Best factory .308 load for Oklahoma deer

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Redmule454

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Any 150 grain soft point that shoots accurately will get the job done on Oklahoma deer. If going after the bigger northern deer you might shoot 165 gr in a premium bullet like a Nosler Partition.
And....deer rarely drop in their tracks unless hit in the spine or a frontal shot in the brisket seems to drop them quick. When shot broadside they tend to run full blast for a short distance even when a bullet punches a hole thru their heart and lungs. I butcher my own so I try to shoot them behind the shoulder thru the lungs to keep from damaging anymore meat than necessary and still put them down quick.
:twocents:
 

bigcountryok

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Wondering what your suggestions are for the "best" FACTORY load .308 round available for dropping deer in their tracks.......

There is no guranteed way to "drop deer in their tracks". Core-Loks work well but are soft and tend to seperate if they hit heavy bone. They will get the job done though.

Nosler and Barnes are both great bullets.

I would warn against Hornady SST. I have seen too many of these fail to get full penetration and fail to leave a good blood trail.

If you want to "drop deer in their tracks" your best bet is to shoot for mid to upper shoulder and hit the scapula. There's a large bundle of nerves and blood vessels there. Either way, always expect a deer to run after being shot.

Know your rifle well, make a good shot, and just about any 30cal softnose bullet will do the job.

Good luck!!
 

Ksmirk

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Any of the offerings will work on deer except the FMJ's now here's the trick, find a round you rifle shoots well and the biggest thing is can you put that bullet anywhere on the deer you want at any given time? THAT is what it takes to kill deer humanly, you have to be able to put that bullet where it needs to go and if that can't happen then it really doesn't matter. You say you would like to have bang flops? I know of two places on a deer you can hit and it's over then! a neck shot right under the head or a head shot they just go down! small target though that's why I say you must be able to put the bullet anywhere you want at anytime. Good hunting! Later,

Kirk
 

_CY_

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don't think it's possible to find a 308 round that is not capable of dropping a deer.... if you do your part

just shot a 8pt buck broadside... vaporized lungs, heart, liver, etc... guts came out intact. that buck ran a good 150 yds before dropping.

very important to wait 30 minutes or so before tracking....
 

Ksmirk

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Please don't take head shots. It is possible to make a head shot that is not instantly lethal and leaves the deer to die of dehydration and starvation.

Yes sir I have heard that happening and while I don't do that too often I am fully aware of my rifle and more importantly my abilities of what I can and can't pull off. You will see where I said in my post that one must know their rifle and be able to put bullets where they plan them to go evrytime. Head shots are not a best bet for shot placement I will admit! them suckers can move PDQ even on the neck shots your target is not all that big but he did ask what would drop them dead in thier tracks and well those are the only 2 places I have ever had that result the reason I said what I did. A very good point on your part! I was writing at break at work and didn't think.

One other shot that will drop a deer but normally not a bang flop is thru the front shoulders as stated above but I have seen them go for someway digging with thier back legs, I would say that for most the best shot would be a bullet placed right behind the front shoulder (heart lung area) and watch the direction they go, give them a good 15 30 minutes then go get the deer, that would be the safest shot placement in my mind. Later,

Kirk
 

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