Winchester .308 Silvertip discontinued?

D

deanf

New member
I've been trying to find Winchester .308 Silvertip 180 grain loads (the regular kind in the red & white box) since last summer. No one has them. I've heard rumor the load has been discontinued. Anybody know about this? The last box I bought was a closeout sale at Wall-Mart, which may lend credence to the rumor.

I've e-mailed Winchester, they haven't answered.

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deanf - I don't think Winchester has discontinued the .308 180 ST's. They are listed in the Aug/Sept Natchez sale flyer ( www.natchezss.com ) and in the Graf & Sons current catalog ( www.grafs.com ). You don't mention which caliber you're looking for, but I assume it is either .308 Win or 30-06 and both are listed as available.
 
Thanks for the answer. It's the .308 Win that I need. I guess I'll have to mail order, 'cause none of the store in a 50 mile radius have it.
 
FWIW, I've had excellent luck with the .308 Win. 168 gr Ballistic Silver Tip on whitetail. You might consider it as an option for the future.
 
Deanf. I went to the Winchester web site, and the .308 Win. 180 gr. Silvertip was conspicuous by it's absence. I notice that graf's has some other rounds that I know the big W has discontinued. They've dropped about 6 powders too, including WMR which they haven't had out for too long.
I shoot .358 Win., 7x57, use .458 Win. Mag brass to form a wildcat, and the big W has dropped all of them. I think I'll just change to Remington and Hodgden. To hell with Winchester.
Paul B.
 
Paul B. - Are you sure? I had gone to the Winchester site before looking for giving the info for the commercial dealers. I found the 180 gr .308 Win Silvertips X3083 were there. We must be looking at different pages on their site. Here is where I found them: www.winchester.com/products/main.cfm
I selected .308 Win and the 180 ST's were listed.
 
Mal. I see that. It was not oln the page where I looked. Oh well. Confusion reigns. In my case it is a steady downpour.
I know the Big W has dropped quite a bit of stuff. What ticks me off is that it is stuff I use. To hell with the customers, only the dollar counts.
Paul B.
 
On page 44, of GUN WORLD MAGAZINE, Oct. 1999, it sez and I quote."The Silvertips are on Winchesters discontinued list, so they will disappear as a component when current supply runs out."
I have a Rem. 700 in 30-06 that just loves 180 gr. ST's. Average groups run 3/8's inch for 3 shots off the bench in factory ammo.
Let's see. The big "W" in all its wisdom has dropped about 6 cartridges, 5 powders for reloading, and now the Silvertip bullet. Of the rounds they dropped, I shoot 3. Of the powders, I shoot 1. When I shoot factory ammo I shoot Silvertips. Fortunatly, I can make .358's from .308's. Remington and FFederal still load 7x57 Mauser and .458 Win. (I use those to make up a wildcat.) WMR powder makes my .300 Win. Mag think it's a Weatherby. I found 12 pounds at a gun show, so I'm good for a while there but I'll have to find a replacement.
I'm beginning to wonder if Winchester (Olin) is trying to get out of the civilian shooting market altogether? Too bad. I really liked their ball powders.
To answer the question, has the Winchester .308 Silvertip been discontinued? Yup! It sure has. I think I'll miss that bullet. I liked it a lot.
Paul B.
 
Deanf. I found 5 boxes of .308 Win. Silvertips ant Wal Mart. They're in a silver colored box now. Do as I did. Get them while they last.
Paul B.
 
David. The latest Graf catalog had a bunch of the big "W"'s discontinued powders. WMR was one on the list. It does wonders in the .300 Win. Mag. with 200 gr. Speer bullets. How does 0.5 inch groups from a strictly stock, untuned push feed Model 70 sound?
Seems to me, the bean counters at "W" don't want to sell us much anymore. I'm sure Remington and federal will appreciate the business.
Paul B.
 
I reload my own ammunition. I shoot the "Combined Technologies" Lubalox coated silver tips, in my .308 in the 150 grain, and have had no problem with finding them. They are a Nosler/Winchester bullet, that is about as fast and accurate, as anything else I have used. Trajectory is great, with very little fouling left in the barrel.
They are a little expensive, but I will continue to use them as long as I can afford them. I don't think I have ever shot a round that is as "Bang Flop" deadly.
Most of my hunting is done on Deer, Hogs,Varmints, so I have no need for anything heavier than the 150's.
 
Isn't this bullet a Nosler ballistic tip coated black and made by Nosler for Winchester?

Sorry, I think I confused these for the ballistic silvertips.
 
Back in the early 1970's Winchester offered many bullet weights for .308 under their SUPER X line.

110 gr - fair accuracy but hits with explosive force

125 gr - flat shooting and very accurate

200 gr - fair accuracy but jacket too thick for deer sized game; narrow wound channel

Sadly, all these loaded cartridges were abandoned from the line by 1981.

Jack
 
They're gone as components, but not as loaded ammo. The 180's are listed under their Super-X brand. The 168's under Supreme.
"...200 gr - fair accuracy but jacket too thick for deer sized game..." Shot a ground hog with a 220 grain Silvertip, long ago. It blew the entire offside away.
"...wonder if Winchester (Olin) is trying to..." Ownership changes sent Winchester Powders to Hodgdon. Olinis focusing on factory ammo and defense contracts. They've been out of the firearm business since 1981.
 
MY dad used to use that cartridge all the time, swore by them! He hasn't been able to find any for years now. He's switched to Winchester Supreme Ballistic Tip 168gr and has also had great success with them.
 
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