Hello,

I will be getting the https://www.savagearms.com/firearms/centerfire/trophy/11-trophy-hunter-xp Creedmore 6.5 (1:8 twist rate) or the .308 (1:10 twist rate) in about 2 weeks from now.

I am a beginner at shooting bolt action rifles and hunting, so I am learning as I go. My goal is to hunt hogs this year at some paid hunting ranches for a few days. Location is Texas near Houston where I live.

The ranches I called said max range of shooting is 50 to 200 yards.

Questions:

1. What name brand(s) of ammo and grain(s) do you recommend for my rifle for hunting hogs?

2. Should I pick a brand of ammos and grain and shoot through the rifle to see which one my rifle likes (shoot accurately and consistently)?

3. Can I use the same ammo for deer hunting?

Thank you kindly

I load my own ammo... So I cannot comment on what brand to buy, but I've been very impressed with the 127 Barnes LRX in 6.5mm. It won't be the most accurate, but I'm getting 2 inch groups at 200 (which is more than good enough).

They'll work great for deer also.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/675204...-free-box-of-20

Most of your major companies produce Ammo that will do well inside 200 yards...

Figure out what your local store stocks and give it a try. Once you find a load you like, buy a number of boxes from that lot to last you for a while.

You will find some factory ammo will shoot better than others.

I've seen good results in Hornady's Precision Hunter line-- they offer a 6.5CM in 143gr ELDX which is a solid choice for deer and hogs.

Keep in mind that as a new hunter and marksman you will want to practice, practice, practice which will help remove variables and identify points of improvement between you and your weapon/scope/ammo combo.

Buy a couple boxes of Nosler's and save the brass, find someone to hand load.

Thank you spg,

What is the difference between hand load and just buying ammo from the store or online? I read so much about loading on ammo.

Thank you

Thank you duckhunter175. I agree with you. Once I get rifle and ammo together, I plan to practice atelast 3 times a month.

https://dallasreloads.com/

This guy can hook you up. AKA, ChadTRG42 on this forum.

An experienced hand loader will produce more consistent loads than factory produced ammo. Also, a good hand loader will test different charges to determine which charge produces the most consistent velocity. I could go on for days but that's pretty much it, it a nutshell. Chad has a good reputation for producing precision hand loads, if your goal is to shoot at the best of your ability then you will have to use hand loads and practice regularly. The accuracy of your rifle will depend on how straight the chamber was cut and how concentric the action, chamber, and bore are to each other and how much play is in action and stock, you may want to bed from the recoil lug to the tang of the action or buy a quality stock (or chassis) and bed it to make the action rigid to the stock. A quality trigger will also help.

Thank you so much 68A,

I will look into https://dallasreloads.com/ soon.

Why do hunters perform reload (making their own ammo) vs buying from the factory (like Federal, Hornady, etc.)?

Carefully assembled handloads will be much more consistent than mass assembled factory loads. The handloads can also be customized to get the best results possible from your gun and ammo.
I can also load ammo with bullet combinations that are not available in any factory loads.

Chad can provide all those things to those that do not reload or do not have the time to reload.

Thanks kmon1,

So hunters reload their own hunting ammo to make sure the ammo for hunting is the right grain for consistency and reliability? Just in case the the one from the factory that use for that nice buck is not fully loaded or have some issue, right?

I guess that makes sense, after we spend hours and hours to find the deer or hog we want only to find out the load we use was a bad bullet from the factory line.

Generally speaking factory ammo being mass produced factory ammo has more variations mostly in powder charge than carefully constructed handloads. for instance it is not uncommon for thre to be +/- .5 grain or more difference in powder charge in ammo from the same box where as the careful handloader can reduce that to +/- .1 grain. o with the right equipment +/- .02 or one granule of powder.

Another thing is the hunter might like specific style and weight bullet that is not available in a factory load where the reloader can easily assemble the ammo to fit their wants.

By the way a grain is a unit of measure equal to 1/7000 pound so it is a tiny amount of weight that we use for powder charges and bullet weight.

For most hunters needs used inside 200 yards it really does not make that much difference on deer sized game in say your 270, there is plenty of power there and even if powder charges are off some like they can be in factory ammo you still will hit and kill your deer or hog withing 200 yards with it. For many years the only factory ammo for the 270 were in 130gr and 150gr weight. Deer sized game you used 130s elk and moose use the 150gr bullets. but that is a topic for a different discussion.

Look at this LINK and you will see many opinions on what the various posters want a bullet to do when hopefully cleanly taking game.

If your range is inside 200 yards, there is nothing wrong with factory ammo. If you plan to hunt day leases they will most likely put you in a stand no more than 100 yards from your target. Get some good hunting rounds and go kill some hogs.

Thanks all.

Where can I find what size grain bullet will stablize for .308 rifle? Should I just call the Savage and ask tech support.

I can figure out what factory name brand to get but what is confusing me is grain to test using for hogs and deer. How do you know this information please?

GTB,
308 is my primary hunting round.
150’s are a nice and effective weight, while pleasant to shoot. For pigs, penetration is important, especially on the larger hogs. The Barnes TTSX 150 is very effective. It is available in a couple of factory loads and typically accurate in most rifles. Barnes brand ammo typically shoots well in most rifles. The 150 gr Nosler Partition is another effective choice
and readily available in factory ammo.

Or have ChadTRG42 load some ammo tuned for your rifle for you.

Bullet stability relates to length more than weight. You should be fine with almost all commercially available factory ammo.

You're waaaay overthinking it. If you buy an off-the-shelf bolt-action in .308 Winchester, you'd be hard pressed to find any factory .308 Winchester that would give you bullet stability problems.

For educational purposes.

http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html



http://riflebarrels.com/calibers-and-twist-rates/

Thank you kmon1,



Thank you, now it make sense to me. So if a factory bullet is off by +/- .5 grain, then they can mess up the hunt. I see now.




Here is the part that puzzle and confuses me. How does a hunter know what he/she likes or that fits their wants?

For example, lets say I go to Academy right now, I tell the sales person, I have a 308 rifle and I want to shoot hogs or deer.

He/She points me to here http://prntscr.com/k405qx. Which one do I select? Do I buy them all, take them to range and shoot at 100 yards and see which ammo is more accurate? Even if I buy them all, how would I know if I or the rifle like them? Please walk me through the process of how everyone finds the ammo they or the rifle likes.

Like if I had choice right now, I would just do this: pick this right now https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/remingt...hildCatid=28593 and https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/hornady-interlock%C2%AE-sp-american-whitetail%E2%84%A2-308-win-150-grain-centerfire-rifle-ammunition#repChildCatid=748710 because this ammo have good reviews online. And use it for deer and hog shooting.

Then go to shooting range right now, setup for 100yards and shoot them both




I notice for the 308 rifle, there is not alot of factory 130gr ammo online but alot of 150gr. Is this because 150gr is more popular?

Thanks for help

Thank you FiremanJG,

Just to make sure I understand correctly. http://prntscr.com/k40lgr

If i have a .308 rifle with 1:10 twist, then the highest grade according to that chart I can stabilize is 220gr?

If I have a 6.5 creedmor rifle with 1:8 twist, then the highest grade according to that chart I can stabilize is higher then 130gr?

Thanks jeffbird very much for stating what you use to hunt with.

Do you think the 150gr will be useful for deer and hogs?

Once I see what grain of bullet my I am accurate and comfortable with, I can go to ChadTRG42 to make sure i am getting reliable ammo.

Thanks Cleric,

What do you mean by "from that lot"? How do you determine the lot?

Just a change in terms here.

.308" 1:10 twist, up to 220 grain

6.5mm (.264") 1:8" twist, 130 grain or heavier(longer)

Thank you FiremanJG for correcting me.

Now I understand, the 6.5mm and 308 can stabilize a 130gr, 150gr, and 165gr.

So is it true that my rifle may shoot better with a 165gr vs 150gr? I read this online somewhere.

The stabilization is a function of twist and length of the bullet. Given that most bullets have similar density weight is used as common reference point

The twist is stylized either 1:10 or 1 in 10. That means that for every 10inch the rifling will go rotate the bullet. A 10in 30cal can do anything up to 180ish. Maybe more or less, but should be no functional difference between 165 and 150.

Any ammo you buy over the shelf should have a lot stamped on the box. That means all ammo was made at the same time with same component lot. Therefor their is less of a chance lot to lot variation