Best ammo for a Springbok hunt for .308 rifle?

[Pirate]

On the ammo type topic, on the plains the cheap ammo loses speed like a brick due to extremely poor BC.
Go do a ballistic calculation and you will see impact velocity are usually pedestrian.

Meaning, with cheap cup and core you usually lose a lot less meat than with expensive cup and core.

Hhmmmm.....

Out to 300m not really that much :-/

150gr Flatbase PMP at 2800fps MV is 2028fps at 300m
150gr Interbond/SST at 2800fps MV is 2139fps at 300m

Yeah OK that SPCE at 2800fps MV is 1868fps at 300m.

Still only 13% difference to the Interbond.

Differences obviously less at shorter distances.

[SoldierMan]

I sure as hell won’t go on a trip with 20 rounds.

You get there and start checking the rifle on the range, it’s not zeroed, you dial, shooting again, still not zeroed.
On and on you go until you figure out something is wrong with the rifle.
Now you fix whatever the problem is, now you don’t want to shoot more rounds on the range because….
Now you miss the first animal, now you wonder if the rifle is really sighted in.
Let’s say you shoot the front leg off a springbok, seen it a thousand times, now you need to shoot it down but it’s not standing still.
I have literally seen people let a wounded springbok go because they ran out of bullets.

I am talking from experience here, take enough ammo, 20 rounds is not enough, 20 rounds is enough in a perfect world, the one we don’t live in.

Absolutely, I plan on taking at least 60 rounds. That's why I asked if there was any other ammo that folks could recommend so that instead of buying two extra packs of S&B 150gr I could buy 60 of something else.

[Pirate]

Buy 150gr PMP ProAmms
Shoot jumping bucks
Make biltong

[pre 64]

I would use em. See if you can get another box.

[Messor]

Hhmmmm.....

Out to 300m not really that much :-/

150gr Flatbase PMP at 2800fps MV is 2028fps at 300m
150gr Interbond/SST at 2800fps MV is 2139fps at 300m

Yeah OK that SPCE at 2800fps MV is 1868fps at 300m.

Still only 13% difference to the Interbond.

Differences obviously less at shorter distances.

Yeah but you get my point, people greatly overestimate impact velocity on the plains.
The same folk shooting impala in the bush with 150gr brown box out of a 308 will tell you how much more meat a 270 with brown box ammo will destroy on the plains, without knowing it's the exact same muzzle velocity just a lot less impact velocity.

The biggest problem by a country mile for the average person shooting springbok on the plains is firstly judging the distance correctly, and then trying to hold them crosshair steady on that small animal.

On springbok people should focus on putting the bullet where it should be first and foremost, they carry so little meat on the front legs bullet choice really don't matter.

[Pirate]

Yeah but you get my point, people greatly overestimate impact velocity on the plains.
The same folk shooting impala in the bush with 150gr brown box out of a 308 will tell you how much more meat a 270 with brown box ammo will destroy on the plains, without knowing it's the exact same muzzle velocity just a lot less impact velocity.

The biggest problem by a country mile for the average person shooting springbok on the plains is firstly judging the distance correctly, and then trying to hold them crosshair steady on that small animal.

On springbok people should focus on putting the bullet where it should be first and foremost, they carry so little meat on the front legs bullet choice really don't matter.

Completely agree. Springbok get small past 200m... that's why I limit myself to point-blank range that gives ~2" above and below point of aim, with 150gr at the speeds I quoted that's near as dammit to 230m for most bullets, impact speed then is ~2300fps.

Because I'm perhaps overly conservative I've shot many springbokke reg op die knoppe at that distance, they don't go anywhere afterwards but even with the Interbonds you damage the meat on the shoulders quite badly. Intellectually I know they are really soft and a net-agter-die-blad shot will kill them easily... just gotta get myself so far to do it.

[Adoons]

If they are accurate enough from your rifle to constantly hit a 6 inch target at 200 meters I would say you are good to go.

Just be sure to Zero at an appropriate distance. I don't have a .308, but would think zero at 200 m and then checking POI at 100 and 300 m and then limiting yourself at 300 m should do.

I remember the first time I went Springbuck hunting. All I had was a 30-06 and 180 gr bullets. The first day I missed a few shots as I underestimated the distance seriously. Our Bushveld eyes struggle with the open plains. That afternoon I zeroed at 300 meters and all went well from there on forward.

[Messor]

I remember the first time I went Springbuck hunting. All I had was a 30-06 and 180 gr bullets. The first day I missed a few shots as I underestimated the distance seriously. Our Bushveld eyes struggle with the open plains. That afternoon I zeroed at 300 meters and all went well from there on forward.

Man, to hear this, where have I seen this before, must......resist.... making.....further.....comment

[pblaauw]

Springbok are not exactly the toughest animals though...shot this one with a 130gn VLD target round from a 6.5CM...didn't even mess up the shoulder meat.



Be sure of your zero and be sure of the distance and you'll be fine.

[treeman]

If they are accurate enough from your rifle to constantly hit a 6 inch target at 200 meters I would say you are good to go.

Just be sure to Zero at an appropriate distance. I don't have a .308, but would think zero at 200 m and then checking POI at 100 and 300 m and then limiting yourself at 300 m should do.

I remember the first time I went Springbuck hunting. All I had was a 30-06 and 180 gr bullets. The first day I missed a few shots as I underestimated the distance seriously. Our Bushveld eyes struggle with the open plains. That afternoon I zeroed at 300 meters and all went well from there on forward.

*****************************
When you zero at 300 m, do you do the lets say 4 inch high at 100 m should be spot on ?, or do actually shoot a group at 300 m for the zero?
I was with some guys out Jansonville se area who were supposedly 400 m Kudu shooters, I tagged along to see this lot go down, they were trying to set rifles at 300 m zero, but it was obvious from the groups at 300 m that you would have to pick a hole to believe in. The holes ranged from a few inch left or right to a few inch high or low, dunno how anybody could read that mess, they seemed to know what they were doing.