davidbwilliams

I JUST GOT A NEW 308 SAVAGE 110 BOLT ACTION .....I CAN ONLY GET 1 RIFLE THIS YEAR AND I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD 1 DO ANY OF U SPORTSMAN USE THE 308 IF U DO WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR AND HOW LONG OF SHOTS CAN I TAKE WITH IT ??? WHAT AMMO WORKS EST IN YOUR 308 ?? WELL PLEASE LET ME NO WHAT U HAVE TO SAY AND IF ITS A GOOD RIFLE
DAVID WILLIAMS

zekeskar

Savage has a good reputation for a good gun. The .308 is a well respected, popular, and versitile cartridge - very, very similar to the 30-06 in that regard. A guy I hunt with quite a bit shoots a .308 for deer, black bear, moose and caribou, the same stuff I use my '06 for. Many options for factory loads. I do know they're a commonly used cartridge and effective for deer.

Others with more direct experience will comment on range and specific cartridges, but for deer, but I believe you'll find that the "standard" loads from the major manufacturers will be great for deer, just depending on the particular brand and weight your gun "likes" best. I tend to Remington corelokt 180 grain because they happen to be most accurate in my particular rifle, and it's easy for me to find this particular cartridge anywhere, anytime. 150 or 165 would be perfectly OK, but they just don't shoot as well in my gun. That's where I'd start if I were you (or equivalent Winchester, Federal, etc.).

I use the Swift Scirroco for bigger game, but only because, when I went looking for advice for a bullet for bigger game, the gun store I went to recommended the Scirocco, and it worked great. Again, there's othr options and equivalents in other brands.

Bottom line - your .308 could very well be the only gun you ever need and all you have to do is figure out which shell it likes (or more likely, the few it doesn't like).

T/C fan!

David, for the money, the Savage is about as good as they come and you also did well with the choice of caliber. The 308 offers low recoil, great accuracy and truckload of factory and handloads. I don't shoot the Savage, but I have that caliber in two Encore barrels(pistol and rifle) and have taken a deer at over 200yds with the pistol. As for getting the best accuracy out of your rifle, you need to do some research. All rifles have their own "personalities" and will shoot some ammo/loads better than others. So, if you don't handload, go out and buy several different loads and see which one gives you the best results. Good shooting and congrats on your new toy.

timbercruiser

Everybody has their favorite cartridge, and the fact is chosing a good scope, practice with the rifle and put the bullet in a vital area and you will kill the deer. I personally don't like the ballistic tips (myself and friends have had some blown up bullets), but other people on here like them.

Todd1700

Good choice David. A 308 is as good an all around cartridge as there is out there and will kill deer farther than most people should be shooting anyway. Savage rifles are gaining a good reputation for accuracy despite the fact that they don't cost an arm and a leg. Keep us posted about how you like it and how it shoots. I would echo what timbercruiser said. I don't like ballistic tip bullets. Stick with a good soft lead tip bullet in 150 to 165 grain weight. I like Hornady and Federal bullets myself but try several different bullets in your new gun. Different guns like different bullets and will definately shoot some better than others.

davidbwilliams

thanks alot for all the posts i aint got a chance to shoot it yet but i will tell u about it when i do but till then u guys take care thanks again for the posts ....... david williams

Hiawatha

My first rifle was a .308 was a savage also model 99 i believe. I used 165 gr hornady light mags. They seemed to perform very well for me a taking several moose and deer at various ranges without problems. I loved that gun to death but my bro took it with him when he left home. Want to buy it off him now but he is not lettin' her go.

leffler

im in love with my .30 model 700. . . . im sure the savge is good too. . . .it works great for deer

James B

There are Nosler ballistic tips for hunting big game and for hunting varmits. The ballistic tipos in the heavier weights in each caliber from 25 on up are made for big game and they are very good bullets. Many years ago they had a reputation of blowing up in the magnum calibers. That problem has been fixed for a quite a while now and for deer there isn't a better bullet that the Nosler ballistic tip. I have used them since day one when they came out and have kept track of thier progress.

CanadianWrangler

My father has a Savage 99C in .308 cal. Bought it new in '76 and hasn't purchased another rifle since. It has killed whitetails by the score, mule deer, elk, and moose. He uses 180gr. Winchester Silvertips for all game, as they work best with his rifle. Plenty of power at any range he has to shoot at, and the 308 for most big game is a one shot one kill cartridge.

Hey Hiawatha!!! Steal that 99 Savage back!!

Here is a quick bit on some facts of the 308 calibre.

This entry below is plagarized from SPEER's Reloading Manual #12:

Like many other successful sporting cartridges, the .308 Winchester began
as a military development. The Search for an effective and compact cartridge
for machine guns and semi-auto service rifles actually began shortly after World
War I and continued until the experimental T65 cartridge was adopted by the U.S.
as the 7.62 NATO service cartridge in 1954.

Winchester beat the military to the punch by introducing the T65 as the
.308 Winchester in 1952. The case was almost a half-inch shorter than the
30-06, but, with special ball powders developed for the T65, the .308 could
nearly match the ballistics of the older service cartridge. First offered in
the Winchester Model 70 bolt action and the Model 88 lever action, the .308 was
quickly picked up by other manufacturers. It was a natural for short-action
rifles and quickly established a reputation for accuracy.

Winchester barrels for the .308 were made with a 1-in-12 inch twist rate.
This limited the heaviest useful bullet weight to 200 grains instead of 220
grains, found in the 30-06. Other rifle makers have built .308 rifles using
1-in-10 inch twist barrels. There seems to be little practical difference
between the two twist rates with bullets lighter than 200 grains.

In the hunting field, ballistic differences between the .308 and the 30-06
are negligible. The choice between the two cartridges can often be made by the
type of action you prefer. A short bolt-action or a semi-auto, lever- or
slide-action favors the .308. In full-length action, the 30-06 gets the nod.
Both cartridges can be used on similar types of game. They are suitable for
anything in North America with the exception of the great bears. We prefer a
larger, heavier bullet on these.

In a target-grade rifle, the .308 can be used effectively on steel and
paper targets out to 1,000 yards. Normally bullets such as Speer's 168 and 190
grain match boat tail hollow point are used for competition. In most rifles,
the .308 is capable of top-notch accuracy.

Because the .308 Winchester is a military spn-off, surplus cases are
readily available. Military cases are often thicker than commercial ones, and
have less case capacity. Reduce charges developed in commercial cases at least
5% when loading military brass. Also, try to match headstamps for more uniform
results. The loads to not exceed the SAAMI maximum average pressure of 52,000
cup.

Another tip from someone else I found that applies here:

When you are thinking about what will get the job done, remember the 3 biggest
factors affecting bullet lethality: (1) Shot Placement, (2) Shot Placement, and
(3) Shot Placement. Do this well, and it will cover up a myriad of other sins.
Pick a cartridge that's in the general ballpark of being appropriate for the
job, add marksmanship, and the rest will follow.