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Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

continentaldrifter

continentaldrifter

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Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 15, 2004
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Colorado
If Hornady states this round is not designed for hunting, why do i see so many pics with this bullet listed in their recipe? All my kills are head shot from my 300wm.

I would like to try Hornady 208 over Nosler 180 AB but see no sense in loading seperate rounds for target and rounds for hunting.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I guarantee you a drt if you headshot anything in north America with a 208 amax.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

or with any other bullet to the head
critters need there head to stand up
they need all the parts working in the boiler room
to travel over 100 yards also
shoot em any where else & the can go for days
no matter what bullet you use
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

That bullet will do the job. Picked up a 208 amax from 520 yards out of the dirt a weighed it at right at 195 grains. I've shot them out to 1202 yards with great results. My jbm has got me at 4000 ft/ lb at muzzle. It'll do it
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: continentaldrifter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">drt...? </div></div>

Dead Right There
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

got it. spoke with Hornady, basically stated the same thing but off the record. Thanks
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Nope 208 AMAX are top quality. Hornady just has good prices.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rob01</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Nope 208 AMAX are top quality. Hornady just has good prices. </div></div>

Hornady is about all I shoot. Most BC for the buck!
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

The prices of those "high end" bullets strikes me as complete bullshit. I see no reason for it.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I switch over from smk that where twice as much to the 208 amax and will never look back. thinking about switching my 22-250 and already order them for the 260. Amax half the price and just as good
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I use as many Hornady products as I can. They are a great company. Constantly innovating and pushing the industry without raping the consumer on pricing.

And yes the 208 amax is a great match/hunting round. You should have no issues hunting with it. I have seen several post of guys using them in a .308 win and breaking both the shoulders on elk. Out of a 300wm you should be able to hunt anything in N.America.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I've shot 3 Elk now with the 208 Amax, & would highly recommend them. 1 at 351yds, 1 at 642yds, & 1 at 791yds. Non of them dropped on impact, but were literally Dead Standing there, all were shot in the lungs with 1 shot. The 791 was Quarting away & hit oppsite shoulder with no exit, the 351 & 642 were complete pass throughs with 1&2" exit wounds. The 791 & 351 just stood there & dropped in there tracks, the 642 went 20yds in a half circle & dropped. Shot placement is key with any bullet, but I wouldn't recomend shooting them in the ass with an Amax, or any other bullet for that matter.
I would also add the 208s have shot extremely well with very little effort in load work in 4 different rifles I've shot them in.
For my money there the BEST bang for your buck out there! Like someone said earilier alot of these expensive bullets are just hype & Brand Name Fads, to get the extra dollars you pay for them.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Well my father took my 300wsm rifle and some of my 208 AMAX loads to a hunt in Utah today, got a call earlier today from him telling me he took a nice buck at 400yds with it, shot dead in its tracks. No doubt about it that the 208 is great on deer, although I would be hesitant to use it on elk, since I have read too many stories of the 208 exploding on large game.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Match bullets tend to have thicker jackets for higher pressures used in long range competition. This is because some hunting bullets will come apart and spatter the target with such pressures. Now as far as not using them to hunt with, thicker bullets don't expand as rapidly but do expand and kill very well on my opinion..example my head shot pic of a 107 smk..See siperhide pics..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: raythemanroe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Match bullets tend to have thicker jackets for higher pressures used in long range competition. This is because some hunting bullets will come apart and spatter the target with such pressures. Now as far as not using them to hunt with, thicker bullets don't expand as rapidly but do expand and kill very well on my opinion..example my head shot pic of a 107 smk..See siperhide pics.. </div></div>

i believe you got that backwards.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Twitch2120</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: raythemanroe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Match bullets tend to have thicker jackets for higher pressures used in long range competition. This is because some hunting bullets will come apart and spatter the target with such pressures. Now as far as not using them to hunt with, thicker bullets don't expand as rapidly but do expand and kill very well on my opinion..example my head shot pic of a 107 smk..See siperhide pics.. </div></div>

i believe you got that backwards.</div></div>

Yes he does. Smks have are a long way from the design of the amax. Amax has a pretty solid core, smks on the other hand, well splatter.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

smk were just a example of match bullets killing deer sized animals even though manufactures don't recommend...I am currently using 115g burger vld target..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I would like to mention though that I feel the Amax could be a better hunting bullet..could be because I like hunting with ballistic tips and they look similar.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I still stand by my first post on this matter about match bullets having thicker jackets then hunting bullets..Any bullet pro's feel free to step in on this one..No manufacture would say the higher pressure thing is true for legal reasons but I believe they may say it like this..Thicker jackets for target bullets are to prevent deformation for better down range stability..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

You can stand by anything you want but doesn't make it right. Look at the illustrations of a hunting bullet, the Hornady SST, and a match bullets.
http://www.hornady.com/store/SST-bullets/
http://www.hornady.com/store/Match-bullets/

Now which jacket looks thicker?

Ok lets look at Sierra.
Pro Hunter bullet
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=bullets&page=rifle&brandID=3

Matchkings
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=bullets&page=rifle&brandID=1

Which looks thicker?
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

a good example would be burger vld hunting vs target other wise your not comparing the same bullet..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I would like to follow up with my first reply..after looking for articles to collaborate my response to the article I have found many companies stating that the reason for target bullets (match) handling pressure and what not better is the consistency and uniformity in jacket thickness.. where as hunting bullets may have one thicker than another..meaning if your loading hot for a hunting bullet and a thinner jacket gets thrown in, well splat..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Maybe you should read those again. Second say they are thinnner near the tip for expansion. Not thinner over the whole bullet especially where the bullet is contacting the lands and grooves. Also that's written by some guy on the internet from what he heard. Who is he? Why should I believe him?

The first link was atleast had an answer from Bryan Litz at Berger to the guy's question in which he said:
"Ryan, The only difference is jacket thickness; the Hunting bullets have jackets that are specifically made for expansion on game."

Doesn't say thinner. Just different.

And the point was you made the blanket statement that hunting bullets had thinner jackets than match bullets. Not specific bullets. Your blanket statement is wrong as is the reasoning behind it.

 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

more consistent thickness would be more accurate.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

You weren't talking consistent. You were saying thicker. Thin and thick jackets can be consistent.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Not gonna comment on thick or thin but I've been pushing Amax's here for years....even when SMK's were THE king and if you were useing anything else you didn't have a clue. Not only do they fly as good (if not better) than SMK's, they kill much better. If you're worried about it, try the Vmax's, they fly very close to the same and kill even better.

okie
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I think that the Amax should be a great bullet for hunting.. really maybe the best cause match grade consistency with the controlled expansion of the ballistic tip..kinda the best of both worlds..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

correct, I was talking hunting bullets not handling pressures like match or target..I am still in that opinion, nothing here has showed or made any change in my opinion.. Hunting bullets are made to expand and they are not made to the tolerances of match bullets and that being said there are many different variances..Thicker being one and consistency being two..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Fact, burger makes 115g vld hunting bullets...Thin jacket...Fact burger also makes a 115g vld targets bullet..thick jacket...yellow box thick..orange box thin...fact
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I'm no expert but there is way more involved in bullet construction than just jacket thickness and consistency.... I also don't know what you mean by hunting bullets not handling pressure as well as match bullets and how that relates to jacket thickness...

I know for sure that in my .30-06 a 200gr nosler accubond will show signs of pressure on the brass way earlier than a 208 amax even though it weighs less. Both bullets are scary accurate.

Nosler reccomended a minimum of 1800 fps for reliable expansion upon impact.

From what I can remember the 208 amax has a minimum impact velocity of somewhere around 1300-1500fps for expansion.

Why is this important??? Those folks shooting the 208 amax at high velocities run the risk of too rapid of expansion with fragmentation at close range where at longer ranges when the bullet slows down some it will expand and mushroom more like a hunting bullet should.. After a certain point the bullet slows down enough that no expansion will occur just like any other bullet.

A bonded bullet like the nosler accubond is constructed differently...the jacket is thicker and takes more velocity to expand. It will also retain its integrity much better than the 208 amax. Its effective range at which expansion will occur is also shorter because it has a higher minimum impact velocity required for expansion...

Out of a .30-06, For large/dangerous game like brown bears I use a 200gr accubond with a shot limitation of 400 yards.. I could push it further but I would rather be sure the bear goes down and I don't have to hike into the brush looking for a fight I'm sure I won't win.

For long range shots on caribou or moose I can push the 208 amax out to about 800 yards and still get reliable expansion. It is definitely not a bone crusher. I have seen the core separate from the jacket before which is why I won't use them on bears. But on lung shots and quartering away shots I have no qualms about using them to get to the vitals...

On deer size game you could probably get away with longer shots. I won't get into ethics here so if anyone is going there I won't hash it out on this thread as its already been done more than enough.

With a muzzle velocity of 2700fps jbm predicts right around 1500fps and about 1000 ft/lbs or energy at 1000yards wih the 208 amax...
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Frogman your completely right..also my comments were in comparison of the same bullets being hunting or target (vld)...Bonded bullets and failsafes would clearly be a strong bullet..my point was the thicker target bullets didn't open up like they should so manufacturers didn't designate them for hunting.. why I don't know..Amax would work great on deer sized animals if you ask me..
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

I use the amax for my 308, I took it varmint hunting one time a shot a coyote and bobcat...no way I would use it on a deer

They made nice/normal entrance holes but blew out on the other side, poor bobcat had a foot size hole/tear and the coyote had a soft ball sized hole.

Obv some use it and it works, just my experience with it.
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

ya, but the shock value from the rapid expansion kills very quickly and who really eats or saves the ribs any way?
 
Re: Hornady .30 208 A max for hunting? Why not?

Just to add my .02 on this. One of the main reasons I see guys that like the Amax for hunting...cost and reliability. The fact that it works very well for hunting AND it costs less than the rest. SGK's in 200gr are $35 for a box of 100, Hornady 208's are $33, and the Nosler being the most expensive, the Noslers being $30 for a box of 50!

With the Nosler and Sierra's, the intended purpose is for hunting. Having jackets and tips designed specificly for expanding. The Amax just happens to work well in that department, but not by design. Makes it a perfect match for hunting.
 
the a max bullets were not designed as hunting bullets or expanding bullets. yes a 208 a max will kill a deer at 2800 fps from a 300wm. duh. they do not expand consistently. core separation. not a big problem when you shoot your deer with a canon. but for a guy going elk hunting with his 243 or 6.5 creedmore it might cause some problems. i have shot antelope and deer with the 168 a max bullets and they did fine. but 308 with a 168 is a big round for a little antelope and mule deer. i also use speer 165 boat tail hunting bullets. they have almost the same bc as the a max and are designed to expand and not separate. i have shot deer at 50 yards and these bullets will still go through. yes a brain shot is deadly but blow the lower jaw or nose off and see how fast they go down. i will continue to shoot at the big target heart and lungs
 
What about the 208 AMAX in a 1n12? The same bullet for target/hunting has been in my to do list for a while. I tried the 180 Accubond some time ago and didn't work out, put the project on the shelf.

edit--Getting forgetful, I think I will work on the 185 Berger J's for this purpose--found the advice in an older thread where I inquired. I get to many irons in the fire and forget crap!

Mark
 
Last edited:
For what it's worth (probably not much), I've shot a WT deer with a 208 Amax at 220 yards from a 300 WM. Bullet performed well. I like the Amax design cause the polymer tip should initiate expansion whereas a regular target bullet may behave as a FMJ bullet and not expand or have unreliable expansion. What we need of course is a larger number of deer/elk/pigs shot at varying impact velocities and honest reporting of the results to make a good call on this as a hunting bullet. Of course the honest reporting of the results would be impossible to get (I'd certainly never post about a botched shot on a deer).
 
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