Best .308 Ammo (2026): 8 Loads for Deer, Match, Bulk and Subsonic

Best .308 ammo overall (precision & long range)

Ammunition Depot: about $36 a 20-round box · about $330 for 200 ($1.65 a round)

If you want one .308 load that tells you what your rifle can really do, start here. Federal Gold Medal Match pairs Sierra's 175-grain MatchKing boat-tail hollow point with new, reloadable brass, and it has been a benchmark factory match load for decades. Ammunition Depot's listing says the MatchKing's shape helps it buck the wind and hold a flatter trajectory, and that it's the choice of competition shooters and law-enforcement marksmen. Those are the maker's and retailer's words; we didn't put it on paper ourselves.

It also had the strongest owner record of any premium load here: 37 reviews averaging 5 out of 5, with 95% five stars, on October 6, 2026. It's a target bullet, though, not a hunting bullet.

Price-wise, it's cheaper than most people expect. A 20-round box was $36.49 ($1.82 a round), a 100-round range bundle $174.99, and a 200-round case $330.99, which brings it to $1.65 a round, only about 49 cents more per shot than PMC Bronze FMJ by the case. If your rifle prefers the lighter classic, the 168-grain Gold Medal Match was $38.49 a box the same day.

See Gold Medal Match at Ammunition Depot →

Best .308 deer ammo for the money

Ammunition Depot: about $38 a 20-round box ($1.90 a round)

"Best 308 ammo for deer" is one of the most common .308 searches this fall, and Federal Fusion is the load we'd point most deer hunters to first. Federal says it designed Fusion specifically for deer: the copper jacket is molecularly bonded to a pressure-formed core so the bullet holds together, and a skived nose controls expansion. Bonded bullets cost more than cup-and-core soft points as a rule. Fusion is the exception.

On October 6, 2026, a box of 20 was $37.99, or $1.90 a round. That was the lowest price per round of any bonded hunting load we found in Ammunition Depot's .308 category, and cheaper than the standard Winchester Power-Point by the box. Ammunition Depot lists it at 2,820 fps and 2,648 ft-lb with a 150-grain bullet, the classic whitetail weight.

The weak spot: this listing has just one review, and it's about shipping. Buy two boxes, one to sight in and one for the season.

See Federal Fusion at Ammunition Depot →

Best bulk / cheapest per round

Ammunition Depot: about $25 a 20-round box · about $200 for 200 ($1.00 a round)

"Winchester 308 ammo" is the second most-searched .308 query, and the cheapest way to feed a .308 at Ammunition Depot on October 6, 2026 was Winchester's white-box USA load. This one is technically 7.62x51 NATO (SKU Q3130), a 147-grain FMJ in reloadable brass. The 200-round case was $199.99, marked down from $299.99, which is exactly $1.00 a round. That was the lowest cost per round in this guide, and about 17 cents a round under PMC Bronze by the case.

It only has two reviews, both five stars; one owner said it runs in an M1A and an AR-10-style rifle and usually groups 1.75 to 2.25 inches at 100 yards, which is fine for practice.

One honest note on the 7.62 vs .308 question: the two are closely related but not identical specs. Many rifle makers approve both, and plenty of owners shoot them interchangeably, but check what your rifle's maker says before you buy a case for a gun marked only ".308 Win".

See Winchester USA at Ammunition Depot →

Best range ammo with a track record

Ammunition Depot: about $26 a 20-round box · about $585 for 500 ($1.17 a round)

PMC Bronze is the .308 FMJ with the deepest owner record at Ammunition Depot: 74 reviews averaging 5 out of 5, 96% of them five stars. It's a 147-grain full metal jacket boat tail in new, polished, reloadable brass, and PMC says every case passes an electronic powder-check station that rejects any round with even a single misplaced grain of powder. That's the maker's claim.

Owners back up the consistency story. In July 2026 one reviewer said every group stayed under 0.8 MOA at 100 yards from an Accuracy International rifle, which is excellent for FMJ (one shooter, one rifle). Another said it loads and ejects correctly in both a .308 FAL and a 7.62x51 FAL, where other brands had caused extraction trouble.

On October 6, 2026, the box was $25.99 (marked down from $29.99), a 180-round range bundle $225.49 and a 500-round case $583.99, or $1.17 a round. Winchester USA was cheaper by the case that day, but PMC is the one with hundreds of owners vouching for it, and it's sold as .308 Win rather than 7.62 NATO.

See PMC Bronze at Ammunition Depot →

Best for long-range hunting

Ammunition Depot: about $54 a 20-round box ($2.70 a round)

If you hunt open country where a 300-plus-yard shot is possible, Hornady's Precision Hunter is built for it. It's a 178-grain ELD-X, a long, sleek hunting bullet, and Hornady says its Heat Shield tip resists the aerodynamic heating that can deform ordinary polymer tips at speed, so it keeps its shape (and its ballistic coefficient) all the way downrange. Hornady also says the powder is loaded for consistent results regardless of temperature. Those are maker claims.

The heavier bullet trades some speed: Ammunition Depot lists 2,600 fps and 2,672 ft-lb, slower than the 150-grain loads but with the highest listed muzzle energy of any hunting load here. On October 6, 2026 a box of 20 was $53.99, or $2.70 a round. There were no on-site reviews yet.

A long-range bullet doesn't make a long-range hunter: only take shots at distances you've practiced. Our best rangefinders for hunting guide helps with the distance part.

See Precision Hunter at Ammunition Depot →

Best Barnes / all-copper hunting load

Ammunition Depot: about $68 a 20-round box ($3.40 a round) · Federal's Barnes TSX load about $47

Searches for "Barnes 308 ammo" were up 70% over the last 30 days, and it's easy to see why: hunters in areas that require lead-free ammo, or who just want maximum weight retention, gravitate to Barnes' all-copper bullets. The VOR-TX load uses the Tipped Triple-Shock X (TTSX). Barnes says the copper bullet opens to roughly double its diameter while keeping nearly all its weight, and the polymer tip starts expansion faster and improves long-range flight. The listing calls it ideal for deer-sized game.

It's the most expensive load in this guide: $67.99 for 20 on October 6, 2026, or $3.40 a round, with a listed 2,900 fps, the fastest of the hunting loads here. If you want the Barnes bullet for less, Ammunition Depot also had Federal Premium 150-grain Barnes TSX at $46.99 a box ($2.35 a round), loaded in nickel-plated brass and listed at 2,820 fps. Neither listing had owner reviews yet.

A practical tip: copper bullets are longer than lead bullets of the same weight, and some rifles group them differently. Sight in with the exact box you'll hunt with.

See Barnes VOR-TX at Ammunition Depot →

Best classic Winchester deer load (by the case)

Ammunition Depot: about $42 a 20-round box · about $380 for 200 ($1.91 a round)

Winchester's Power-Point is the old-school deer load a lot of hunters grew up with. It's a 150-grain jacketed soft point with notches in the jacket for controlled expansion, and Winchester pitches it for whitetail, mule deer, antelope and black bear. Ammunition Depot lists it at 2,820 fps and 2,648 ft-lb, the same listed numbers as Federal Fusion.

Why below Fusion? On October 6, 2026, a box of 20 was $41.99 ($2.10 a round), about $4 more than a box of Fusion, and Power-Point isn't bonded. Where it wins is volume: it was the only hunting load in this guide sold by the 200-round case ($381.49, $1.91 a round), handy for a hunting camp or a family that shoots several .308s. The listing was also marked "Rebate Eligible"; check the product page for current rebate terms.

See Super-X Power-Point at Ammunition Depot →

Best subsonic .308 (suppressor)

Ammunition Depot: about $34 a 20-round box · about $765 for 500 ($1.53 a round)

"Subsonic 308 ammo" is the third biggest .308 search, mostly from shooters with suppressors. Subsonic ammo stays below the speed of sound, so there's no supersonic crack. Sellier & Bellot's load drives a heavy 200-grain FMJ at a listed 1,000 fps in new, reloadable brass, and Ammunition Depot lists it for target practice and subsonic/suppressed use.

It's also reasonably priced for a specialty load: $33.99 for 20 ($1.70 a round) on October 6, 2026, or $765.99 for a 500-round case (marked down from $799.99), which is $1.53 a round. There were no on-site reviews yet.

Two things to know before you buy a case. First, heavy, slow bullets need a fast enough barrel twist to stabilize, so check your barrel's twist rate and the ammo maker's guidance. Second, subsonic loads often don't have enough gas to cycle a semi-auto reliably without adjustments; they're most at home in bolt-action rifles. Listed energy is just 444 ft-lb, so this is a range and suppressor load, not a deer load.

See S&B Subsonic at Ammunition Depot →