is .308 too big?

J

jackh

New member
im thinking of doing a build based on a savage 10fp in .308 for long range target shooting and deer hunting. id like to also use this gun for coyotes though, im concerned ill have to pick up pieces of yote in the field if i use a .308 though. what do yall think?
 
I’ve taken somewhere around 100 coyotes with a 308W and this is what I would do.

Use a soft point or controlled expansion bullet if you going to try saving pelts. You are going to get some runners and you will still have some sewing to do.

If you use a thin jacketed match or varmint bullet you will tear the pelts up bad. The 110Vmax is rough on pelts. The 178Amax @ 2700fps will leave holes big enough to put a boot in. The polymer tip bullets aren't much better.

If I were pressed to use a 308W as a fur gun I would use a garden variety soft point bullet, keep the velocity tuned down around 2500fps, and stay off bone. Holes should average 1-3". Get a pack of cutting needles and a roll of thread from Van Dykes. You’ll need it.
 
like said above it should work good if proper bullet choose..i know for deer with 165 sst it wiii blow a hole little less then a coke can ..im going to get some 110grain vmaxs to shoot yotes and ground hogs with.. i would go with with a soft point ifyour want to save the hide(like said above)
 
from a hunters stand point, I have never understood (other than availability) the passion for a .308. There are so many .30 cal carts that blow tht round away.
 
i love the .308, i know for a fact that it will kil a deer with a shot through the shoulder at 400yrds,, theres not a lot of recoil to them
 
Originally Posted By: shanedoggfrom a hunters stand point, I have never understood (other than availability) the passion for a .308. There are so many .30 cal carts that blow tht round away.

Inside 300 yards (98% of the game taken)... none of them kill any better than the .308 though.
 
i also like the 308. shot a doe this year at 526 yards she took a few steps looked around and dropped.
As for coyotes i have shot 2 yotes with mine. All with a 150 gr SST at about 2800 fps at the muzzle. Both were shot between 280 and 320 yards and left a hole the size of a half dollar or slighlty smaller. One was shot through the ribs and lung the other clipped the bottom of the spine on the other i dont think it got much of it all though bc the lack of the hole. Basically my results are what others are saying take a deer bullet and stay of of heavy bones.
 
Originally Posted By: shanedoggfrom a hunters stand point, I have never understood (other than availability) the passion for a .308. There are so many .30 cal carts that blow tht round away.

Please name one that blows it away in the accuracy department, or does more with less powder and recoil.........
 
308 is a great round - very soft recoil. Will drop deer, elk, coyotes, PDs, etc... nice variety of projectiles as well. Not that other calibers don't have a nice variety - 308 is a good all around choice. Personal preference I suppose.
 
I've been thinking about this same application for my 7.5X55. It is pretty much a ballistic twin to the .308 and will load all the same bullets. The idea of a soft nose had not seemed like a great choice but the collective experience posted here so far would seem to support the idea.

I had been leaning toward a 150 gr fmj. Anybody tried those on yotes in the .308?
 
what fmj ? thats a big no-no . its illeagel and even though i hate coyotes you still have to put them down fastest you can. yes it would kill one but a expanding bullet is a way better choice
 
The rifle you are using is a savage. Consider getting a second barrel in say 243 or 22-250. Maybe not the best solution but one that will work until you decide to get a dedicated coyote rifle.
 
could i switch out barrels like that if i wanted to shoot whitetail with .308 and yotes with .243? what about accuracy right after the switch?

i think im just gonna stick with .308 for the build. its proven to be a great round for a variety of applications and its readily available pretty much anywhere...

and this might piss some of yall off but at this point in time i have no desire to save pelts. im killing them because theyre killing our livestock
 
If thats the case just enjoy the .308 and use what shoots best. Buzzards need to eat too..
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Quote:and this might piss some of yall off but at this point in time i have no desire to save pelts. im killing them because theyre killing our livestock

Well, the .308 is perfect then.
If you don't reload, get some 150 gr. Core-Lokts. You'll blow some of them into confetti, others won't take much pelt damage.
Most of them won't spin or run too far.
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Jackh, the pelts aren't worth the calories to skin them right now. Shoot all of them you want +1. They will fill back in. The 308W lets the air out of them just fine. The 243 may shoot flater and recoil a little less, but it doesn't kill any better. I'd save your money and buy more ammo.
 
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