.308 light hunting load - anyone got one?

Forgot to say, in previous post I uploaded a couple of images, these were of cartridges with 163 grn boolit gc with 16 grains of 2400, about 15 - 1600 fps, ok for accurate plinking out to maybe 100 yards but definitely not recommended for hunting deer, add 2 -5 more grains of 2400 and it's a whole different matter.
 
For light loads, I would fiddle around in Quickload for a 110gr Hammer at 2700fps that still gets 45000 psi. With >90%, but less than 100% fill.
 
Unclenick said:
Light bullets will reduce recoil. Less penetration than a heavier one is the trade-off.
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A monocore bullet like Barnes 130 TTSX will penetrate as well as a 150-165 grain bullet. I've never recovered one from a broadside hit whitetail deer with a .300 Savage or .308 Win with the 130 grain TTSX.
 
I have used, (via the grandkids), the 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, @2650fps - 20" barrel, on mule deer. Both at under 200 yds. Deer in the freezer without fuss. I loaded them using H4895.
My goal was to give the grandkids a low recoil deer zapper, and I was happy with the results.
Later I turned that load up to 3000fps and a bear and more deer went into the freezer - one was a 250yd shot. Again, that 125gr ballistic tip made pretty mushrooms (or we didn't recover them).
All that was done with a cheap Mossberg kids rifle.

Now the kids only want zap things with unobtaniumridiculouslyexpensive 165gr Nosler Accubonds launched out of a Sig Cross rifle. So I've worked up loads for that gun and the kids & grandkids have put deer, bear and elk in the freezer (longest shot was 360yds).

The 308 is a versatile cartridge. And pre-covid the ammo was cheap.
 
talorce1 said:
A monocore bullet like Barnes 130 TTSX will penetrate as well as a 150-165 grain bullet.
Click to expand...

It won't shed weight like a lead core can. I don't know what frontal area expansion difference you may be seeing.

Given the 100-yard or less range, I would consider using a cast bullet with a wide flat meplat. You will want to download for reasonable cast bullet velocities anyway, and these shapes punch good wound channels with minimal meat damage. Here's an example.
 
Unclenick said:
It won't shed weight like a lead core can. I don't know what frontal area expansion difference you may be seeing.
Click to expand...

I don't know either, I've never recovered a bullet from a deer. I shot a bull elk with the 130 graain TTSX at 265 yds, but all I found was a blue polymer tip in the onside shoulder. There was probably a bullet to be recovered inside of him, but I used the gutless method and it was hot so I didn't go looking.

Thanks for the link to that cast bullet, ive been looking for some options to try in my old Krag rifle.
 
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