within 3 inches of point of aim. Pick a premium/ controlled expantion bullet of any weight, go to a range and shoot in every position you can emagine. Get used to pulling the gun up quick and getting the target in the scope. That needs to be second nature. You will need to be able to look at the target, sholder the gun, and see the target thru the scope.

PS Turn the scope down to the minimum power.

I take it from some of your responses that you haven' t hunted much in thick Maine cedar swamps. Maine and New Hampshire is arguably one of the toughest places to hunt whitetails. The definition of a clear shot is quite different in the Maine woods than it would be hunting agricultural areas. If you spend 4 weeks hunting and never see a buck, then on the last day you see a bruiser standing broadside but with a twig in the way.......guaranteed you will take the shot!

I personally find the heavier bullets perform better in these close range, thick woods situations. I' m not saying I' m right, it' s just what I have observed from experience. Some guns don' t like the heavier grains though, which is why it' s best to try out different bullets to see which is best suited to your particular gun.

Pluto' s right about practicing your off-hand shooting. Practice is invaluable for making a quick shot count!

P.S.> handloader - Remington makes round nosed bullets in 180 gr. for .30-06, which is what I use, not sure if they make the same for .308 or not.