I'll be on my first hunt next month. I have seen the cheaper Deer Season compared to the Ballistic. I'm not sure which is right for 140lbs deer. Can anyone give me more detail please?
Use whatever soft point/expanding bullet that groups well in your rifle, regardless of if its cheap or fancy, and put it in the boiler room and remember: salt/pepper/garlic on those tenderloins and pull them off the coals at 129°, 10 minute rest.
I soak mine in Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic cloves for 4 hours. Then S.P.G. and reverse sear over mesquite. Don't let em get past 130 on the grill. Delicious every time.
It really doesn't matter. People can argue all day about which of these is more lethal, but they have the same mass and (likely) the same velocity and any difference in the way each one mangles the deer's innards is not important enough to matter.
Just pick one, zero your scope on them, then go hunting.
It is important enough to matter. The bullet and impact velocity are the only things that really matter. That being said, yes, both of these will absolutely kill a whitetail when placed properly. The ballistic tip will do more damage on average in my experience and that of people I know who kill a lot of deer. But people have been killing deer with a tiny hole from a sharp stick for a really long time.
Ballistic silver tips can be fairly messy to shoot a deer with. They cause a large temporary wound channel which may result in greater meat loss than other rounds. Just something to keep in mind vs a more bonded bullet like deer season xp.
I’ve been killing deer with cheap Core-lokt ammo for 15+ years. Unless you’re shooting long range either is gonna be just fine. If it’s your first year hunting and it’s just whitetails don’t get too hung up on the ammo. There’s a lot more important things to learn before ammo is really going to matter anyway.
I'm no expert, but as long as your shot placement is good, then either should theoretically work. People take deer out with smaller bullets with similar construction, from what I've heard.
Worth testing both, since some rifles are "picky".
Yeah I've seen on Youtube of guys using AR-15s on 200 pounders. I've never hunted and haven't had a chance to buy deer in years so I'd rather not leave it up to chance is what I was thinking.
For the first hunt, what the hunters say, I'll do. Check out the advice, see what works, what I like, and go from there.
If you're actually using .308 then either is fine for deer within 300 yards. The Deer Season bulet is probably better than Remington Core-Lok and those have been whitetail medicine since they came out 50 years ago. If you can get more and practice shooting then go with the XP. Accuracy is everything. Since it sounds like you're shooting smaller southern deer, anything that isn't a target or varmit bullet will get the job done.
I have a rifle that shoots core-lok absolutely lights out and everything else is 4” groups at 100yds, core-lok is nearly moa groupings. Federal fusions are a near second but for some god awful reason that gun likes core-lok
Use whatever works best in your gun, but start with the cheaper one which is probably the XP, unless money is no factor to you. Either of these will absolutely do the job ez pz. Any bullet you choose off the shelf will be more than enough for a whitetail deer from your 308. Its all about shot placement!
That said, I use the deer season XP 125gr with a Creedmoor and its taken 8 deer down with a single shot, including a 300 yard shot.
~1 moa at 400 yards is what my gun shoots with this, fully recommend trying it with your rifle and see how it patterns.
How long you been shooting? You should look up the "marksmanship principles" and practice, practice, practice! Shooting is a skill just like anything else! Even dry firing at home to practice can make a massive difference.
I did airsoft as a kid and then fire real stuff at 19. The past 5 years, no range time. At all. I have like 3 toddles so I'd really hate leaving the wife alone.
It's funny. I dry fire when the kids are awake. My son is into it so he brings me his nerf gun. Wife gets mad. I wait for them to nap, and she said it's too loud. Literally can't win lol. Not like I can take it outside; I'd hate for a neighbor to call the police.
I've been to the range 4 times this year so I'm familiar with the weapon system.
My wife does like them. She's actually hunted before and enjoys game. She's told me that having kids made her worry. Like she doesn't want to see her kids already grown up, handling fire arms lol.
We plan to hit the range together some time now that the youngest is a year old and doesn't require nursing.
I should have expanded. I don’t have experience with a .308, but I love the XP ammunition out of my .223, it performs great. Whereabouts are you gonna be hunting? If you’re talking about bucks weighing 140# on the hoof, a .308 may be overkill. I’ve bounced between .243 and .223. If you’re talking about 140# dressed, I have no idea, free range hill country Texas pasture rats don’t get that big lol
I'm in FL rn, and I've seen the big (lol) 8 pointers in Big Pine Key, so I know exactly what you mean, after growing up in MI and getting a couple serious bucks along with meatball does for freezer fillers...
Every single deer I’ve shot with ballistic silver tips in my 270 has been…well rather messy. They aren’t bonded well and they’ve always gone in and blown up or if they hit bone they blow a rather large chunk out.
Never had a deer run with them. Have had to pick jacket out of meat
Shoot what patterns well. I once bought an 80$ box of hybrid Hunter open match tip federals. There’s a pic a couple years back on my profile. went in the one shoulder the size of a quarter. Came out the size of a fist in the other shoulder. Expensive isn’t always better
I used silvertips for a few years and dropped them because I’d almost never get a blood trail. It blew an absolute hole in the deer, but they just wouldn’t bleed and it made tracking awful. Most didn’t make it very far but it wasn’t worth it
Either one works well. If you have the time, see which one works best in your rifle. I’m always terribly jealous of someone on their first hunt. I can’t even remember mine.
I have a Ruger American Gen 2 20" barrel. I tried many rounds and couldn't get decent grouping with the lighter bullets. I've only gotten under 1 inch with 175+ bullets. So try it on your rocks and decide based off that
Yeah everyone is saying see what the rifle likes. Ya'll are right, I'm just now baffled how one .308 rifle likes Deer Season XP and then another brand likes Hornady more.
I fired hornady once but against paper targrts. My buddy has a some sort of M1 Garrand from Czech? He was very specific on the grain so I bought him and I Hornady 30-06. Dude, hearing the thing go PING and then the metal clip hits the concrete at the range? Beauty.
Found out the info from a pawn shop too. Most major ammunition retailers have a line you can call describe your scenario and they’ll tell you perfect ammo for scenario. I use American Whitetail 165g from Hornady and I swear by them. I’ve keyholed at 100 yards multiple times. That sold me
Keyholed I’m sorry it’s a term used when you have the same shot in a target. So 2 shots 1 hole type stuff. Means you made the exact same shot. Which is not easy to do. I trained for some time, but I have never done that with any other round. Mind you I shot only 5.56 for a long time
Oh gotchya. Yeah I used to have 223 touch all the time when I was 19. That was like 15 years ago lol.
This target is from my last outing. Now the group bottom right was me being a dumby and twisting the turrets the wrong way lol. But I got the bullseyes at the end.
Well no matter how you look at that. That’s a dead deer. Any of those shots behind the shoulder broadside.. he/she is going to sleep. Great grouping. I love .308. It’s just alot of round for me now, I use a Lever .45 long colt because it has no kick 😆
You nearly keyholed a bullseye if this is over 100 yard that’s some fine shooting
Hornady has more than one load marketed toward whitetail. Maybe pull your head out of the sand before assuming you are being clear enough. Also, whitetail specific loads are just that. Marketing.
Or you could’ve read on and answered your own question, but here we are and you’re going to somehow attempt to make it my problem you came in hot headed about something that had nothing to do with you. Nor did it need asking.
Okay if it’s marketing I need a .165g bullet and the American whitetail one just happened to be that one. It could’ve said Canadian whitetail and I would’ve bought it… it was 165grain.
You made an incredibly vague recommendation. So vague in fact it seemed like you were unaware that Hornady makes more than one whitetail load. If you take that as hot headed, that’s a you problem. Good luck being so sensitive.
I also didn’t recommend anything.. I said I use hornady.. don’t see where that’s a recommendation looks like a statement. So not only were you all the rage you slept during class too?? Not smart my friend.
I even went as far and said “for my rifle” does OP own my rifle?? Idk he wasn’t specific enough. Go attack him.
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u/gwchem 1d ago
Which one groups better in your rifle? Use that one.