Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter – Superb 20 Round Box

Description

A 308 shooting a 185 grain bullet is trading muzzle velocity for downrange composure, and it is usually the right trade past 300 yards. The Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter does that while still fitting a factory magazine.

• When the Heavy 308 Bullet Wins
• Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter Specifications
• Honest Notes on This Load

When the Heavy 308 Bullet Wins

Compare this against the 168 grain Classic Hunter in the same box design and the trade is clear. The lighter bullet leaves 143 feet per second faster, but the 185 grain carries a G7 ballistic coefficient of 0.273 against 0.251 and arrives at 300 yards with more energy: 1758 foot-pounds against 1735. By 400 yards the gap has widened further.

That crossover is the reason to buy the Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter. If your shots are typically inside 200 yards, the lighter bullet is flatter and marginally easier to hit with. Past 250 the heavier bullet is doing more work, and past 350 it is not close.

The Classic Hunter design applies here as it does across the line: the nose is shortened and the bearing surface repositioned so the loaded round comes in at a maximum overall length of 2.810 inches. It feeds from any factory 308 magazine without modification, which is the entire reason this line exists.

Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter Specifications

Velocity is 2532 feet per second from a 26 inch test barrel for 2634 foot-pounds. From a 22 inch hunting barrel expect somewhere in the 2430 to 2480 range, and build your drop chart from a chronograph rather than from the box.

Minimum twist is 1:12 or faster for the 185 grain, tighter than the 1:13 the 168 grain needs. Nearly all factory 308 barrels are 1:12 or 1:10, so this is rarely an issue, but it is worth confirming on an older rifle or a barrel of unknown provenance before you commit to a case of the Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter.

Terminal behaviour is the usual Berger hunting pattern: two to three inches of penetration before the jacket opens, then rapid expansion and fragmentation through the vitals. On deer that produces very fast kills. On elk it is a behind-the-shoulder-only proposition, and a Partition or a bonded bullet is the better tool if a shoulder shot is likely.

• Cartridge: 308 Winchester
• Bullet weight: 185 grain
• Bullet type: Berger Classic Hunter hybrid
• Muzzle velocity: 2532 feet per second from a 26 inch barrel
• Muzzle energy: 2634 foot-pounds
• G7 ballistic coefficient: 0.273
• G7 form factor: 1.02
• Minimum barrel twist: 1:12 or faster
• Maximum cartridge overall length: 2.810 inches
• Rounds per box: 20
• Manufacturer part number: 60070
• UPC: 679459600705

Honest Notes on This Load

Buy the Berger 308 Win 185gr Classic Hunter if you hunt open country with a 308 and your shots regularly run past 250 yards. The heavier bullet holds up better in wind and carries more energy where it counts.

Step down to the 168 grain if your hunting is timber and thick cover inside 200 yards, where the flatter, faster bullet is marginally easier to shoot well and the extra ballistic coefficient earns nothing.

Skip it for elk unless you are disciplined about shot placement. A 308 with a fragmenting bullet is a marginal elk combination and there is no reason to pretend otherwise.

Lighter option in the same design: the Berger 308 Win 168gr Classic Hunter. For match work rather than hunting, the Berger 308 Win 175gr OTM Tactical is the precision load. Berger publishes complete 185gr Classic Hunter ballistic data on its own site.

MAG5 Firearms stocks Berger hunting and match ammunition across the 308 range. Tell us your barrel twist and typical shot distance and we can point you at the right bullet weight.