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Post by drfleck on Nov 4, 2019 18:40:51 GMT -5
Ive never been much of a gun hunter outside of 12 gauge slugs and relatively close range. Recently, I have acquired a .308 and have it scoped and zeroed. I am wondering how much brush or twigs can affect the bullet. Obviously I would avoid this as much as possible but it would be hard to shoot lets say 100 yards in the woods without encountering some type of debris. This is from a stand not ground. I know from experiance that even a small twig will send an arrow sideways. What can or cant I shoot through with this gun? Thanks for the time.
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Post by kicker on Nov 4, 2019 19:19:03 GMT -5
.308 is not by any means a good caliber for dense brush. It will deflect. Now if you have a somewhat low power scope, and have whats considered a clean shot, no obstructions, no limbs, no trees than by all means take the shot. When I am hunting in the middle of my woods, I use a 30/30. If I am hunting on my field edge, or in a more open area, then I use a .270. If I am hunting really open area, then I use my 7 mm Remington Mag. I would suggest, if you have a place to shoot, practice hitting a steel gong, at 50 yds,100, yds, 150 yds, 200 yds, and so on. also, learn the ballistics of what ever manufacturer ammunition you are using. By this I mean, how much will the bullet drop at the above distances. How much would a 10mph wind and maybe 20 mph wind effect your bullet drift. I have said, shoot, shoot shoot and shoot some more. I ring steel all summer long at varing distances and during varing wind conditions. The best way to learn how to hit a deer or other critter past 100 yds is shoot something at 200 yds, 250 yds, 300, yds etc. If you really want to challenge yourself, learn to shoot 45/70 black powder cartridge at silhouettes out at Friendship Rifle Range. Now that a blast.
kicker
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Post by parson on Nov 5, 2019 5:20:53 GMT -5
I was hunting in Clark Co. a few years back, sitting at the the edge of a field, when a nice one walked out. It was one of those "sure thing" shots- I thought. I aimed, shot- and the deer just trotted away!
I checked thoroughly, no blood, no hair; followed tracks and found nothing!
Investigating, I found a small branch, no more than 1/8 or 3/16", that had deflected a 12 ga. slug enough to cause a miss at no more than 25 yards.
This may have been a fluke, but, in my opinion, there are no real brush-busting calibers.
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Post by dbd870 on Nov 5, 2019 13:14:38 GMT -5
I agree-no such thing
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Post by drfleck on Nov 5, 2019 16:31:22 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies. If I do take the rifle in the woods i guess ill stick to more open hardwoods. Pretty much what i was thinking...that it would be a better option for field edge.
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Post by stevein on Nov 5, 2019 19:34:23 GMT -5
The further the brush is from your target the harder it will be to score a hit.
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Post by esshup on Nov 5, 2019 20:20:27 GMT -5
What stevein said. If the brush is 5 feet or so in front of a deer, shoot away. The bullet should go thru it. It also depends on the bullet construction, centerfire bullets all have a max/min expansion range (FPS). I use multiple calibers for hunting, and I tailor the bullet that I'm using for the impact distance/impact fps that I am expecting. For instance, I use a Berger VLD bullet in my 7mm Allen Magnum rifle and I don't plan on shooting anything closer than 300 yds with it unless it's something that I can't pass up, and with that rifle, a head/neck shot is doable if the animal is calm and not moving around much. It will group between 3/4"-1" at 300 yds if I do my job. BUT, I don't see using it in Indiana for deer unless it's over a wide open LARGE field.
For instance, I've used a .257 Weatherby Magnum for deer, and shot one with a 115 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet at 80 yds. The bullet DID kill the deer, but it only penetrated to the lungs and came apart. The deer ran about 100 yds with no blood trail except for the last 20 feet or so. Impact velocity was faster than the recommended impact velocity for the bullet. I have since switched to using Barnes TSX or TTSX in that gun for close(r) shots and also in my .243 Winchester that I use for deer hunting. The .243 is my preferred gun, I know the trajectory from muzzle to 300 yds. I shot a buck that had it's head down and was facing me. (I was 15' off the ground). The bullet entered at the base of it's neck at the top of it's back, and to my surprise, it exited the deer's scrotum. That bullet impacted the deer at close to 3300 fps.
If I was hunting in the woods with the .308, I'd use the Barnes VOR-TX 168 grain bullet and see how the rifle likes them. Even if the petals shear off the base will keep on going, and they will have enough velocity to completely expand at over 500 yds. Or look at loaded ammo that has the Nosler Partition bullet.
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