168 gr bthp for deer?
 

I was wondering if 186 gr match bthp would be good for deer?
I'm using a 308 and it going about 2700 fps.
These loads are so accurate .6 " groups at 100 yards out of my Remington 7400 which is unheard of for this gun.

But I'm worried on how these loads will stack up for deer. will they be okay?

Match bullets are usually designed to fragment easily. You don't get good penetration on game. They are generally not recommended for hunting.

Some bullets are made for shooting
 

some bullets are made for hunting. And there's bullets that have worked on deer for thirty years.

Match bullets are designed for that and not for hunting, as mentioned. Find a good hunting bullet that will penetrate before it expands properly and then get it sighted in so you're good to go and will be confident when that buck of a lifetime steps out.

If its a ballistic tip hollow point, its fine for hunting. Deer are thin skinned and you wont have any worries about bringing it down with those. 168 gr ballistic HP will do some serious internal damage and drop them quick or leave a blood trail so massive they arent hard to find.

I hunt with 150 and 180 grn winchester ballistic silver tips and they drop the deer in their tracks. I have only ever had one of those fail to exit completely and it was a quartering away shot where the bullet entered behind the rear most left rib and there was a TINY hole in the right shoulder where a piece of the bullet exited. The insides of the deer were trashed and it was easy to see why he didnt go anywhere after being shot. Generally, with the ballistic tip hollow points, you will offten times have massive exit wounds. I dont care for shoulder meat so it really doesnt bother me if the bullet demolishes the shoulder and surrounding meat, so I love them. I care more about the deer expiring quickly than anything else and they do a great job of that.

As already mentioned "match" ammo is not designed as a hunting round. Certainly a 168 gr. , 30 cal. match bullet at high velocity can kill thin skinned medium game. I use a 308 Win almost exclusively. Try a 165 gr. Sierra Game King, Hornady SST , Speer Grand Slam or Nosler Partition. I have used all 4 from time to time . Each does a good job. For white tail, the Game King is a fine choice. Excellent BC for long range accuracy and holds up well enough for close shots too.

I took it as Boat Tail Hollow Point.

i may have misunderstood them, sorry if I did.

Like others have posted, match bullets are designed for shooting paper, HOWEVER, whitetail deer are thin skinned, and are not hard to kill IF you put the bullet in the right place.

There is a huge difference between .22 caliber and .30 caliber Match bullets.

I have killed quiet a few mule deer and pronghorn antelope with Hornady 120 gr HPFB bullets from my .257 AI. I have made one shot kills on a variety of animals from Texas Blackbuck antelope to Montana bull elk with Barnes 168 gr Match grade TSX BT bullets from my .300 Weatherby.

The Hornady 168 gr BTHP Match bullets are my favorite practice bullets in my .300 Weatherby. There isn't a deer sized critter alive that I wouldn't hesitate to shoot with that bullet.

Wait for your deer to stand broadside and put your bullet right behind his shoulder and you'll be eating venison tenderloins that night.


I actually killed my first bull elk back in 1966 with a borrowed .30-40 Krag rifle. Now almost three dozen elk later, I hunt elk with my .300 Weatherby. I know that the animals haven't got any tougher, I just have always wanted a .300 Weatherby, and since I built this one a few years ago, it has become my favorite rifle.

That's why I use a tougher bullet. If the buck of your dreams is giving you a quatering-to shot angle, you are SOL.