Alpine Mule Deer with a 308win??

[Timberjack]

OK HBC'ers... Alpine mule deer are my #1 passion when it comes to hunting. Nothing better than getting up into the alpine early season and sneaking into a big buck's' bedroom unnoticed!

I used to love playing with rifles, different calibers and lots of shooting practice but these days with kids sports, work and life in general I just don't have the time.. I've thinned the herd right down to my Kimber montana 308win. which I know isn't the ideal tool for the job. That said, I know it like the back of my hand and it's shoots well enough for me to be comfortable out to 300 any day of the week, 400 if conditions are right. I would love a new rifle in something that would reach out a bit further, but time and money just isn't allowing for it. So I got wondering how many others use a 308 for alpine deer (or goat/sheep)...


So for you other die hard alpine hunters: how many of you use a 308? What bullet do you shoot? You guys happy with the little ole 308 or are you dreaming of something bigger and better like me? To be honest I've not "needed" anything bigger or better for the last 20 years, but I'm having trouble shaking the idea lol.

Cheers,
TJ

[fozzy]

For those distances and further a 308 will work fine as long as the rifle and shooter do their part. I hunted with 308 for many years and never felt under gunned.

[warnniklz]

For your application, your 308 is great, any grain bullet is fine... personally I'd go like a 165 accubond or monolithic

[backstrap]

In my opinion a 150gr Barnes ttsx would be a great choice. My grandfathers old Parker Hale .308 lived its life in Saskatchewan so not much alpine but it has taken it’s fair share of big whitetails, mule deer and the odd moose at distances out to that 400 mark you mentioned. I wouldn’t say you’re under gunned for an alpine mule deer at all, especially if it shoots well and you can do some practicing on the type of shots you expect to take. Example… a steep up or down hill shot at 300 off of a rock on a side hill is definitely a bit different than 300 off a bench at the range on a nice calm day.

[RackStar]

I have the same rifle but could not find a 308. Ended up with a 300wsm. If I could of got a 308 I would of.

I’d say for your distances it’s golden. I like the 300wsm , but I really don’t need it. My max range is 400y I’ve set for myself.

[Timberjack]

It's a funny thing... I know I'm ok with what I've got. The 165 accubond shoots well from my rifle and I'm confident with it... Just thought a change to poke out a little further and flatter would be good...

One other consideration is that I'm using a leupold 2.5-8x36 which feels a bit low on the magnification side when you're reaching out a but further. Might look at a 4.5-14x40 with a CDS dial. Anyone with any experience on that front?

TJ

[Rackmastr]

It's a funny thing... I know I'm ok with what I've got. The 165 accubond shoots well from my rifle and I'm confident with it... Just thought a change to poke out a little further and flatter would be good...

One other consideration is that I'm using a leupold 2.5-8x36 which feels a bit low on the magnification side when you're reaching out a but further. Might look at a 4.5-14x40 with a CDS dial. Anyone with any experience on that front?

TJ

Not apples and oranges but I had a 2.5-8x36 on my 7SAUM (all around rifle). Have hunted sheep, goats, elk, moose, etc with it and made several shots in the 350ish range on game with comfort. I've also shot steel with it out to 1000 yards before. Although not 'suited' for that game, it sure handled almost everything I could throw at it for mountain hunting typical shots.

I've moved to a Zeiss in the last few months on it now, but still is only a 2.5-10 for magnification.

[wideopenthrottle]

picked up a 308 BLR (made in 1977 from the s/n) in the off season last year and got it sighted in during my WT trip in late Oct using 180 gr (sorry cant remember the type but ill try to edit this post later with the details of the bullet)...i used 180 gr bullets as i got 6 boxes of them included with my purchase.

The large WT i got was quartering away a bit and its head and front shoulder was behind a tree. I put the shot into the boiler room between the 4th and 5th rib and it exited just in front of the first rib but behind the shoulder on the off side so no meat damage. it was a large doe and the bullet was a complete pass through at 140 yds. This was my first kill with this gun and i am quite confident you will have no problem with even a big mulie after seeing the results on the WT. sounds like you are hunting the rut so you should be able to get close enough that optics and flat shooting wont likely be a factor as you should be able to close the distance to less than 200 i would think...Go get em!!!

Side note: i was about 12km away from any farms so i wondered if the deer had been travelling that far to the farms or not...when i opened the stomach i found a 6-8 inch ball of hay bail twine (plastic) in its stomach....it had less fat than i would have expected from a farm fed deer and maybe that is why.

awt22string - HuntingBC.ca Photo Gallery (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=37113&title=awt22string&cat=500)

awt22guts - HuntingBC.ca Photo Gallery (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=37112&title=awt22guts&cat=500)

awt22aslay - HuntingBC.ca Photo Gallery (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=37111&title=awt22aslay&cat=500)

if you zoom in on the photo of the guts you will see a bright green bit and that was plastic string ...i pulled it out with a stick to take a pic and it broke up the string ball a bit but as mentioned, it was a 6-8 inch ball of stomach contents and string

[bushpilot]

I ran a Kimber Montana 308 last year. A great match of caliber and rifle for BC hunting. Not once did I feel undergunned. The 165gr accubond is a great bullet for it, I hunted with either 150 or 130gr ttsx. The 130gr ttsx was coming out of the barrel almost as fast as a 270 win and shot flat out to 350.

Think you would be hard pressed to find a better rifle for BC that would cover alpine mule deer/ sheep to timber moose, elk and black tails.

[todbartell]

a 308 with a CDS Leupold will work good out to around 400 yards (165gr Accubond). Another good option for a deer load in the 308 is Hornady's 178gr ELDx , which might give you 500 yard reach if needed

[Ltbullken]

I would use a 165/68 gr bullet, conventional type. You are going to lose a lot of velocity no matter what bullet you use so I'd use one that will open up easily. A 150gr Accubond at the right velocity might get you to 500yds with enough velocity for the bullet to perform. But if you keep your ranges moderate, you can use most any bullet you want.

[Dench]

There's nothing wrong with 308 for that.

[MB_Boy]

I agree with the above. I have hunted moose and deer with a Tikka 308 and taken many an animal with it. Worst performance was 3 shots on a HUGE moose that took 3 shots to put it down. Every deer I took was 1shot and done. Furthest shot on a deer was about 300 yards and a moose at about 250 that dropped in it's tracks. Also 165 gr bullet.

[180grainer]

Most people should be hunting with a 308.

[RyoTHC]

175 grain terminal ascent out of a .308 is sufficient legally for bison, I don’t think you’ll have any kind of issue with it for mule deer no matter the range.

[Spy]

308 is quite capable, I’ve owned many different calibers through the years and now exclusively use a 308. My rifle loves Barnes Vortex in 168g. This season I shot my moose at 300 yards, neck shot dropped it in its tracks. The bullet did a great job breaking the neck and I found it in tact under the skin on the opposite side. It was missing two petals but that’s to be expected going through tough bone. I would recommend a 308 out to 500 yards on a dear all day long. Rifle is Browning X-bolt Hells canyon, scope is a Leupold 4.5-14 X 40. Ps it was on 4.5 magnification when I pulled the trigger, as I was tracking the moose through thick bush up a hill.

[180grainer]

I would use a 165/68 gr bullet, conventional type. You are going to lose a lot of velocity no matter what bullet you use so I'd use one that will open up easily. A 150gr Accubond at the right velocity might get you to 500yds with enough velocity for the bullet to perform. But if you keep your ranges moderate, you can use most any bullet you want.
Just curious. Why not a 168 TTSX? If it flew right mind you. A 168/65 grain bullet with a fairly high ballistic coefficient in either monolithic or partition is better than a 150 in either in my opinion.

[BimmerBob]

I think you have pretty well the perfect setup, .308 is an awesome calibre and your setup is one of the best all around for deer hunting in the alpine or thick forest on the way there. I really can't see you ever being disappointed with it, it has all the reach a person needs and 30 cal bullets are pretty awesome selection wise.

Be well.../B

[backstrap]

Just incase anyone is looking for the .308 150gr ttsx Barnes ammo I stopped at cabelas in Abbotsford today and there was about 20 boxes on the shelf…..

As far as a nice light scope I have had great luck with the 3-18x44 swaro z5, it’s a beauty. Less than 17oz’s.

[Redthies]

I have the same rifle but could not find a 308. Ended up with a 300wsm. If I could of got a 308 I would of.

I’d say for your distances it’s golden. I like the 300wsm , but I really don’t need it. My max range is 400y I’ve set for myself.

Seems like you boys oughta work out a trade…

[the hopper]

i've been runnin a luepold cds 2.5-8 x 36 can shoot it at steel at 500 just fine. imo it is an excellent mtn rifle scope very light and all I need. I think it weighs 11 oz or something

[Timberjack]

Well there ya go. Appreciate all the answers and thoughts from u guys. It’s fun to dream of something new and flashy despite knowing all along that it doesn’t need fixing if it ain’t broke!

I’ll be headed out for blaktails this weekend with my trusty kimber 308 haha

Cheers everyone!