.308 Deer Ammo

[Schmidty]

Hi everyone, here in central Minnesota our slug/shotgun deer hunting zone will be opened up to rifles next year (2026). I have a suppressed .308 that I would like to use, does anyone have recommendations or experience with a good deer hunting ammo? I have not used this gun for hunting anything yet. I Googled searched some recommendations such as Winchester Deer Season XP 150 gr but was hoping for some real world recommendations. Most likely shots will be 200 yards max and realistically between 50-100 yards.

 

[deewayne2003]

Honestly in .308 any quality softpoint from 150-180gr will do the job just fine.

 

[KEC]

No need for premium bullets for deer from a .308 Win. I have used 150 gr Federal Fusion and Winchester power points with great success. I am now experimenting with 168 gr Hornady A Max but have not used them on game yet. Apparently although the A Max is considered a target bullet, they perform exceptionally well on deer size game at .308 speeds (2660 fps in my testing) and are very accurate in one of my rifles.

 

[BonUm16]

Honestly in .308 any quality softpoint from 150-180gr will do the job just fine.

Yep, there will be dozens of different suggestions offered. Find one that shoots well and go kill deer. Nosler’s solid base Whitetail Country 165gr caught my eye as the next factory .308 load I want to try.

 

[mdwest]

Before I started handloading hunting rounds for my 308, I used Barnes Vor-TX 168gr. The factory load is absolutely devastating on deer and hogs qnd performs more like a 180gr cup and core bullet but is traveling at 168gr velocities.

My handload for what its worth, replicates the Vor-TX. Im using the 168gr TTSX bullet over a charge of IMR4064 that gets the same velocity as the factory Vor-TX load.

Out of both my Christensen and my wifes Kimber 308's we are getting sub .75 MOA accuracy (shes getting closer to about .6).. and again, its absolutely devastating.. Drops deer very, very hard..

 

[dchum]

I love Barnes for all larger game and even small game. It’s the only bullet that goes to Africa with me.

But I just can’t help but notice that “cheap” soft points kill whitetail deer faster for the type of hunting I do.

I really love federal blue box (power shock).
I use 150gr because my 308 is short barreled (16inch) and I need to keep the velocity up, And it shoots the best group.
If I had a 24 inch or even 22 inch 308 I would probably be using the 180gr power shock.

 

[dchum]

Before I started handloading hunting rounds for my 308, I used Barnes Vor-TX 168gr. The factory load is absolutely devastating on deer and hogs qnd performs more like a 180gr cup and core bullet but is traveling at 168gr velocities.

My handload for what its worth, replicates the Vor-TX. Im using the 168gr TTSX bullet over a charge of IMR4064 that gets the same velocity as the factory Vor-TX load.

Out of both my Christensen and my wifes Kimber 308's we are getting sub .75 MOA accuracy (shes getting closer to about .6).. and again, its absolutely devastating.. Drops deer very, very hard..

Great bullet,

The 168ttsx in my 30-06 is just a do it all load and so accurate. I’m at about 2800fps muzzle velocity

 

[RR 314]

No need for premium bullets for deer from a .308 Win. I have used 150 gr Federal Fusion and Winchester power points with great success. I am now experimenting with 168 gr Hornady A Max but have not used them on game yet. Apparently although the A Max is considered a target bullet, they perform exceptionally well on deer size game at .308 speeds (2660 fps in my testing) and are very accurate in one of my rifles.

The A-Max type bullets work great. . . until they don't. Solid shoulder shot can make for a mess with very little blood trail. Behind the shoulder (or likely high shoulder) they will be devastating. I won't allow them on my place for deer. I have seen terrible performance on deer and pigs. 1940 era Core-Lokt technology is a much better option in my experience.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

I’ve shot both fallow and red deer, and a couple of pigs, with my 308, with hornady 168 gn Z-max/A-max , all dead , the red ran 50 yards but was dead on its feet with no heart and only half a lung left. Bertram’s make a 150 gn round nose soft point that is also extremely effective
Gumpy
Edited to add, these were all hand loads with Norma brass, I don’t use factory

 

[Tex .416]

Barnes 130 TTSX is my first choice for hunting in the South Texas brush country. Effective range is about 250 - 300 max. Their factory ammo has excellent accuracy. For handloads, Varget 45 - 47.5 with a F210 is the zone, tailor to your rifle and brass with the TTSX 0.010" off the lands.

It has accounted for hundreds of deer and pigs at this point, never lost one.

The preferred shot placement is to the high shoulder. Come down 1/3 to 1/2 from the top of the back and the deer will drop where it stands. If the deer is quartering towards the hunt, put it on the point of the shoulder. Head down improves the result for reasons I do not understand, but have observed it over and over.

Here are some clips of the 130 TTSX with my wife doing the shooting.

 

[CBH Australia]

I’m leaning toward what @dchum says about soft points. They still work even with all the new options.

PPU 150gn factory ammo might be the cheapest we have had available and they work.

I can’t speak for the Barnes but I don’t think you need a tough projectile from .308 on smaller deer.

The Winchester Deer Season look the part with a massive Ballistic Tip but I haven’t used them although I have used Nosler BT 120s for pigs and shot one good fallow buck with those.

 

[Ndczerwinski]

I used my new 308 bolt action for deer season this year for this first time. It has a 16” integrally suppressed barrel, so I get slower velocity due to the barrel really functioning ballistically like a 12” barrel due to the baffles in the last few inches. I used federal 175 gr terminal ascents with a muzzle velocity around 2200 fps. I was a little nervous with the reduced muzzle velocity but with this ammo it was awesome. These are bonded bullets designed to expand at lower velocity. Compact and quiet for blind hunting and absolutely devastating for close range shots.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I shoot the Terminal Ascents out of 1 or my 308's and Federal loaded TSX's or Barnes loaded TTSX's out of my other .308. I've shot Scirocco II's, AccuBonds and 165gr Trophy Bonded Tips out of some other 308's I've owned in the past.

I might be one of the few on here who believes in ALWAYS shooting the most accurate Premium bullet my rifle likes. At the end of the day, if I add up the amount of money I spend on a gun, optic, ammo, camo clothing, stands/blinds, lease, fuel, license, tag, etc it's absurd to me why someone would try to save $20-40 per box on ammo instead of shooting the most premium and best performing bullets they can. At the end of the day your bullets performance is the only thing you've spent money on that decides if you're going home with or without that animal once you pull the trigger.

 

[Hififile324]

Buy a box of Norma Whitetail 150 grain, and a box of Hornady Whitetail 150. Carefully shoot groups off the bench. Choose the brand that shoots best in your rifle. Next zero your rifle 2" high at 100 yards.

Next it's point and shoot out to 250 yards! Both bullets are excellent on deer! It worked on this deer!

 

[Bonk]

It’s not 308 but I used my old trusty 30-06 (still .308) on deer this year. I used ordinary 150gr Winchester SP. Allegedly 2910fps but maybe a little less out of my 20” barrel. Nothing traveled more than about 20 yds after being shot with clean pass throughs.

 

[Bonk]

…... a box of Hornady Whitetail 150…...

Agree. I’m a big fan of Hornady Whitetail ammo. I’ve used it with great success in 25-06 and 30-06 rifles. Plus you can still buy it at WalMart for less than $30 @ box.

 

[Tex .416]

I shoot the Terminal Ascents out of 1 or my 308's and Federal loaded TSX's or Barnes loaded TTSX's out of my other .308. I've shot Scirocco II's, AccuBonds and 165gr Trophy Bonded Tips out of some other 308's I've owned in the past.

I might be one of the few on here who believes in ALWAYS shooting the most accurate Premium bullet my rifle likes. At the end of the day, if I add up the amount of money I spend on a gun, optic, ammo, camo clothing, stands/blinds, lease, fuel, license, tag, etc it's absurd to me why someone would try to save $20-40 per box on ammo instead of shooting the most premium and best performing bullets they can. At the end of the day your bullets performance is the only thing you've spent money on that decides if you're going home with or without that animal once you pull the trigger.

 

[Mou435]

Congrats on the rifle zone opening up your suppressed .308's gonna be a whisper quiet deer slayer in those MN woods. For 50-200 yd shots, stick to 150-165gr expanding bullets plenty of thump, minimal meat damage, and suppressor-friendly no weird cycling issues.

My go tos from real hunts:

Winchester Deer Season XP 150gr – Your Google pick's spot on. Drops deer DRT at 100 yds, expands like crazy, and groups 1.5" in most rifles. $30/box, everywhere.

Federal Fusion 165gr – Bonded soft point for deep penetration through shoulder hits; I've taken 3 MN bucks with it, all under 150 yds, zero runners. ~$25/box, accurate as hell.

Hornady SST 150gr If you want flatter trajectory to 200, this one's laser-tight 1" groups and mushrooms perfect. $35/box, but worth it for woods shots.

Test a box of each for your rifle's sweet spot suppressed .308 loves the lighter 150s for softer recoil. You'll be stacking venison in no time.

 

[Bandera]

I shoot the Federal loaded with the Barnes TSX 165 grain. Works in Africa, works in USA. My rifle shoots sub MOA groups, so why change for whitetails?

 

[CoElkHunter]

150-180gr Remington Core Lokt for deer. No need for “premium” ammo. Don’t overthink it and go hunting.