Thread: .308 ammo for Sika, Sako powerhead 2, federal fusion or browning bxc

180 rem corelokts

I will be taking my 243 with some handloads for sika next year hopefully if all goes to plan

Nice looking 8 ��

Haven’t taken my 243 out after Sika yet but I’ve got no doubt it would be very effective

I managed to pick up a 90% condition Winchester model 70 carbine in 243 for 350$ after i got back from my month hunting sika to good a deal to not hit the buy now. Was perfect timing as i came away feeling overgunned.

The 243 will work well , we have used them a lot over the years. We have found the 80- 85 gr bullets good on most deer. Of late I have started using up to 95 gr bullets as my current 243 doesn't seem to like the lighter ones much. Haven't shot to much with them but I am sure they will do the job.

Originally Posted by Mooseman

The 243 will work well , we have used them a lot over the years. We have found the 80- 85 gr bullets good on most deer. Of late I have started using up to 95 gr bullets as my current 243 doesn't seem to like the lighter ones much. Haven't shot to much with them but I am sure they will do the job.

Sounds good ill be getting into reloading pretty soon and am looking up loads think a nosler partition at 3300fps will be the ticket

We have used and still do the 85 noslar partition on reds ,Sika, sambar, Tahr and they work well. Our loads run at about 3100 fps.

I’ve found the 95gr fusion to be very good but they’re not available to reloaders. The 95gr partition would be just as good. My theory is to use a reasonably heavy soft point with the 243 to give good penetration. A 1:10 twist should stabilise a 100gr soft point but won’t stabilise the high BC pills of 103gr or heavier. But who gives a shit, a decent cup and core is all you need most of the time

Having hunted sika a fair bit with the .308 I've found 150s to work better than 165/180. 130gr ttsx by far was the best especially in the roar, the only load to completely 'stop' a sika in its tracks everytime. I reckon they're the toughest deer to put down even more so than Sambar.

Originally Posted by kiwigreen

Having hunted sika a fair bit with the .308 I've found 150s to work better than 165/180. 130gr ttsx by far was the best especially in the roar, the only load to completely 'stop' a sika in its tracks everytime. I reckon they're the toughest deer to put down even more so than Sambar.

Why do you reckon the 150s work better than the 165s? Speed thing? Would explain why the 130ttsx go so well

Can get some good velocity with 80gr ttsx in the 243 and im familiar with them in 308 and they punch through anything pretty much

Originally Posted by kiwigreen

Having hunted sika a fair bit with the .308 I've found 150s to work better than 165/180. 130gr ttsx by far was the best especially in the roar, the only load to completely 'stop' a sika in its tracks everytime. I reckon they're the toughest deer to put down even more so than Sambar.

Sika are a pretty light boned species, I wonder if the 165s & 180s were “penciling” to some extent due to their construction and the reduced velocities? Whereas a relatively fast 150 with a thin jacket will generally sack them if they’re hit in the right spot; that was certainly my experience with the 150sst superformance load

Yeah 165gr going too slow out of an 18" barrel for them to open up. Sika need speed i reckon, they don't give up the ghost as easily as reds. The 130ttsx @3k did the best job on them bush hunting. Always thought the 110ttsx would be the ultimate load for sika.

The last one i shot using the sf 168gr eldm worked a treat though at 30 yards. Opened up nicely, much better than sst imo as I find they only work well past 100yards but eldm seems to open up straight away.