r/Hunting • u/Brilliant_Respect_92 • 12h ago
Firearm/caliber/bow/arrow question/discussion First Time Ammo Selection
I’m going to try and go deer hunting for the first time this year in Oklahoma. I have a 308 bolt gun and I bought some ammo from a buddy. Any of these options better than another? Obviously I assume the SB is out but I’m not sure about the others.
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u/Nitwit789 12h ago
Whichever your gun shoots the most consistently.
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u/jaspersgroove 8h ago
Shoots the most consistently and is appropriate for hunting. Good grouping ammo won’t mean much if its an FMJ that zips right through with zero expansion
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u/EconomistDapper2909 12h ago
Fusion is good to go.
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u/REDACTED3560 6h ago
I’ve always called it match grade bonded ammo. If a gun won’t shoot fusion accurately, it probably won’t shoot anything accurately. Is it the toughest bullet? No, but not every bullet needs to be. Keep the velocities modest and it will hold up fine.
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u/Rustyznuts 12h ago
Your S&B and American Eagle isn't for hunting.
The 180 grain will be pretty slow and have a lot of drop. You'd need to check how well it shoots too.
The Winchester Deer Season is hunting ammo. It will work. I don't like it personally.
The 2 boxes of Federal, Fusion or premium are both quality ammo. At 165 grain they are in the moderately heavy for 308Win category but should shoot to a similar POI being the same weight and reasonably sleek bullet designs. At least to 250 yards.
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u/sharpshooter999 10h ago
Too bad the S&B is FMJ, I've had good luck with their factory loads and reusing brass for reloading
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u/Rustyznuts 10h ago
For cheap stuff I love it.
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u/sharpshooter999 6h ago
Same with PPU. The actual bullets are average, but I get 8-9 reloads per casing for stuff like my .270 Winchester and 6.5/7/8mm Mausers
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u/AwarenessGreat282 12h ago
I'd take the 150gr. I just don't want anything bigger.
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u/IdaDuck 11h ago
150 is ideal in 308, 180 in 30-06. Any decent soft point will do just fine for deer.
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u/V_Cobra21 6h ago
180 is a little heavy for deer in my opinion.
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u/REDACTED3560 5h ago
There’s no such thing as too heavy. Light and fast causes more bloodshotting and meat loss. You might get flatter trajectories with lighter, but you’ll get less wind drift with heavier, and wind is the unpredictable element.
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u/V_Cobra21 7m ago edited 4m ago
180 gr will absolutely kill a deer. My point is that I think it’s heavier than necessary for whitetail. A good 150–165 gr .30-06 hunting load already gives you plenty of penetration and terminal performance. A suitably constructed 180 gr can give you deeper penetration and retain momentum well, but I don’t really need that extra penetration on a deer. Bullet construction matters too, obviously, and I’d rather use a lighter expanding load that’s already more than adequate for whitetail. As for wind, that depends on range, velocity, ballistic coefficient and the specific bullet, not simply bullet weight. Plenty of lighter bullets in cartridges like .270, .243 and 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 western perform very well at distance. So being 180 gr doesn’t automatically make a bullet the better choice in the wind.
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u/CC556 Kentucky 12h ago
Anything in the middle stack would be reasonable, are they all full boxes? The 180 is a bit heavier and slower than the others, it would be my last choice just due to that. Pick one of the others and see how it shoots in your rifle, if you're happy with it then set your zero and if possible shoot a few more to confirm your drop at distance if you intend to shoot much further than your zero. If the initial groups isn't promising with one box then try another.
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u/Hawk_2165 10h ago
The Federal Fusion and Trophy Bonded both are 165 grain and are good. Neither the Federal Whitetail 180 grain nor the Winchester Deer Season would be my choice. The others are not for hunting. You should go to a range and see which one of the Federal shoot better from your own rifle. Test the Winchester too. I would use the Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) ammo to do the initial scope sight-in. Check YouTube for how to sight in a rifle. If you only have iron sights there are videos for that too.
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u/whipstock1 10h ago
Those fusions and the federal premiums are the correct weight. I would start there.
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u/Deep_shot 8h ago
Don't use FMJ's for hunting. Any of the deer hunting ammo is fine. I've always used 308, 150 grain for killing deer. It's more than adequate and will kill efficiently if you hit them in the vitals, lungs and/or heart. Pick one grain and stick with it. 150's and 180's will have different trajectories. Make a group with one kind of ammo and stick with it. Know your bullet drop at distances if you will possibly be taking shots at those distances as well. Your bullet drop will increase significantly out past 200 yards. My advice for the first time would be to cap your max shot range at around 100 yards until you get some experience. You want to do everything in your power to make a clean kill and not just injure the deer.
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u/Euphoric-Arachnid-94 12h ago
Fusions are solid. I haven’t personally used the Winchester in .308, but it’s effective out of my 350L.
Try them and see how each groups, look up reviews on how they actually perform as a hunting load and pick the best one that shoots well from your gun.
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u/Ordinary_Visit_1606 12h ago
Anything bonded that your gun shoots well, Fusion is great. Research bonded ammo and you'll see why
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u/goblueM 12h ago
Just so you know, the ones on the left and right that say "Full metal jacket" and "FMJ" are not appropriate (and likely not legal) for deer hunting. They won't expand
Out of the middle stack, I'd probably shoot all of them and pick the one that shoots best. Probably the Fusion 165 grain if I had to guess. All of em will do the job if you do yours
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u/FatBoyStew Kentucky 12h ago
The middle stack. SB and American Eagle are both FMJ rounds. Definitely good for plinking, getting on paper and getting familiar with your gun.
Just know of that middle stack the top box is 180gr, 2nd box is 150gr and the 3rd/4th box is 165gr which means they will shoot differently especially at a distance. The Federal Premium and Fusion will likely shoot similar-ish but I'm not super familiar with those loads.
I personally use 180gr SP Corelokts (with a 150gr PSP Corelokt sprinkled in) from one of my .308's and then 150gr Hornady SST from my other. Have heard great things about all those Federal rounds though (not really heard much on the Winchester box)
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u/Individual-recce 11h ago
Shoot a 5 to 10 round group with each ammo brand and the one that prints the smallest is probably your go-to
Edit. The boxes that say FMJ are absolutely not hunting rounds don't even consider them
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u/Sekshual_Tyranosauce 11h ago
Stay away from full metal jackets. Save those for training.
And since your training ammo is all about 150 grain, I would use the 150 grain Winchester.
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u/EducationalOutcome26 10h ago
all of it in the middle row is good, i would be practicing with the rest of it, the FMJ probably not going to be as accurate and certainly not suitable for game but it will let you get used to shooting the rifle and developing a good shooting position and trigger control.
every new rifle i get i put 100 or so rounds thru it just getting used to the stock and trigger and scope. usually the cheapest FMJ stuff I can buy unless ive already got some even cheaper fmj reloads ready to go for it.
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u/skahunter831 7h ago
Whatever one in the middle stack your gun shoots best. Do NOT use FMJ, OTM, or any Match ammo for hunting.
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u/lobby073 6h ago
The worst part of buying a new rifle, is all the boxes of ammo (@ $30 - $40 each) that you have to buy to figure out which brand your rifle likes.
It's so blasted expensive to do this.
Shooting ranges should sell partial boxes to minimize our cost.
Good luck. Every rifle is different and likes different ammo.
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u/quickscopemcjerkoff 6h ago
All of those hunting ammo varieties will work just fine for deer. Go shoot a 5 shot group at 100 yards with all 4 types and then use whatever is most accurate. Also adjust your scope to your winning ammo.
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u/HamburglarAccomplice 6h ago
You have several different bullet weights. This would be a good time to experiment and figure out what your rifle really likes. FMJ ammunition is not suitable for deer hunting.
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u/holokai808 3h ago
Shoot the left and right columns to get used to the gun. Shoot groups of 3 shots of the middle column to see what groups the best. Don’t worry about them hitting the bullseye/target just yet. Worry about how well the individual types of ammo group. Buy more of that ammo and that groups the best and then zero your scope.
Since it’s your first time probably best to zero for Max Point Blank Range. Google the ammo your rifle shoots best with + MPBR zero. Ex. “308 Deer Season XP 150gr MPBR zero” Google will give you a nice answer that includes the impact elevation at 100 yards, in this case +2.7”. Sight the rifle in at that elevation and you can hold center of mass/vitals out to the MPBR range, in this example 285-290 yards.
Hard truths I wish I knew when I started hunting:
Most rifles are more accurate than their owners.
Most people don’t shoot enough.
Most people shoot way too far at game for their skill level.
Dry fire helps a lot if you’re intentional about how you practice.
The shot should be the easiest part of the hunt as it’s the easiest variable to control (your skill with the rifle).
Best of luck in this fun journey!
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u/Landstander2600 UP 11h ago edited 11h ago
Ammo manufacturers are pretty smart. If the box has a picture of a deer on it, it'll be fine for deer.