Do any of you guys in varmint country ever use a .308?
If so, how does it preform? What bullet do you use?

I have used it on coyotes. flattens them.

I was using the 125 Sierra in the late 1950's! Back then I did not appreciate the fine points that come up. I didn't even have a computer then! When I did see the ricochet it concerned me however.

I have not shot the 110 VMax and tested it's ricochets but I would not trust it nor any 125 gr bullet.

I've killed several coyotes with a 150gr Nosler Partition out of a 308. The bullet opens up a little and kills coyotes about as fast as they can be killed.

A true bang flop bullet and very little hide damage.

I know that it was designed for deer etc. but it performs very well on 'yotes and is usually what I have with me when I see a coyote during deer season.

$bob$

Never owned a .308, but it's on my list. One of the best walking varmint rifles I've owned so far was a 7mm mag. Shooting 168 MK's it typically shot in the .4's. It didn't shred varmints, but it was deadly, even in the wind, a looong way out.

Cobrad,

I have alot of time in with a .308. My most reecent one is a Remington LV SF. It shoots well a Looong way off, but here in MS the only varmints we have are coyotes that we shoot during deer season. I have watched videos on shooting prarie dogs and would really like to try it. The only thing is I don't have a use here for a 22-250 or .223. I need info on a load sutable for this for the .308 any input would be appreciated. thanks!

I have a Rem. 700 VS that I shoot 110gr. & 135gr. Berger MEF's. Jack rabbits and ground hogs don't stand a chance. Very accurate, I have had very good accuracy with Berger bullets in many guns.

Mississippi,

I have shot quite a few 110 gr. V-max through my 300 winnie at pds. I have tested most of the other 30 cal varmint bullets and finally settled on the V-Max simply because of less recoil. Shooting varmints and being able to see your hits is a very important aspect of the sport.

With respect to ricochets, the V-Max will come apart as well as any other varmint bullet. Can you still get ricochets? Absolutely. I have heard and seen ricochets from all varmint bullets I have been around. It doesn�t happen often, but it does happen. That is why we move around the town until you have a safe �back stop� that is higher than your targets. Any cattle around and we don�t shoot. (not preaching here)

As far as the load for your 308 goes, I can�t help at the moment, but I am planning on doing some load testing between Christmas and New Years. I am going to be testing some 68 and 130 gr varmint bullets in 308 and I will mix up some test loads with the 110 gr. V-max and let you know what I get. If it is OK with you I will PM you after the New Year with more info as I will not be near a computer until after the 1st. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Jim
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204's are not crap

I am from southern Alberta shooting gophers is a favorite springtime passtime and what I consider a decent dog town is an acre or larger you just drive through stopping every 50 yards for a 1/2 hour of continuous shooting no need to make long shots the ground is crawling with em you can use .308 win on em but it is overkill wich is not bad in of itself but it scares potential prey underground and considering I have personnaly shot over half a brick of 22lr in a single town, you might want to bring a second rifle if you dont want to melt your 308 barrel.

i use 110 grn V MAX outa 308 for fox and roe deer head shots only,i use vhit 135 with cci primers

Mississippi---For shooting an occasional coyote incidental to deer hunting,use your deer hunting load. Why bother developing something else and having to readjust your sights? As to going on a prarie dog hunt with a .308,well it's true you can haul your groceries in an 18 wheeler and you can drive nails with a sledge hammer. I shoot jackrabbits at night from inside a pickup and a .308 would be way too much blast and recoil with regular jacketed bullets. Cast bullets will tame the blast and recoil to an acceptable level. The velocity will be much reduced--but plenty for prarie dogs. I use cast in .22 centerfires and a 58 grainer at 2000-2200 fps does a heck of a number. With a .308 you could do very well at even a lesser velocity and it would be very tame to shoot. At 1600 fps or so there is almost no recoil.

Mississippi--Something I forgot to mention. I have shot 110's in a 30-06 and while they are a LITTLE milder than the 150 grainers--they still aint what I want for varmint shooting. The first time I shot a cast bullet in my 30-06--thought I had a missfire. I was using Unique powder and velocity was about 1600 fps. Felt more like a .22 rimfire than a 30-06.