Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST – Great Deer Load

Description

If you own one centerfire rifle in this country it is probably a 308, and the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST is the ammunition most of those rifles should be eating. A polymer tipped SST at 2810 feet per second, priced so that sighting in properly does not feel like an expense.

• The 150 grain default
• Full specifications
• Why the 308 refuses to go away
• Honest notes before you buy
• Practice is the point of value ammunition
• The bottom line

The 150 grain default

The 308 Winchester runs 150, 165 and 180 grain bullets well and hunters have argued about it for seventy years. The honest answer is that 150 grains gives the flattest trajectory and the least recoil, which for deer sized game is usually the right trade. The Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST sits right on that default.

At 2629 foot pounds the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST has plenty of authority for whitetails, mule deer, black bear and hogs, and the SST bullet expands fast enough to put them down decisively. For the animals most people actually hunt, this is more than adequate.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 308 Winchester
• Bullet weight: 150 grain
• Bullet: SST polymer tipped with InterLock ring
• Muzzle velocity: 2810 fps
• Muzzle energy: 2629 ft-lbs
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Line: Hornady American Whitetail Tipped
• Hornady item 80934

The InterLock ring is the detail that separates the SST from an ordinary polymer tipped bullet. It is a raised ring machined inside the jacket that bites into the core, so as the tip drives expansion open the jacket and core stay married rather than separating. That is what keeps the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST penetrating after it opens.

Why the 308 refuses to go away

Short action, mild recoil, excellent barrel life, and ammunition available in every store in America. None of those are exciting and all of them matter. A rifle fed the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST will stay accurate for thousands of rounds and you will never be stuck somewhere unable to find a box.

Zero two inches high at 100 yards and the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST is close to point of aim out past 250. That is a simple, forgiving setup for a woods or field rifle that needs no chart and no arithmetic, and it covers nearly every shot a 308 hunter actually gets.

Honest notes before you buy

It also fires safely in a 7.62 NATO chamber, since 308 Winchester in a NATO chamber is the safe direction. A generous military chamber may open groups slightly, but there is no pressure concern with the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST in either.

Two honest limits. The SST is a fast expanding bullet, so for elk at close range through a shoulder a heavier bonded load penetrates more reliably than the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST. And American Whitetail is Hornady’s value line, not their match line, so a very particular rifle may group something else tighter. Neither matters much for deer.

Practice is the point of value ammunition

Premium hunting ammunition costs three times what this does, and the predictable result is that people buy one box, fire three rounds to confirm zero and hunt with the rest for years. That is backwards. Buying the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST means you can shoot a hundred rounds from field positions and actually get good.

Shooting well from a sitting position at 180 yards with a shaky rest is a skill, and it is worth more than any bullet upgrade. The Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST is accurate enough for any hunting shot and cheap enough that you can build that skill rather than reading about it.

The bottom line

For the 308 that lives in most gun safes in America, the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST is the box that makes the most sense to buy several of. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150gr SST is a sensible place to start.