Remington 700 Tactical/Varmit 308

[Harold Heffern]

This is a custom rifle I'm purchasing. Has 26"barrel, fully floated and has 1 in 12 twist rate for 168 gr match grade bullets. I know I'm going to use Federal Gold Medal Match at the range, but my question is what would be the best round to use (not match) for hunting deer or elk at long ranges if needed??

 

[splithoof]

Select a load (or create your own) with premium hunting bullets designed especially for big game hunting. There are many fine examples (a few that I use are Barnes, Hornady, Nosler, Winchester) to choose from. You don't say where you will be hunting, so some states have regulations on bullet composition (lead free) that are to be followed. Try samples for your rifle to determine what the rifle likes best, and go from there. In .308 I have had very good luck with the Barnes 180 tipped TSX in a hand load.

 

[MarkA]

You're gonna have to try a few out to see what shoots best, depending on what constitutes "long range". My SPS really liked 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip (Federal P308F); they'd group 1 MOA at 300 yards, or 3". Others didn't do so hot (like Fusions, Core-lokted, etc. 2 MOA at 300 yards is 6". At 500 yards it's 10", so a round that doesn't shoot any better than 2 MOA and you're pushing your luck.... depending on the distance.

I shot my first buck with the ballistic tip; leveled him @ 150 yards. Died where he stood. Vitals poured out of him when field dressed. Kind of a fan now even though I've not shot one with anything else. Found one that worked and I'm sticking with it.

 

[Harold Heffern]

Remington 700 Tactical/Varmit

Thanks for info. I've hunted most of my life, but recently retired. Although I've got a lot of guns, I never had one custom built. I didn't have the knowledge as to whether I had to stick with 168 gr bullets with it. I did know that range match ammo shouldn't be or at least not recommed for big game hunting. So it's my understanding to just basically see what the rifle eats best. But also good idea to probably stick around 150 grains, with ballistic tip??

 

[MarkA]

That'll all depend. I'd try various factory loads from 150 to 180 just to get a feel for it. The 150 did great for me as a factory load. Over the summer though, I got some 165gr Nosler BT to shoot almost just as good as my Sierra Matchking 168s (both handloads). For whitetail, almost anything will do. People I know hunt with everything from .243 Winchesters with 75 gr up to 300 Win Mag and 200 gr. They've all had em drop in their tracks; they've all had one get away.

With the 1 in 12, I'd think you'd want to play in the 150 to 175 gr neighborhood for best results. That's just me though.

 

[Harold Heffern]

Remington 700 Tactical/Varmit 308

Thanks Mark, I think I will try some "150 gr", and "165 gr", maybe from couple good manufacters. I got some 168 gr Federal match on it's way, just to get started. Rifle should be here in about 10 days. I've always used and have Leupold scopes on a lot of other rifles & muzzleloaders. This rifle I was considering the investment of a NightForce. If I do go that way, what would be a good magnification for long range, say 500-800 yds?? My vision is still good, but shooting that distance what scope would bring that target at least appear full view??

My Leopold's I have are 9 X 40's, but they're on weapons I've only shot out to about 225yds while deer hunting, with an Encore. Dropped it in it's tracks.Any help appreciated..

 

[MarkA]

Longer ranges like that put magnification second to being able to make a wind call. A 1" target at 100 yards and a 10" target at a grand are going to be the same size in a fixed power scope. There are plenty of people (military included) that use a fixed 10 power mil dot retical scope out to 1000+ yards for human sized targets. But... For hunting inside of 200 yards, 10x sucks. I love my 4-16x50 Vortex. Keep it at 4-6 for the whitetails. For paper punching, I almost always crank it to max. I'd look for something that fits the budget 40-50mm objective, low power 2-6x, high power 10-24. Mil dot retical and Mil turrets. Keeps adjustments easy.

Stay away from scopes that tout superb specs for less than $300. They've almost always skimped somewhere where they shouldn't have. Get what you pay for. It's not unrealistic to spend almost as much on the glass as you spent on the rifle.

I found the best bang for the buck for my SPS with vortex. $899 for the 4-16x50 PST first focal MIL/MIL. Liked it so much that I put one of their 3-9x40 Crossfire II on a .22, and put a 4-12x44 AO Diamondback on my AR15 Varmint rig. Both of those have the BDC reticals. They're all great pieces of hardware and don't break my budget. That's my take on it anyways.


~Mark