What's your favorite cheap hunting bullet for .308?

[LocoGringo]

I'm going to help a buddy out and load some hunting ammo for him, but I don't want to drop premium prices. I'm looking at the Hornady 165 grain BTSP and have found a source that is in stock for $37/100. I wouldn't need many, so I think 100 would be enough. The rifle he uses is a Adams Arms 20" barreled 1:10 twist .308 AR. He's going after East Tennessee whitetail, so it only really needs to be accurate. Long shots in E.TN. are 200 yards and the deer aren't much bigger than a great dane dog.

The powders available to me are Varget and H4895. I already load 175 Sierra matchking and 178 Hornady Amax over H4895 for my .308 AR, although it's a direct impingement system and his is a gas piston. I've had EXCELLENT results with H4895, so I'm looking to use that powder, but want to know a good hunting bullet for his rifle. What bullet would you use?

 

[41 Mag]

Availability will be the key, but I might talk him into halving an order of one of these,

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/factory-seconds-308-30-165-grain-sbt/

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/factory-seconds-308-30-165-grain-tgk-a4667/

Some of the TGK I got had tips missing, but there's nothing wrong that I could see with the rest. Haven't gotten any of the SBT's.

Might also check Midway for some of their factory seconds. That said though, most are now priced as high as regular factory first.

Other than those I'd say go with the 150gr Hornady Interlock or 165gr you mentioned. Speer also has some Hot Core that are in those weights.

 

[troy fairweather]

Speer

 

[Patocazador]

Flat base instead of boat-tail. Cheaper and just as effective.

 

[courtgreene]

150gr Sierra game kings tend to get it done very well in my .308s. Flat based, cheap-ish, and effective.
I know lots of people rave about corlokts, but I haven’t been impressed with them. I’ll probably die with a box of them that I just can’t bring myself to load because they let me down a few times on deer. They are cheap, though, so maybe I’m just doing something wrong.

 

[jmr40]

Any cup and core bullet 150 gr and up will do what you want to do. Unless your friends rifle just shoots heavier bullets better I'd stay with 150's. But then again, there is no downside to the Hornady 165's you're considering. Whatever is more accurate. But you don't know which is more accurate until you try several kinds.

I don't intend to claim they are NEEDED. But don't overthink the money saved buying the cheapest bullet vs premium bullets. One advantage of just buying premiums to begin with is that the odds are better of finding an accurate load with the 1st one you try.

It will cost you $37 to buy 100 of the Interlocks. It will cost about $70 to buy 100 Nosler bullets.

$33 isn't a lot of money. 100 bullets just used for hunting would last me many years. It will cost me $115-$125 at today's prices to fill the 36-gallon tank on my truck. That will get me 600-650 miles down the road. I'll burn several tanks of gas every hunting season. I'll only fire 2-3 shots most years, some years none. The extra 33 cents for each of those bullets is nothing in relation to everything else I spend on hunting.

You don't use the expensive bullets for plinking at the range. That is where you buy a cheaper bullet. Or use a cheaper to shoot rifle like a 223 or 22 RF.

 

[LocoGringo]

Speer

I saw Speer Hot Cors also. I think they were cheaper than the Hornadys. Have they proven accurate for you?

150gr Sierra game kings tend to get it done very well in my .308s. Flat based, cheap-ish, and effective.
I know lots of people rave about corlokts, but I haven’t been impressed with them. I’ll probably die with a box of them that I just can’t bring myself to load because they let me down a few times on deer. They are cheap, though, so maybe I’m just doing something wrong.

I also thought about the Gamekings. I'm NOT a fan of Remington ammo. I know people swear by them, but they have not proven accurate in any of my rifles. I'm speaking of loaded ammo, not the bullet component.

Thank you for the responses. They confirmed what I was thinking.

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive got a box or two of 168 TMKs you can have if you want them, i had them from an old project. I dont have anything i want to shoot them in now.
Match bullets, but ive found the function pretty much like balistic tips

 

[courtgreene]

Any cup and core bullet 150 gr and up will do what you want to do. Unless your friends rifle just shoots heavier bullets better I'd stay with 150's. But then again, there is no downside to the Hornady 165's you're considering. Whatever is more accurate. But you don't know which is more accurate until you try several kinds.

I don't intend to claim they are NEEDED. But don't overthink the money saved buying the cheapest bullet vs premium bullets. One advantage of just buying premiums to begin with is that the odds are better of finding an accurate load with the 1st one you try.

It will cost you $37 to buy 100 of the Interlocks. It will cost about $70 to buy 100 Nosler bullets.

$33 isn't a lot of money. 100 bullets just used for hunting would last me many years. It will cost me $115-$125 at today's prices to fill the 36-gallon tank on my truck. That will get me 600-650 miles down the road. I'll burn several tanks of gas every hunting season. I'll only fire 2-3 shots most years, some years none. The extra 33 cents for each of those bullets is nothing in relation to everything else I spend on hunting.

You don't use the expensive bullets for plinking at the range. That is where you buy a cheaper bullet. Or use a cheaper to shoot rifle like a 223 or 22 RF.

This is good info. If I were loading for someone else, I’d have this constant nagging feeling of “if something goes wrong he will blame me,” so I’d make sure it’s something I’ve experienced working well. Just something to consider.

 

[LocoGringo]

Any cup and core bullet 150 gr and up will do what you want to do. Unless your friends rifle just shoots heavier bullets better I'd stay with 150's. But then again, there is no downside to the Hornady 165's you're considering. Whatever is more accurate. But you don't know which is more accurate until you try several kinds.

I don't intend to claim they are NEEDED. But don't overthink the money saved buying the cheapest bullet vs premium bullets. One advantage of just buying premiums to begin with is that the odds are better of finding an accurate load with the 1st one you try.

It will cost you $37 to buy 100 of the Interlocks. It will cost about $70 to buy 100 Nosler bullets.

$33 isn't a lot of money. 100 bullets just used for hunting would last me many years. It will cost me $115-$125 at today's prices to fill the 36-gallon tank on my truck. That will get me 600-650 miles down the road. I'll burn several tanks of gas every hunting season. I'll only fire 2-3 shots most years, some years none. The extra 33 cents for each of those bullets is nothing in relation to everything else I spend on hunting.

You don't use the expensive bullets for plinking at the range. That is where you buy a cheaper bullet. Or use a cheaper to shoot rifle like a 223 or 22 RF.

I'm springing for these because he did me a "solid" by getting a friend of his to Cerakote some parts for me that included color-matching a magazine I dyed. I'm thinking I'm going to need about 50-60 test rounds and 40-50 rounds of ammo, so 100 rounds is what I'm hoping for. All of the components are coming out of my stash. Brass isn't a big deal, but the primers is what is going to "hurt" me the most, so I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as possible while also giving him a good product.

 

[troy fairweather]

I saw Speer Hot Cors also. I think they were cheaper than the Hornadys. Have they proven accurate for you?

I also thought about the Gamekings. I'm NOT a fan of Remington ammo. I know people swear by them, but they have not proven accurate in any of my rifles. I'm speaking of loaded ammo, not the bullet component.

Thank you for the responses. They confirmed what I was thinking.

Even if the speer were more then the hdy id still prefer the not cor.
I worked up a quick load with the 140 hotcor for my 6.5prc, call it my cheap deer load, you can see 2 loads are pretty much one hole. I've actually never had any speers not shoot good.

 

[LoonWulf]

I don't intend to claim they are NEEDED. But don't overthink the money saved buying the cheapest bullet vs premium bullets. One advantage of just buying premiums to begin with is that the odds are better of finding an accurate load with the 1st one you try.

I would disagree somewhat, when buying a "Premium" hunting bullet I feel your primarily buying something that responds differently on impact (monos, partitions, failsafes, bondeds) or in flight (VLDs both tipped or otherwise).
IME just paying more usually dosent get you a more accurate bullet, especially when it comes to the multi cavities like the Partitions or Failsafes.....You want to shoot good groups a "cheap" speer btsp or flat base will get you there the same as a partition, or mono, and often with less tinkering.
You want to punch thru a bunch of bone and heavy muscle, then your premium bullets have a noticeable advantage.
I dont generally include the tipped cup n cores in the "premium" category even if they are often noticeably more expensive.....but I will agree that on AVERAGE I think ive had to work less at finding good loads for most of them (which is why I generally shoot tipped match bullets....very few components wasted on tinkering).

Now if were talking about something like bulk FMJs, or even some of the cheap bulk winchesters i used to get in the late 90s, yeah for sure spending the extra few bucks for a "better" bullet will actually get you a much better bullet.

 

[BJung]

cheap hunting bullets for me have always been blemished bullets

 

[troy fairweather]

I would disagree somewhat, when buying a "Premium" hunting bullet I feel your primarily buying something that responds differently on impact (monos, partitions, failsafes, bondeds) or in flight (VLDs both tipped or otherwise).
IME just paying more usually dosent get you a more accurate bullet, especially when it comes to the multi cavities like the Partitions or Failsafes.....You want to shoot good groups a "cheap" speer btsp or flat base will get you there the same as a partition, or mono, and often with less tinkering.
You want to punch thru a bunch of bone and heavy muscle, then your premium bullets have a noticeable advantage.
I dont generally include the tipped cup n cores in the "premium" category even if they are often noticeably more expensive.....but I will agree that on AVERAGE I think ive had to work less at finding good loads for most of them (which is why I generally shoot tipped match bullets....very few components wasted on tinkering).

Now if were talking about something like bulk FMJs, or even some of the cheap bulk winchesters i used to get in the late 90s, yeah for sure spending the extra few bucks for a "better" bullet will actually get you a much better bullet.

Even "Premium" bullets aren't always premium, like the speer grand slams. They used to be bonded and now are not, so there no better then a hot cor that's half the price. Was at sarco inc today and they had dozens of nos grand slams, wish I had money lots of guys looking for those old slams.

 

[Patocazador]

Was at sarco inc today and they had dozens of nos grand slams

Is the nos a typo? or does it mean something other than Nosler?

 

[Thomasss]

What you plan to load is just fine. I use them all the time for deer hunting in either a Rem. 700, 30.06 or in a M1 Garand. Although 4895 is a very good target powder, I would recommend using Varget. Varget is a little faster and temperature insensitive. As of late the BTSP are still cheaper ($37/100 is a great price) and a very effective hunting bullet. Initially a flat bottom Hornady SP will be a little bit faster out of the muzzle, but as you get closer to the 200 yards the BTSP will catch up on velocity, be flatter shooting and generally be more accurate.

 

[beeenbag]

I really like the flat base 150g hornady interlock. They shoot very well for me with a pretty warm varget load.

 

[jmorris]

I suppose my favorite cheap hunting bullet for 308 would be the Hornady #3031. I bought (at dealer cost) many LNL’s and sold them NIB without UPC and sent them in for the free 1000 bullets to keep my beltfed 308 going. If I am in a hurry and don’t have anything else loaded, I use it. They are not an impressive bullet but do the job with good placement and are legal to hunt with.

That said, a box of “good” bullets can last me years, if your not wasting ammo. The magazine on the rifle I use on my walk around night hunts just now has the last projectiles from the box of 50 I ordered back in October of ‘21, after MCB suggested the particular bullet.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...for-300-blackout-pistol.895797/#post-12075523

I don’t waste the expensive ones though, I have thousands of the Hornady’s for that. Same goes for the ones we trap, I don’t use $0.84 bullets to kill trapped animals when a .22lr gives the same results.

 

[alsaqr]

Whitetail deer are relatively easy to kill with proper bullet placement. i grew up in WV in the 40s and 50s. Cup and core bullets were what hunters used back then. Cup and core bullets sometimes come apart when hitting bone: If you use those bullets, don't shoot at bones. There was only one bullet that could be called "premium", the Remington Bronze point hit the market in the early 1920s and was sold until about 2010. Last year i gave my Bronze point bullets to a serious big game hunter.

It seems like nearly every hunter wants a bullet that that leaves an exit hole every time for ease of tracking. Never mind that a deer hit in the heart lung area seldom runs far.

Was working in Herlong, CA and living in Reno about the time the Barnes TSX bullets became popular. Bought a big bunch of .223 and 30 caliber TSX bullets at Sportsmans Warehouse. The 150 grain .30 caliber TSX bullets perform well on large hogs when fired from .308 and .30-06 rifles. The 180 grain TSX, not so much. It's impossible to get the velocity of a .308 high enough to expand the 180 grain TSX bullets that i have. The bullet will sometimes expand when driven close to the ragged edge of .30-06 velocity.

If i were loading a .308 for deer hunting the bullet would be the excellent Sierra 150 grain SBT (2125).

 

[troy fairweather]

Is the nos a typo? or does it mean something other than Nosler?

New old stock, they had the old speer grand slams in the 22lr type boxes. Tho they did have a bunch of vintage boxes of bullets, from nolser Sierra hdy.

 

[LocoGringo]

OK, so I decided to try a 165 grain Speer Spitzer Boattail from Midway at $27.50/box of 100 (bought 2 boxes, 1 for him and 1 for me) and 1 box of 100 Hornady Interlock 165 grain BTSP (for me) at $40/box with free shipping. So, $104 for 300 bullets to experiment with. Do y'all approve?

 

[H&Hhunter]

I’m another fan of the Sierra Game king 150 Gr bullet for deer in a .308. They shoot accurate and they kill the heck out of deer.

 

[H&Hhunter]

OK, so I decided to try a 165 grain Speer Spitzer Boattail from Midway at $27.50/box of 100 (bought 2 boxes, 1 for him and 1 for me) and 1 box of 100 Hornady Interlock 165 grain BTSP (for me) at $40/box with free shipping. So, $104 for 300 bullets to experiment with. Do y'all approve?

Yeah those will be just fine for your stated purpose.

 

[Laphroaig]

OK, so I decided to try a 165 grain Speer Spitzer Boattail from Midway at $27.50/box of 100 (bought 2 boxes, 1 for him and 1 for me) and 1 box of 100 Hornady Interlock 165 grain BTSP (for me) at $40/box with free shipping. So, $104 for 300 bullets to experiment with. Do y'all approve?

There might be some difference between the various cup and core bullets, with some being a little bit softer or tougher, but I don't think that it amounts to much. A slight exception might be the Hornady Interlocks. If anything, the interlock ring stops the jacket from peeling all the way back and helps the core stay with the jacket.

I've always used 165's for deer too, so you did good IMO.

 

[alsaqr]

Was going through folders of old targets today: The Hornady round nose 150 grain .30 caliber bullet is very accurate. In the 1980s and 1990s some of my best 100 yard .308 groups were made with that bullet and 39-41 grains of IMR 3031.