.308 Win. deer bullet

[Fishinfool]

My opinion is that any good 150 to 180 grain cup and core soft point will kill deer well.

That said, If possible, I do hunt big game, including deer, with Nosler Partitions when using my rifles. The front half is relatively soft, and provides good expansion on low resistance shots like broadside thru the ribs.

I like the fact the rear half holds together and penetrates deep. Great when angles, bone, and less than perfect shots happen. I also like that you almost always get an exit hole - Something the softer bullets often do not do.

Larry

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I've shot dozens of Alabama whitetails with my several .308s. Probably half of those have been with either 150 or 165 grain Partitions. They work great, but as others have noted, so do most bullets in the same weight range from any of the major manufacturers. And I've heard the "stuff" about Partitions not being as accurate as some other bullets, but I've yet to see the evidence of this. I've never had a rifle that wouldn't shoot them plenty good. That said, my most accurate. 308 load in hunting rifles features the Sierra 150 grain Game King, which has also accounted for a bunch of venison for me. My old Ruger flatbolt .308 really likes this bullet with Reloder 15.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The Partition was ahead of the times and became the bullet which all other tried to be. IMO in today's world with all.the other options available for hunting deer it's n almost overkill because of the prohibitive price.

The Sierra Gameking, Nosler Ballistic Tip and AccuBond, and some others will also do a good job.

BUT, if you aren't going to shoot a lot of ammo per year you have no reason not to buy and load Partition bullets. This is especially true if you decided to hunt larger game like Elk or Moose. You won't have to develop a different load.

Good luck, be safe...

 

[twodog max]

Based on using them on a whole lot of deer size animals the Nosler ballistic Tip 150's will put more deer down on the spot than most other bullets. I have used most others too and they work but I don't enjoy trailing and that happens less IMO with the Nosler BT.

 

[rockquarry]

I've shot dozens of Alabama whitetails with my several .308s. Probably half of those have been with either 150 or 165 grain Partitions. They work great, but as others have noted, so do most bullets in the same weight range from any of the major manufacturers. And I've heard the "stuff" about Partitions not being as accurate as some other bullets, but I've yet to see the evidence of this. I've never had a rifle that wouldn't shoot them plenty good. That said, my most accurate. 308 load in hunting rifles features the Sierra 150 grain Game King, which has also accounted for a bunch of venison for me. My old Ruger flatbolt .308 really likes this bullet with Reloder 15.

I don't know what your accuracy requirements are, how many bullets, handloads, load development procedures, rifles and various chamberings you've used for accuracy comparisons. There are also other factors.

In my post regarding inferior accuracy with Partition bullets in some rifles, I only reported on my experience with these bullets over many years - nothing from YouTube or other Internet hotshots and nothing based on what someone else said.

Partitions are as good a game bullet as you'll find and have been very accurate in a number of my rifles and not very accurate in a number of others. If you've experienced very good accuracy with Partitions in many rifles, you've been very fortunate.

Passable hunting accuracy need not be stringent; a rifle that groups within a couple of inches at 100 yards will do, but I prefer a bullet that will do considerably better than that. It gives me added confidence and it might make a real difference if I need to take a shot beyond a couple of hundred yards.

 

[gwpercle]

No reason what so ever not to use Nosler Bullets .
They have published a Reloading Manual to help you with reloads , the one sitting on my desk is #4 ... the newest edition I see is #9 .
Go to Nosler - Worlds Finest Bullets, Ammunition, Rifles & Brass and click on "Nosler Load Data " for their site loading data .
Gary

 

[BigMuddy]

I am one that had accuracy issues with Nosler Partitions. I don't hunt much with rifles anymore, but have taken a lot of deer in the past with 30 caliber, both .308 and 30-06. I have used a lot of different bullets and while all have worked fine on whitetail deer, only one has dropped them in their tracks 100% of the time. That is the Sierra Game King 165 grain. I am a "behind the shoulder" shooter and the first deer I shot with the Sierra I thought I hit high in the spine because it dropped like it had been hit by lightning. Accuracy has been outstanding too

Unless you have had failures with the Sierra GK I would stick with them unless of course you can't find them. These days availability is aways an issue.

Dan.

 

[Buick]

Oh joy it must be getting close to hunting season again! I'm guessing the O.P. is out West somewhere and may be shooting bigger deer at longer ranges. Being selective about ammunition components will probably be well worth the effort.
Back here in these swampy drainages and small farms and woodlots, a 300 yard shot is a mega poke. 75 to 125 yards is very common. Any old bullet will work a charm, and a 150 grain Corelok or the aforementioned Federal Fusion whatever is in there is my go to! Killed a couple hundred deer and haven't had a bullet failure yet.

 

[41 mag Dave]

You can rest assured that any of the major bullet manufacturers figures out how to make a cup and core bullet 30 caliber 150gr-180gr that would work well on deer. That was the market. I would also not get hung up on the velocity differences between a 308 and 30-06. One was designed to duplicate the other after all. The difference is not like going to a 30 cal magnum rifle. Any standard bullet from major manufacturer put behind the shoulder into the ribs should do the job well.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

My preferred bullets in .30 caliber are the Remington Cor-Lokt and Speer Hot-Cor. Both have good reputations for optimum performance on American game animals. Either one will be half or less the cost of the Barnes.

Speer Hot-Cor uses a copper jacket interior tinned with solder, then the core inserted while hot, then swaging to final shape. Essentially, the core is soldered into the jacket, very difficult to separate. I've used the .30 caliber 165 grain version for many years.

Remington Cor-Lokt also features a proprietary process of bonding the core and jacket. I discovered these years ago when they were available in bulk packs at very reasonable prices. The 150 grain has served me well on Colorado mule deer (150-275 lbs) and Rocky Mountain elk (350-700 lbs).

 

[dave1918a2]

I have been using Nosler Partitions since I first started reloading. I have never run across any 'accuracy' issues. Nothing but top notch accuracy in all My rifles. 375 H&H to the 264 Winchester and all in between. Only had a couple of times where I had to use a second shot. My fault every time. Lots of one shot kills on Elk, Deer, Bear, Antelope, and Mountain Lion. Has been and will be My go to bullet for hunting.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The 30-06 rifle I use for hunting is a sportized Model of 1917 with the full 26" barrel.

I practice with a 168gr MatchKing and for deer I shoot a 165gr GameKing. No adjustments needed between the 2 loads. For larger game the 165gr Nosler Partition is my goto and they are accurate in my rifle.

Like I said above, there are other choices which are just as good out there too.

 

[diyj98]

I’ve killed deer with the Nosler Partition in my 308, but don’t feel it’s needed. My favorite has been the 150 grain Nosler ballistic tip. They shoot well in my rifle and perform great on whitetails.

 

[Rpg]

Virtually any commercially produced bullet will do for east coast white tails.

Be careful considering using homogenous bullets like Barns in the 308. Because they’re longer than lead core bullets of the same weight, they occupy more space in the case than lead core bullets. This limits powder capacity significantly. The short necked 308 case needs all the powder it can get.

 

[Nevada Ed]

The great thing about .308 bullets is that they come with so many styles.

The 150 gr Speer bullets come in six different styles of bullets that go from
fast expanding to the Grand Slam Bonded for the Big critters.

Same with Sierra with their heavy duty SPT bullet for deep penetration to the
BT MatchKing that will open up a little quicker and usually dump all its energy inside the animal,
with the correct weight bullet, for the game, hunted.

I used to really sweat the BC thing of a bullet but it is not a big deal, if
shots are kept inside of 300 yards.

At times I have had some sad looking bullets, out shoot those pointy, boattail bullets, over the years.

Have fun.

 

[woodsltc]

Lot's of good recommendations have been provided and you couldn't go wrong with any of them.

The deciding factor for me would be which one gives me the best accuracy out of my rifle............I've tried most of the one's mentioned at one time or another and have found the Nosler Accubond 180's and 165's to be the most accurate in my 30-06.

Good luck on your search and on the upcoming hunting season.

Don

 

[rockquarry]

Virtually any commercially produced bullet will do for east coast white tails.

Be careful considering using homogenous bullets like Barns in the 308. Because they’re longer than lead core bullets of the same weight, they occupy more space in the case than lead core bullets. This limits powder capacity significantly. The short necked 308 case needs all the powder it can get.

If powder capacity is significantly reduced, you're not using the best and most efficient powder for the cartridge. It may take some experimenation, but using the right powder will prevent case capacity from being a handicap in the .308. Also, mildly to moderately compressed loads hurt nothing.

Many put great emphasis on low SD and ES numbers (certainly a fad these days). A compressed load will bring these numbers way down, but that's no guarantee or even an indication of a potentially accurate load.

For bullets in the most useful 150 -180 grain range in the .308, I've yet to find a better powder than H4895, though IMR4064, Varget, and TAC can come close.

 

[Drm50]

I’ve shot enough deer to be in jail. I was tag filler, local warden didn’t like it but he didn’t like the stringer of carp I let for him while they were on vacation either. Thing is white tails especially in Eastern woods don’t require some fancy heavy expensive bullet. 150gr seems to be sweet spot for 30cal. but if you individual rifle with shoot a lighter bullet accurately, why not. I’ve killed deer with 25/20, 22Hornet, muzzle loaders and slugs.
Really never had any trouble laying them down. They ain’t hard to kill.
Which comes to point, poor hit is poor hit no matter what launched it.
95% of so called deer hunters today are snipers that set in stands and shoot mostly stationary deer. For that kind of shooting nothing special is needed.

 

[cmj8591]

I switched to 165g Partitions years ago after a 165g ballistic tip blew up on a large Maine deer's breast bone without penetrating. I've shot a lot of deer since and not lost one or had to shoot any of them more than once. In the field, when you have a perfect side shot, just about all of the soft point .308 bullets will work on a whitetail. It's when you don't have a perfect shot, which is most of the time, that the partitions really shine. Those quick quartering shots where the bullet has to go through a lot of bone and gristle. I will add that I also have never recovered a partition from a whitetail. Although I have not shot a lot of deer with it, I have also used a 140g partition in a 6.5x55 Swede. Same results as the 30-06. In the scheme of things, even though they might be a bit pricey, it is a very small increase in the cost of your hunt. I spend more at coffee shops during my hunts than I do on ammo.

 

[rockquarry]

I’ve shot enough deer to be in jail. I was tag filler, local warden didn’t like it but he didn’t like the stringer of carp I let for him while they were on vacation either. Thing is white tails especially in Eastern woods don’t require some fancy heavy expensive bullet. 150gr seems to be sweet spot for 30cal. but if you individual rifle with shoot a lighter bullet accurately, why not. I’ve killed deer with 25/20, 22Hornet, muzzle loaders and slugs.
Really never had any trouble laying them down. They ain’t hard to kill.
Which comes to point, poor hit is poor hit no matter what launched it.
95% of so called deer hunters today are snipers that set in stands and shoot mostly stationary deer. For that kind of shooting nothing special is needed.

I think it's pretty well established in this thread that tough/ premium/ expensive/ monometal bullets aren't essential for most deer hunting, but they still work well for such purposes. The original poster mentioned the use of Partition bullets, certainly a reasonable inquiry followed by a sensible discussion. "Snipers in stands" seems to veer way off track from bullet construction.