With a career history stretching from a military and law enforcement background, he’s also worked as a firearms instructor and industry-leading journalist, accrediting him as a well-respected authority for all things shooting and hunting. In this latest blog, Richard discusses his experiences field testing Hornady’s 308 Precision Hunter cartridge.
Can one factory load shoot well in every rifle?
Those who handload their own ammunition have the unique opportunity to tune those loads to pair perfectly with the rifles they shoot them in. Don’t think this an unimportant thing; by simply tweaking the seating depth, powder charge, or maybe even changing the primer, you can vastly improve a load’s precision. On the other hand, companies loading factory ammunition are tasked with creating a load that will deliver at least adequate performance for any rifle that fires it. That’s a monumental task and rarely happens.
I know this is an uncommon occurrence because I test guns for a living. Over the span of 12 months I might test a dozen or more rifles chambered for the 308 Winchester. They’ll all have a particular load they like best, what’s rare is a load they’ll all like.
Initial impression
In the spring of 2016 I hunted black bear in Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness, with my Steyr Scout rifle. I’d chosen Hornady’s Precision Hunter 178 grain ELD-X load, primarily because I knew I might have to shoot at distance in those vertical mountains. I wanted to be sure the bullet would not run out of gas and fail to expand when it got to the bear. It turned out to be a good choice; I shot my bear about 400 yards. Because of the bullet’s unique construction, combined with its high BC, it impacted the bear at about 2000 fps, well above the bullet’s expansion threshold.
A few months later I was in New Mexico with another scout rifle. Elk were grunting and sounding-off like a bunch of college boys at a toga party. We moved in as close as we could and waited. Finally a big bull and some cows leaked out of the herd, then stopped just on the other side of 300 yards, looked our way, and turned to walk off. I shot the bull on the point of the shoulder with the 178 grain ELD-X and he reared up like a bucking horse, held the pose momentarily, before falling over dead. At that moment I became an instant fan.
Little groups
Last year when I was planning the 2017 Scout Rifle Safari I asked Hornady to supply the ammo for all of the participants. Now, this was not a lot of ammo, so don’t think this article is bought and paid for. They gave each of the nine safari participants, five boxes. Admittedly, I was skeptical this would work at all; the possibility that nine different rifles would shoot the same load well enough for their hunters to trust it was, well, as optimistic as a request for a romantic rendezvous with Britney Spears.
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Of the nine rifles, four were Ruger Gunsite Scout rifles, three were custom scout rifles, and two were Steyr Scout rifles. Hornady’s Precision Hunter 178 grain ELD-X load delivered three-shot groups of less than 1.5 inches in every rifle. That’s reasonably astounding, but in a couple rifles sub-MOA groups were the norm. It was like Hornady had handloaded the ammo to jive with everyone’s rifle.
Dead stuff
When Jeff Cooper talked of the scout rifle he offered two-MOA or better precision was good enough. I tend to agree with that; a rifle that will always print three-shot clusters measuring two inches or less, will more than suffice for big game. But, when it comes to big game hunting, there’s more at play than just getting the hit. The bullet has to deliver a lethal blow. This means it must penetrate deep enough, with enough dynamic expansion to seriously damage vital organs.
Over the course of 30 days, those nine hunters took more than 50 head of big game with the 178 grain ELD-X Precision Hunter load. Some of the shots were very close, most were at a moderate distance, but some several were what I’d call, way the hell out there. When kill zone hits were made, the animals either went down or traveled a very short distance. We’re talking animals ranging in size from a 100-pound warthog, to kudu and zebra, which can weigh as much as 700 pounds.
Not just for scouts
This load is ideal for scout rifles because with their short barrels, they’re velocity challenged. But the ELD-X doesn’t need a lot of velocity to shoot flat or expand at distance. This is partly because it has a G1 ballistic coefficient of .552. That’s 30% higher than a conventional 168 grain hunting bullet. It’s also partly because its thick shank and high InterLock ring provide 50–60% weight retention and massive tissue destruction, even at impact velocities below 1800 fps. Out of a 308 Winchester with a 22-inch barrel, you can expect higher muzzle velocities extending your effective range well beyond 500 yards.
I’ve got a shelf full of this load because, as is often said, experience is the best teacher. I’ve seen this stuff work on just about everything, from Idaho to Africa. Handloading like confidence in your ammunition may not help it kill any better, but it sure is a comforting when you pull the trigger.