I'm working up a good 165 grain load for my newly Krieger barrelled Remington 700 in .308 Win.

I want a super accurate 165 grain bullet for shooting PA whitetails and black bear. I want one bullet/load to hunt both animals so I don't have to re-zero due to load/ bullet changes.

I am looking at the 165 Hornady BTSP and the 165 Sierra spitzer-boat tail. Either one should take the whitetail so I guess the question is, which would be the better choice for the slightly tougher bear? I'm leaning toward the Hornady because of the interlock which might make the bullet a little tougher.

What do you think?

go with the Hornady! capt david

The 165 Hornady should be a good bullet for both game, I have always falled back on them for a good all around bullet.

No doubt the 165 Hornady Interlocks would do the trick in either BT of flat base forms. Also, the 165 Interbond might be worth a try too. Is is more money but it will for sure penetrate and hold together.

I have never taken a bear, but the 165 Interlocks have never failed me on whitetail!

Good Luck
Mark in GA

Trophy Bonded Bear Claw or 168 grain Barnes Triple Shock, Expensive but worth it.

The Triple Shocks are the most accurate bullets in all my rifles.

Hows the standard Speer hotcore compare to the Hornady interl??

I too am working up a 165gr load for a 308 m70 I recently got.
I did some testing with some NoslerBTs 165s and 44 gr R15 ,all I had was nosler BTs and Parts, In 30 cal. I just bought and loaded some 165 hornadys but havent tested them yet.

How do the speers and hornadys compare ?

My all round go to bullet for the .308 is the 165 gr. Speer Hot-core. Of all the mule deer I have taken with that bullet, I've only recovered one. That deer was shot in the chest as it faced me and the bullet stopped at a back leg bone, breaking it. They work for me. I would not hesitate to use it on black bear, hogs or even an elk.
Paul B.

Another great bullet to consider is the Sierra 165 grain hollow point boat tail Gameking

That's really the great secret of the .308. It operates at a velocity where even cheap regular core bullets pretty much perform like "premiums". Can't remember the last time I saw a post that said "BULLET BLEW UP OUT OF MY 308!!"!!! Hornady interlock and any spitzer flat base will=success!

quote:

Originally posted by kraky:
That's really the great secret of the .308. It operates at a velocity where even cheap regular core bullets pretty much perform like "premiums". Can't remember the last time I saw a post that said "BULLET BLEW UP OUT OF MY 308!!"!!! Hornady interlock and any spitzer flat base will=success!

kraky:

Exactly my thinking also. Like I said, I'm leaning toward the standard Hornady Interlocks. I tried the Interbonds in a 30-06 but really didn't get the accuracy I wanted to justify the cost of the bullets, about twice that of standard Interlocks.

Thanks all for the responses.

I hate to be a hater and mention a blow-up, but...

Quite a few years ago I borrowed a 308 autoloader (don't remember the manufacturer) and shot a yearling whitetail at about 40 yards. The bullet absolutely destroyed the entire on-side shoulder; it was, literally hanging by a thread. The deer ran towards me through snow two to three feet deep, and plopped down about 10 yards away. I shot it in the back of the head.

Upon dressing the deer, I found the jacket under the skin at the bottom of its abdomen--right where a "belly button" would be. All I remember about the cartridge was that its bullet was a spitzer--probably 150 gr. and a Winchester, Remington, or Federal load. I must confess, I don't remember what shape the heart/lungs were in.

All this is simply to say that funny things can happen, even in a 100 lb. Whitetail. And by no means am I implying that I would hesitate to use a 308--I wouldn't.

After that one little deer, though, I'm always ready to shoot a second time!

Just my 2 cents...

friar

The Swift Scirocco is another nice one in 165gr. It opens up at moderate velocities, yet holds together at high velocities or up close and personal shots. The BC is .470. Most of the other noslers, Sierras, and Hornadys have about the same BC, but as far as holding up, the accubond IMO is the only other bonded core bullet that could compare to the Scirocco.

quote:

Originally posted by GLC:
I'm working up a good 165 grain load for my newly Krieger barrelled Remington 700 in .308 Win.

I want a super accurate 165 grain bullet for shooting PA whitetails and black bear. I want one bullet/load to hunt both animals so I don't have to re-zero due to load/ bullet changes.

I am looking at the 165 Hornady BTSP and the 165 Sierra spitzer-boat tail. Either one should take the whitetail so I guess the question is, which would be the better choice for the slightly tougher bear? I'm leaning toward the Hornady because of the interlock which might make the bullet a little tougher.

What do you think?

Well, I've had excellent accuracy results (1 MOA) in a .308 pre-64 Model 70 Featherweight using the Sierra 165-grain hollowpoint boattail. I found it a little tough for use on the small whitetails in Central TX, but that toughness should make it pretty good for the bigger deer in PA and also black bear.

I'm a bit leery on that Sierra 165 gr. HP. I had some loaded up for my 30-06 back in 1978. Coyote hides were bringing in serious money at the time and we jumped one at about two hundred yards while deer hunting. I bailed out of the truck and took a shot. tumbling that yodel pup. We hiked over to get ot for the hide and found we had a two piece coyote. That dog was totally mangles and looked like the pocket gophers we shot with .243s and 70 gr hps. That sure soured me on that bullet.
Unless Sierra is making it a lot tougher these days, I think I'd stay far away from it for larger game like deer and bears.
Paul B.

I'd have to go along with the 165 Sierra HPBT Gameking. The core is tougher than the spitzer and it is the most accurate bullet in one of my 308s. I use 45G of Re15, but work up to that slowly as it is above some manuals max.

oops, I meant Re15.

I've used the Hornady 165 BTSP interlock and IMR4064 for about 24 years in my 308 and have taken blacktails, mulies and cow elk from 50 yards to 300 yards without a problem. Every one of them have died within sight of where I shot and they all had two holes (one in and one out).

165 grain Swift A-frames.

I use Hornady 165 grain BTSP. They are the most accurate in my rifle. More accurate than the speer bullets or the Nosler Ballistic tip.

I've shot a lot of game with this bullet and it works fine on large deer and even large black bears.

I use the Speer 165 or if I'm feeling cheap, the Remingtons 165s. The Speers give much better accuracy in my rifle so it has become my all purpose .308 load.

I have killed a lot of game both deer, and some fair size hogs with a 165 gr. HPBT Sierra GameKing out my 308. I get 2755 fps. out the 24" Douglas barrel when seated on top of 47.1 gr of N550 in Win. brass with a 210M primer. I haven't recovered one yet. It is a suberbly accurate bullet as well. Shoots in .4' to .5's in that rifle consistently.

RBRN

With the moderate velocities of the .308, you do not need a premium bullet for deer. The Hornady is an outstanding bullet as is the Speer and I will bet that trying both, you will find nearly identical points of impact. I have never had a gun that would not shoot a Hornady bullet accurately. Try a near-max load of Varget powder with either and I think you will be happy.

All of the above are good bullets and I've used the Hornady and Sierra suggestions with success. I now prefer to get two holes for blood, evey time. For that I've gone to Barnes TSX and Varget, getting, excellent accuracy, resonable expansion on smaller deer (our Coues can be 60#), but guaranteed end to end performance at extended ranges when a less than ideal shot comes on a magnificent deer/black bear size animal.

From my Rem. 700 .308 W. (1981 mfg.), using 165 grains Hornady Interlok, I consistently get 1 1/2" groups at 200 yards, from the bench.

Load is 45.5 grains IMR 4064, Fed. Match Large Rifle Primers, new or once fired Winchester cases from the same lot.

I've killed some pretty good sized Mule deer with this load and it does the job. I can't imagine that you'd have any trouble on Whitetail deer or Black bear.

Good luck.

L.W.

Another vote for the 165gr Sierra BTHP.

Another vote for the Hornady 165 HTSP. This bullet has always penetrated very well, expanded beautifully while holding together, and been accurate in every .308 I have ever tried it in, which I believe is about 8 guns. I've used it on many deer and a couple of hogs, and both my sons have done the same. On larger game, I haven't tried it, although I wouldn't hesitate to use it on smallish bull elk and/or cows. To use a 165-gr.bullet in .308 as an elk or moose gun, I'd feel more comfortable moving to a Partition, or I'd try Hornady's Interbond. Better yet, use a 180-gr.

Why not try Nosler's 165gr Partition? Should work well on both animals. The difference in price shouldn't be an issue when your taking game with them. Just my 2 cents.

165 gr Hornady spire points!

I have used a 308 with 165 grain bullets for quite a few animals. I have also used 150 and 180's as well. The Sierra 165 HPBT has always done excellent on deer, pigs, and antelope. But since you mention black bear I would lean toward a Nosler Partition or a Trophy Bonded Bearclaw. There is a big difference between a 200 lb bear and one that is 350 lbs or larger.
I have had very good performance from the TB Bearclaw from bobcats to 285 lb pigs.
The one black bear I killed with a 308 I used a 180 Woodleigh Soft out of a Blaser K 95 Stutzen, with perfect performance.

The Hornady 165 grain Spire Point bullet. A good performer on deer with a well placed shot in either the .308 or the 30-06.

Whatever shoots best between the various Sierra, Hornady and Speer bullets will serve you well. I'm betting you'll have an easier time finding a good load with Sierra, but that's just my limited experience. To be specific, the soft point GameKing is where I'd start testing.

No need for any of that new-fangled bonding and ballistic tipping jazz in a 308. Just keep it simple and cheap. You'll likely end up with a sub MOA hunting load that will be cheap enough to encourage high-volume practice.

Easyup, What grain TSX are you using? I am thinking that the new 130 grain in my Mod 600 Rem .308 would be a cow elk smoker for my 14-year-old. I have never loaded the TSX, but have used the regular "X" in my 7 mag for elk and Oryx when I lived in NM. They are great bullets, but I got a second 7 mag that did not like them so I went back to Hornady and Nosler Partions.
You've gotta love those Coues. I killed two when I lived in AZ.

I have shot a lot of deer-sized animals with my .308, but I mostly use 180 grain bullets. I did take one big whitetail is Sask with a 165 gr Trophy Bonded, which was more bullet than needed (but I had them).

The more I shoot things with the Nosler Partition, the more I appreciate the design. I would shoot the NP here.

jim

All these suggestions and not one mention of the Accubond.

You want accuracy in a good hunting bullet there you go..

I'm a big fan of Sierra bullets, almost all Sierra bullets. However that does not apply to the 165gr bullet. It just doesn't work at all for me. Maybe it's my rifle, A short barreled (20") Browning Micro-Medallion with a 1 in 12" twist. It does very well with the 168gr. HPBT Matchking, but not the 165gr. I'm doing well to get 1 1/4" groups (5 at 100yds) with it, as opposed to the 3/4" groups of the 168gr.
Maybe there's something I don't know here. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Cal,
As you well know each rifle is alaw into itself. However in every 308 rifle i have tried them in the 165 Sierra HPBT and the 180 Sierra Spz. has shot as well as the 168/180 Matchking counterparts. Try the 165 Nosler Partitions and the Ballistic Tips, they have also shot very well for me.

I usually shoot the 165 grain PSPCL Remington bullet for deer and hogs here in Texas. I find the Hornady bullet in the same weight a bit softer than the Rem bullet but slightly more accurate. If I were to go bear hunting with my 308 I think I would use the 180 grain Remington RNCL. My rifle seems to put all bullets well inside of 2 inches at 100 yards.

SBHooper,

I use the 168 TSX, my rifle has a PALMA reamer so I've never tried anything heavier. If I ever see a 150 TSX on the shelf I give them a go for sure. I'm super happy w/ TSX in every rifle I've tried.

It would be a Nosler Partition for me!

I like the good size holes on light resistance shots, double lungs few ribs hit, and I like the almost 100% exits on shoulder shots on deer.

Really two bullets in one depending on where you put it

Mike

I have never had bad performance from any bullet in a 308. I also like the 150 grain Speer Hotcore and would use it on deer or black bear but lately I have been testing heavier bullets since I lucked out and found the 180 grain RNCL remington bullet at the gunshow, too accurate for such an ugly bullet. I have killed two black bears, one with a 150 grain Remington corelokt out of a 30-30 and another with a 200 grain Speer spitzer hotcore from a Ruger RSI 308. They both did the job so quickly that I can't say one was better than the other.