Upper limitations of the .308 win cartridge?

[GJgo]

I've always hunted elk with a 300 WSM, and in hindsight every one I've ever shot I could have done the same job with a 308 easily, with just a little more hold over. That said I like the insurance since I usually only have 1 or 2 brief windows at best in a 10 day season to get a shot off.

Before the TTSX came out when I used TSX (all I've ever hunted food with) I use a .040" bit to normalize the cavities. The holes are not very uniform out of the box. This makes a BIG difference to the expansion reliability.

Also, you should really step down in weight & step up in speed with Barnes. I started with 180gr & now I'm using 150gr. If I was planning a long range hunt where the bullet was slowing down I would use something like a Berger or an Amax, I wouldn't use a TSX. That said, over about 3300/3400 FPS I've seen Barnes start to shed petals- so like every other bullet there's a speed range they're happiest with.

For new hunters that "just want one rifle" I always recommend starting with a 308, with 150 or 168gr. TSX / TTSX.

 

[Don McDowell]

RP cases. 45.2 grs 748, Hornady 165 gr bt interlock. 248 yds , she hit him the first time in the lungs and he just locked up. Shot him in the neck and knocked him down.


She's got about dozen kills on bulls that age class with that little BLR.

 

[T.R.]

Back in the 1980's, I hunted moose and caribou in Saskatchewan, Canada with my Savage levergun in .308. The moose took two direct hits through the chest before he toppled over. But caribou went right down. My ammo for this hunt was 180 grain core-lokt and I was very pleased with performance. From these experiences, I discovered that moose and caribou are not armor-plated.

TR