New to hunting

[spooky]

i own a 308 and i love it get some hornady 165 gr btsp perfect match for 308 its what the swat teams uses you wont have to worry about an exit hole good luck & good hunting

[t-macks]

Kudos for choosing something with a little more umph as a beginner. These guys are right in saying that the AR "will do", but when your shot is marginal the extra lead comes in handy. No matter how good a shot you are at the range, things change when you're in the field. Good choice. I had very little confidence in BAR as opposed to bolt-action, but I can say with absolute certainty that I was wrong. BAR is a FINE rifle. Never known one to misfire (unless ablsolutely filthy) and accuracy is superb. At least as good as most any production bolt rifle. LOL at the rainbow comment. Anthing 200yds or less (and you should be shooting MUCH closer until you've got a few notches on your stock) will be point and shoot with properly sighted scope and any high powered rifle.

As to ammo choice, go buy several different boxes of ammo prices at close to $20. Your rifle will like one more than the rest. Use that. Nevermind the hype. Nevermind brand. Just shoot what your rifle likes. I've only known of one rifle to demand high dollar ammo. You'd be best served finding something that your rifle likes and that you'll be able to find most anywhere in a pinch. Stay away from "Ballistic Silvertips". I and many other have had bad experiences with this ammo fragmenting at closer ranges and not exiting. It kills em dead, but its much better to have a blood trail, even for a short track in broad daylight. This is similar to the argument against smaller caliber rifles (which are great in the right hands). Go get 'em!

[lonesouth]

Thanks again guys. I picked up a box of 150gr Core-Lokt. Might be able to go sight it/see how it shoots this weekend. I'll pick up some other brands this week and see if it likes one more than another. Will report back after I get some rounds down range.

Speaking of ranges...I've got to plug my buddy JD and Talon Training Group. They are opening a new range out west of town and will be offering 10% to charter members for three years.

http://www.talontraininggroup.com/Talon-Range

[dombern34]

you might wanna do some research and see if you can find out the twist of your barrel, if you have a 1-10 or something depending on the length of your barrel you might not be able to shoot 180 or 160's. your bullet won't have enough stable from the twist to keep that heavy round from dying out of a spin and in result shooting horriable groups. i'm guessing the barrel is 22 or 24 inches but just check. you might have to shoot a 130 which is fine if youre hunting in Florida... core lock is a good all round bullet but it's not the best. the accu tip is a little better that rem. makes but i've always shot hornady sst which is a pretty good round for being factory. of course if you can get your hands on some hand loaded rounds then you might be in even better shape.

[t-macks]

Again; brand, price, and all other hype is completely irrelevant as it pertains to hunting. Shoot what your rifle likes best, PERIOD. Start with the cheaper stuff and if you're unsatisfied with accuracy, look at your gun first. Check scope mounts, stock screws, trigger function, etc...If all is in order you CAN experiment with more expensive stuff, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that you'll find just what you're looking for in a box that costs close to $20. High dollar stuff is 90% hype and slick marketing. The most important things are confidence in your weapon and shot placement/angle, with an emphasis on shot placement/angle. If a $50 box of ammo boosts your confidence, then by all means...but otherwise, put your time in at the range and learn anatomy to ensure a clean kill. Learning when and where, exactly, to shoot an animal is at least as important as being able to hit the center of a target. As a beginner these things should be your focus. Time spent shooting your weapon is much more valuable than a high dollar box of ammo. If you've got deep pockets shoot whatever you want, but my feeling is that you'll send more rounds downrange if it isn't hittin your wallet as hard, and this is invaluable.

[flintrock]

Ditto what T-macks said !!! Trigger time will tell you a lot and help put your mind at ease. Tighten the scope abses and rings properly,get a box or two of 150 grain Core-lokts or Power Points or Power-Shoks and go punch some holes in paper. If one of these brands doesn't shoot well, take the rifle to a gunsmith for a look see. You have a good combo..Leupold scope and BAR....and a darn fine caliber. I've been hunting/shooting deer for 50 years and using a .308 for the last 25. Every time I've shot a deer with the .308, I had a dragging and skinning job to do. Same goes for hawgs.

Forget the barrel twist rates and "rainbow trajectory" stuff and plastic tips,etc,etc. Get behind the trigger and find out what works in your gun for you. .308s have been a mainstay of the Marine Corp snipers(M40 and M1A rifles) and Army snipers (M24 and M1A rifles) for about 40 years now. It will do bad things to bad guys near and far (confirmed kills to over 1200yards,well over 1/2 mile). It will do the same to any critter that walks in the South if you do your part.

Trigger time is time well spent. Keep your skinning knife sharp and post pictures this coming deer season. Good Luck !!!!

[lonesouth]

Got out today and took a few shots to see how it grouped. Paced out 100 yards and used my range bag on the hood of the bronco as a rest. I took the first two shots, left and top, and my buddy took the second two shots, below the center. This was shooting Remington 150gr Core-Lokt. I think it should do fine. I can definitely see how a bigger scope would be beneficial, something like a 4-12x50, 8x was just a bit small at that distance.

The holes on the lower left were where the target tore when the bullet took out the stand.

[Rhettley]

Sounds like you are on the right track. You might try several other brands of ammo. My .243 loves Fed. Premium 100 gr Nosler Partion or 100 gr Barnes X. The .270 seems to prefer .130 gr Barnes over .140 gr. Partion bullets. As for Core locks, most people swear by them but I find the two I mentioned hit much harder. Definately stay away from fragmenting bullets. I've lost several deer shot under 50 yards that I saw where the bullet hit and it should have been a kill shot. The deer hit the dirt immediately and after a minute jumped up and ran off like they had a miraculous recovery and didn't leave a blood trail at all. I did get down and crawled around looking for hair or blood splatters.
Another thing I can recommend it to shoot at the range from different positions, not just off range bags. Shoot offhand, sitting, laying on the ground, propped on a pole, etc. You'd be surprised how much this will improve your skills and confidence.
Good luck and put have fun putting meat in the freezer.

[lonesouth]

Took the online portion of the hunter safety class yesterday, signed up for the practical/range portion September 8!

[micci_man]

Something to think about. My dad has an 06 that will only pattern 180 gr bullets consistantly regardless of bullet brand. I personally would not be happy with those shots you posted. it's hard to keep steady shooting at 100 yds. Shoot at 25 yds twice in a row before moving anything. Adjust if you need to. Let the gun cool down every 5-6 shots . don't stop until your last 2 shots/holes are touching. I've sighted my guns in for 25 yrs like this and know shooting a 165 CL I'm 1" high at 100 and dead on out to 200yds which I rarely get a shot that far.


Keep shooting, get used to your new gun, have fun hunting and be safe.

[flintrock]

Your groups aren't too bad considering that you were shooting off the hood of a vehicle (they were at least M.O.S.....Minute Of Shoulder on a deer out to a couple of hundred yards). A bag on a truck hood is not a steady platform from which to see how well your rifle shoots. Get to a range...sit down with bags at a bench. Then you find out the true potential of your rifle/scope/bullets. After that you can practice shooting off hand or sitting. I agree with Micci Man that shooting closer is the right place to start....personally I sight-in/shoot at 50 yds, then shoot at 100. With a .308 sighted dead-on at 50, you will be about 3 inches high at 100 and dead on at 200-225 yds. Never make a scope adjustment until you fire two aimed and rested shots.

[lonesouth]

The State of Florida has deemed me safe to go hunting:)