[45-70 nut]

After months of saving and going back a fourth on which rifle I wanted, I have settled on a ruger international .308 and am going to order it this week. what I would like to know from you guys is when dealing with .308 carbines 18.5 in. is which bullet would suit me best for deer. light vs. heavy. also am planning on a vx1 2-7x33 Lupold. any thoughts on the scope?

 

[jmortimer]

What a nice rifle. Love the Mannlicher look.

 

[Tnhunter]

I own the same type rifle, also in .308. Mine is topped with a similar scope, a Vari-XII 1-4. After shooting some 180gr loads through it, I decided I like the 150gr Noslers in the Fed Premium line-up better. Best of luck with that nice new rifle and scope!

 

[mattsbox99]

The 165 grain Nosler Accubond is perfect for short barrelled .308s! I'm loading this bullet for a short barrelled .30-06 with impressive results.

The Ruger RSIs are gorgeous guns!

 

[Oneeye66]

Love those Mannlicher style stocks. I am looking for one in Ruger #1, but I would not pass one up in an a Ruger bolt either. That scope should balance great on that carbine. Be sure to post some pics when you get it.
Dan

 

[Guidedfishing]

45-70,

I have the exact same rifle and scope combination. I load 150gr Hornadys, and they perform well on whitetails. I love carrying this rifle when I know I will be working tight cover but yet a long shot may present itself. Not to mention it is a pretty little rifle, with exceptional wood.

enjoy
GF

 

[Ole1830]

I have that same scope on my M77 Hawkeye in .358 Winchester. It has served me well.

 

[wildhobbybobby]

I have the same model in .308 and it has exceptionally nice figured wood in the buttstock. Mine can be a bit tempermental if fired quickly as groups open up quite a bit when the barrel gets hot or dirty. This is only a problem on the range. Mannlicher stocked rifles can be quirky and mine is no exception to the rule.

I have a Leupold fixed 6x36mm gloss finish scope on mine and really like it. It is very clear, bright and sturdy and has enough power for long shots and enough field of view for the woods. I like fixed power scopes for hunting rifles.

My rifle didn't like the first load I tried with 165 gr. PSP's but does shoot well with the 180 gr. Hornady Round Nose Interlock bullet and H4895 powder. It shoots into about an inch and a half at 100 yds.

 

[dmsbandit]

After months of saving and going back a fourth on which rifle I wanted, I have settled on a ruger international .308 and am going to order it this week. what I would like to know from you guys is when dealing with .308 carbines 18.5 in. is which bullet would suit me best for deer. light vs. heavy. also am planning on a vx1 2-7x33 Lupold. any thoughts on the scope?

45-70,
Check out my thread on my Marlin carbine and you may get a few ideas where to start. So far 150 Hornady SP has given the best accuracy and velocity out of my "thumper". But I continue to experiment and will try to do even better.

 

[45-70 nut]

I figured after trying the standard loads I'll try the 165gr hornady light magnum ammo to see how they group, as the velocity is slightly more than 150gr remington core locts.

 

[dmsbandit]

I figured after trying the standard loads I'll try the 165gr hornady light magnum ammo to see how they group, as the velocity is slightly more than 150gr remington core locts.

Be aware 45-70. Hornady has discontinued the light magnum loads. They are going to a Superformance load now.

 

[45-70 nut]

Be aware 45-70. Hornady has discontinued the light magnum loads. They are going to a Superformance load now.

is that the same thing with different name or is it loaded different

 

[Jakeway]

I have a Ruger Comact (16.6" barrel) in 260 and it works great with 140 gr Hornady Interlock. My son has a BSA Majestiv in .308 with a 20" barrel and he likes the 150 gr NBT. I'd think 150 or 165 would work just fine for you. Give them each a try and see what your gun likes.

I also have the VX1 in 2-7X33 and it's a nice scope. I'd have preferred a different reticle on mine (mins is a standard duplex but the "thin" part of the crosshairs seems pretty short) but it was on closeout for $150 so I couldn't complain.

 

[4Fifty8]

Nice rifle! I have a Mk II International in 308 (different than the Hawkeye International??).

I put a Nikon Monarch 1.5x4.5 scope on it. My deer load is a 130gr Barnes X bullet at 3000fps.

 

[dmsbandit]

is that the same thing with different name or is it loaded different

Completely different loads and bullets.

 

[Jim H]

after reading that article on Hornady Superformance Load i'm thinking it might be just the ticket for these shorter barrel projects. if i can find the link to the article later i'll post it for you. if anyone else has it booked marked please feel free (or at very least affordable) to post it. i love the look of the internationals, i want one one day, i know some can get finiky and may need some stock tweaking or action screw torqe tweaking to get to shoot just right but should be able to get it to Minute of whitetail with out too much effort. it will be a whitetail rifle and not a benchrest rifle for me so my expectations will be as such. good luck and let us know how it shoots.

 

[Jim H]

here's a link
http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/superformance-technology.pdf
enjoy, may want to download that one to your hard drive.

 

[Tnhunter]

Thought I might add, I also own a couple of the CZ 550 FS Mannlicher rifles. I decided to try a couple of classic calibers, a 6.5x55 and 9.3x62 and the 9.3 actually outshoots the 6.5. They are very nice guns, but I do like my Ruger MKII a bit better. It balances better, is shorter and lighter weight.

 

[kudu61]

I have been using the 130 Barnes TTSX(poly tipped) in my Rem Mod7. Great on deer. Velocity is cronied at 2950 from the 20" barrel. Have a 2x7leupold rifleman mounted on it. Am very happy with this rig .My load is in Loadswap. see ya, Bill

 

[45-70 nut]

Thanks for all the help guys. I just ordered it yesterday, wont be able to get the scope for a couple of weeks but am looking forward to putting some lead downrange with the iron sights until then.