what is the best 308 130GR pojectile for deer

Hi i am looking to reduce the recoil in my 308 because of injury to my shoulder I loaded up some 125 gr SSTs and shot 3 pigs the other day killed the pigs but fark what a mess shot 1 pig in the head from behind about 60m away blew half its head off second pig in the head side on its head was still intact but you could fold it in half third pig shot it in the shoulder running hard out about 100m away blew its front leg off so 2 shots to finish it off sorry no photos got to dark and my phone takes shit photos. very accurate load but to bloody explosive so if I used them for deer I would be very reluctant to shoot it unless I could neck shoot it.
so back to the drawing board:cave: your thoughts and wisdom on this would be appreciated

Interlocks are usually a good projectile and quite cheap.

Barnes TTSX 130gr

you want light recoil and minimal damage.....barnes and dont be scared to go even lighter. or slow your load down with what you have got. it sounds to me like they are doing what they are supposed to do , just you were up close so they were fast...had it been 200 yards away preformance would have been much less dramatic.
Ive used both speer 130grn hps and 125grn nosler ballistic tips but thats in 7.62x39mm so speed is down to about 2300fps and results were acceptable,very much so.

I shoot the Barnes 130 ttsx at just over 3k in my .308, which is a warm load in my short barrel. Somewhere around 2750-2800 it would be a very mild recoiling load. And they don’t blow massive holes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

you want light recoil and minimal damage.....barnes and dont be scared to go even lighter. or slow your load down with what you have got. it sounds to me like they are doing what they are supposed to do , just you were up close so they were fast...had it been 200 yards away preformance would have been much less dramatic.
Ive used both speer 130grn hps and 125grn nosler ballistic tips but thats in 7.62x39mm so speed is down to about 2300fps and results were acceptable,very much so.

---

I just ordered Speer 130s Hot Cor in 7mm for me 708 for sika.

As above the Barnes 130 TTSX would be cool, the barnes also make a 110gr .308 bullet which would perform well with low recoil with a mild/moderate load.

I used the 125 Nosler BT for a while with no complaints.

the Nosler 125gn Accubond could be worth a go. Are you running a suppressor on your 308 ? if not that would be better way to reduce felt recoil.

The best 130 grain for the 308 is the 165 Nosler BT :)

Either the Barnes or Accubond

I'll suggest the following: 125gr Nosler BT and or the 110gr Barnes TTSX.(I've used both in the past).

I prefer the 110gr Barnes as you do not put any lead into meat you might end up eating. And the trajectory at 3100+fps is fairly flat. The 110gr TTSX is basically the same lenth as a 150gr Sierra Gameking.

When I started hunting with the 110s fellow hunters warned that they might be on the light side - but the bullets have proofed themselfs - when using a conventional bullet you loose 50 to 70% of the bullets weight on impact, but with the Barnes you only loose about 2% or less.

I've hunted several of the larger African game species with the 110 TTSX's - with great success.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chainsaw

the Nosler 125gn Accubond could be worth a go. Are you running a suppressor on your 308 ? if not that would be better way to reduce felt recoil.

---

I use a suppressor and it cut down recoil nicely with that 125GR SST load. I had them honking @3000 FPS with 44GR action rifle just too explosive and to much meat damage so looks like I will have to go, Barnes, or Hornady GMX or 125GR Accubond :yuush: THANKS for your help guys:thumbsup:

If you are only shooting relatively short range you could use 30-30 projectiles at 30-30 velocities.

I’ve decided on the 125gr accubond in my .308. Haven’t worked up a load yet though.

150 Nosler Partitions.

I have a small number of 125gr nosler accubonds if anyone wants a few to try out, might 15 or 20 or so. Send me a PM, you can have them for them for the cost of postage.

Might be a good excuse for a lower recoiling rifle
6.5 has some awesome options on the 120-130 gn class
260 6.5 creedmoor and the old never fail 6.5x55 are all Excellent low recoil rounds Especially when loaded with 120-130gn bullets

I hunted with a tikka 308 for a couple of trips while saving up to have it rebarreled
Was only brought as a action but i shot a couple of big billiys with the 125gn serria prohunter
They weren’t to great just penciled through with no real expansion ranges within 150m

Same bullet less speed.. knock it back to 2600-2700fps with 2206H

I used the 125 AB in my 308 for quite a few years and had good results with them on sika, reds and pigs. Just under 3000fps. As a rule the faster the better with the ABs.

Barnes 130 tax in SBR. Very effective.

I use 130 ttsx in my 18". 308 going just over 3k. Best projectile I've used by far, dropped big Sambar on the spot through both front shoulders, never recovered a projectile. The can rip some massive holes too. Light recoil too.

stick with 150gr and download the propellant

@kiwigreen what's your load?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dama dama

@kiwigreen what's your load?

---

I don't reload myself, had someone do it for me. I think 50gr of h335,norma brass. Gets 1/4" groups at 100.

125GR Accubond or Barnes 130 TTSX are both Stella low recoil, accurate, solid knockdown options.
The Accubond will retain 70% and upward as velocity decreases. It will also achieve good expansion at a lower velocity than the Barnes 300m plus.
The TTSX retains pretty much 100% so arguably more suited to heavier boned animals. They like to be driven hard to get decent expansion.
Try both and go with what ever shoots best from your rifle.
H4895/2206H with the shorter tubes.

When I had a 308 was using 130gr TTSX on big reds with quick kills, they punch through shoulders and leg bones into vitals.
Now using 125gr Nosler BT’s and 125gr SST’s @ 1995 FPS in a 300 blackout out to 300m mostly on goats but using on deer when I run out of subsonics on the odd trip.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kiwigreen

I use 130 ttsx in my 18". 308 going just over 3k. Best projectile I've used by far, dropped big Sambar on the spot through both front shoulders, never recovered a projectile. The can rip some massive holes too. Light recoil too.

---

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0e10e1b10b.jpgive recovered a few

I stand corrected, recovered my first one yesterday.
200m
Attachment 120493

Sweet! Thats exactly the same results I got. Time and again - very consistan performance.

What did you hunt/shoot?

Stick with 150-165 grainers and slow them down if necessary, suppress your rifle for sound AND recoil reduction

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jaco Goosen

Sweet! Thats exactly the same results I got. Time and again - very consistan performance.

What did you hunt/shoot?

---

Yep hits them hard alright, I just wonder what they're like below 2,300fps. It was an older red hind.
Entry hole of a fallow buck around 150m, I've found it minces everything out to around 150m/2,600fps. I reckon they're good for awkward angles because of the penetration.
Attachment 120511

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Stick with 150-165 grainers and slow them down if necessary, suppress your rifle for sound AND recoil reduction

---

You're caught between a bit of a rock and a hard place @57jl. You want a big fat mushroom but without the explosive fragmentation. Big fat mushrooms don't materialise unless you drive monolithics or bonded bullets quite fast, or very fast, which generally means quite a lot of felt recoil.

Certainly not arguing about the effectiveness of the faster, lighter pills when everything in is your favour, but you've gotta make sure you get really solid resistance to get the best out of the monolithics. Hit them slightly wrong and you'll have a recovery hunt on your hands. Sure that can be the same for any bullet, but in my experience a hit too far back with a heavy, soft bullet even at modest velocity is going to make a much bigger hole and kill much faster than a hard mono, especially a rear lung hit.

If you're recoil sensitive with the shoulder injury, a fast, slightly lighter bullet can still give you quite a sharp thump, especially with a faster powder like 2206H.

This is what I'd do, no question, what @7mmsaum suggests. I'd download a 165gr class, soft bullet with slower powder. Recoil will be more of a shove than a crack. Good bullets to consider with this in mind, driven at low book speeds (2300fps MV for a .308 carbine, for impacts 1800-2200fps):

Speer BTSP, 165gr
Sierra GameKing 165gr (softpoint version)
Hornady A-Max or ELD-M, 168gr
Sierra TMK, 168gr

The first three I've used with success in .308 Win. The Speer and the GameKing make a really beaut wide mushroom at these speeds and don't really shed a lot of fragments. This carcass from the other day, hit at 321m with the Speer, which is about ~2,000fps at impact. This heavy red hind collapsed on the spot.

Attachment 120512

Attachment 120513

The A-Max is a bit more inclined to fragment, but at lower impact speeds it makes really nice mushies. The TMK I haven't used but the photos I've seen of low velocity impacts are impressive, with fast, clean killing without the gore.

I had a couple of surface blow ups with 125gr accubonds from 16" .308 doing around 2900. both occasions deer was around 20m away. have any of you lot had the same experience?

good information guys, i'm learning heaps.

Yep sum good info, I have a brand new M70, 308 Featherweight stainless, sitting in a box beside me at present, about to pull the scope off, the AV 7x64, and move it on.
Looking at loads, and what I want to do with 308, on a blustery, rainy, fall day in Northern Canada.