Ammo

[shaman]

http://forum.deeranddeerhunting.com/tm.aspx?m=66603

I was making a case for cheap bullets a while back in the reloading forum. It pretty well agrees with Chuck Hawks.

My new "student"  SuperCore figured this out last Fall.  He had an M1 Garand out for his first deer hunt.  He was trying to get his group to settle in and he'd brought a bunch of ammo.  Some was high-end Hornady. Some was high-end Remington.  Some was cheap green-box Remington.    They all shot pretty well out of the Garand.  After about 40 shots, SuperCore asked me what the difference was between the cheap stuff and the premium.

"About $20/box." I replied.

"What about the ones with the little plastic thingies?"

"Oh, those." I replied.  "When they first started marketing those inserts, hunters were told they kept the tips from getting mashed up in the magazine and that made the bullets fly straighter.  When that didn't sell, they then started saying they were for controlling the expansion of the bullet."

"How well does that work?"

"About $20 a box."



If you're using a .308 WIN,  start with the cheapest stuff you can find at Walmart and work up from there. At reasonable distances and reasonable conditions, you should do just fine.  If the cheap Remingtons don't group well, try the cheap Winchesters or the cheap Federals before you try premium stuff.  Deer are not that hard to kill.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that one shot/ one kill  is going to always happen.  Also don't make the mistake of assuming that it is related to the ammo.  Ammo failure is the least of your worries.  Shot placement is your biggest concern. If you put the bullet where it needs to be, the deer is going to go down. . .

. . . well, most of the time.  See, one thing that hunters don't like to talk about is all of the goofy stuff that happens to them.  They think it reflects on their manhood or something.  To be honest with you, I've drilled deer and had them stand there and look at me. I've also had them go back to feeding.  One big buck took 3 rounds of 35 Whelen through the chest at 80 yards and stood there defiantly waiting for the 4th.  Sometimes there may be nothing recognizable left in the chest cavity, but the deer goes back to feeding.  It isn't you, it isn't your rifle, and it certainly is not your ammunition.  This is not something a plastic dingus on the end of the bullet is going to fix.

Do yourself a favor, be ready for follow-on shots.  Work on what it takes to shoot once with discipline and then take that same discipline and put another well-regulated shot into the beast if the opportunity presents itself.  +90% of the time, your crosshairs will come back to rest on 4 hooves in the air, but you need to be ready for the times they don't.

[metrx]

Like others said, if you can afford to, shoot a few different boxes of different ammo and see what performs best.  Any "standard" ammo that has a lead core and expands well will work well on any deer sized animal.  It also depends on the distances you regularly take game.  My main hunting rifle is a Remington 700 30-06.  I shoot 150 gr. Remington Core Lokt bullets and have been for years.  I get 1-2" groups at 100 yards consistently. 
I've only taken one deer at over 100 yards, all others have been taken at less than 50.  It's the norm in the areas I happen to hunt.
Do yourself a favor, dont get too caught up in the "one shot one kill".  All circumstances from the animal, to shot placement, terrain, etc can cause that not to happen.  Even a well placed bullet, at any range may result in a lengthy blood trail.  I shot a forkhorn that was feeding some years ago with the equipment I mentioned above.  He was only 20 yards.  After the first shot, he stood there, looked around and continued feeding.  I literally looked at my rifle in disbelief before I chambered another round and fired.  The buck took two leaps and went down.  I was still in disbelief that I had miised the deer completely at 20 yards.  After inspecting the deer, I found two holes about an inch apart, right behind the shoulder.  I didnt miss.  My only guess is that it went in and out between the ribs causing little shock the animal...still not sure.
Just practice and become as familiar as you can with your equipment.
 
Good hunting.

[jtowery]

For the 2010 Deer season, I've chosen to use Remington Express Core-Lokt .308 Win 180 Gr. PSP. I've been paying attention to the thread and found this for $20.19 per box at Bass Pro Shop. I think that 2 boxes will get me started this year. Thanks to all for your help and information. I haven't had this much fun since I saw my first deer that I wasn't allowed to shoot. A beautiful 4 point. I should have taken a camera.

[berudd]

I am sure that will work just fine.  FWIW the 150 gr loads will kick a little less if that matters to you.

[GTOHunter]

jtowery.....if your Rifle is a bolt-action and You have any issues with too much recoil later on,You can buy the "Managed Recoil" shells from Remington and it will help with any recoil issues.Good Luck in the up-coming Deer Seasons and have fun getting that Rifle sighted in! [;)]