need some input
 

was thinking about going with a 308 4 my deer rifle.whats evreyone think about this caliber?

Hard to beat. For deer, you need no more.

i was looking at the mossberg atr does anyone have any dealings with them?

I have hunted for many years with a lever action 308 and you can belive me when I say it is more than enough for any deer, elk , or black bear. How ever I would not recomend this gun for brown bear. I reload and using bullets in the 150-165 it is just as potent as a 30.06 and the cartage is shorter than the 06 and it uses less powder, in other words it is the perfect gun for whiteails!
Happy hunting!

The question is, can you consistently hit an 8" target at 150 yards (or whatever is your maximum shooting range)? Using a good bonded bullet the .308, and many other calibers, are very capable hunting calibers.

The .308 is an excellent deer hunting round...especially in a compact rifle...my favorite being the Ruger M77II compact.

It has long been known for amazing accuracy, and it has nearly the power of the .30-06. It is fine for whitetail, pronghorn, sheep, etc. For elk or moose, I would also go with a 165 grain bullet in the Nosler partition or Swift A-frame line...Hornady also loads "Light Magnum" versions which are similar to the .300 H&H Magnum performance.

Its only weakness comes when you try to load heavy for caliber rounds, e.g. 180-220 grain bullets, because of the seating depth/case capacity...that is where the .30-06 and .300 Winchester / Weatherby Magnum has advantages because of larger case size.

Personally, I would avoid the 150 grain Winchester Silvertip...several bad experiences with that specific load...though I really like the Winchester Ballistic Silvertip...

what about knock down power?

308 has all the knock down power you will ever need. learn to shoot accurately on paper before hunting anything.

i hunt a lot of mixed hardwoods and usally dont shoot no farther than a hundred yards or so i think it would be a good choice!

i just wanted 2 see what evreyone thought about it.

You just practice shooting it in field conditions at a deers vitals, the rifle will handle all the rest.

I just killed a black bear in Maine last week with my Tikka .308. I've killed over 30 deer with it over the years, and it has never let me down.

And as far as accuracy, I can group factory loads at 200 yards under an inch with it.

Great caliber for deer, elk, sheep, goat, antelope, black bear, moose; just about any big game that you can hunt, it is capable of killing. As stated, I'd stay away from the big brown bears with it, although I would suspect some have been taken with it. It has a good selection of bullet weights to choose from, with the 150-165 grain a good choice for deer. Chambered in many bolt guns, auto-loaders, pumps, lever actions. Good choice for what you want.