308 Winchester Federal Fusion Ballistics Gel Ammo Test

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Become a Channel Member! www.youtube.com/@masonoutdoors_masonleather/join Get the best range and outdoor gear here! www.masonoutdoors.com Get your handmade leather gear here! www.masonleather.com Let me know what you think about the video and please share, it’s a big help! Visiting the websites above directly supports the channel and helps me bring you more awesome videos!

[@Ivan-vn1pd]

can I send you some ammo to test to a p.o. box or something?

[@tufelhunden5795]

Federal Fusion just seems to be about the best hunting ammo in the USA at this time. Thanks for the testing.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@Roosterboy_00]

Agreed 100%

[@robertgoodrich8953]

And, since it is just a high dollar SpeerGold Dot, this ammo can be had for $22 a box by Speer.

[@chrisdeal9945]

A little too much damage on deer ive found . Big hole , The deer are pretty big here in Northern Ab too

[@maxmccain8950]

I commend you sir on a very comprehensive and informative test. Much better than I’ve seen on any channel. Keep up the great work.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@wahyasaquii7563]

@@masonleather_outdoorsHe’s right. This is about as comprehensive as any man can ask for. Well done. 👍

[@andyh3446]

Your breadown of the numbers was superb and covered everything. The information was presented clearly and simple to understand in the time provided, much better than the other channels, and I watch a lot of them. Excellent review, the best ballistic performance breakdown I've ever seen on any channel. Keep up the good work!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@nelhead4807]

Federal fusion bullets are just amazing. And they look damn good expanded as well.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Absolutely

[@eugenegress5896]

Makes a 308 cal even better! Thanks Mason, for your detailed info Tests.

[@keithreese9636]

Thanks so much! I use the 150gr & 165gr in my mod70 feather weight 20"barrel. Nice to know I chose a good load. Great job Lee!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@pcolice]

Rock solid and common sense recommendations. Thank you.

[@EricChmelarsky]

Federal Fusion was the first bullet designed for Whitetail deer. Have proved to be accurate. You have proved them to be a perfect whitetail bullet. Fast expanding and high weight retention. Way better than ELD X. LOVE your content.

[@diggernash1]

They are loaded with speer gold dot bullets is my understanding. I think they are both under the same corporate umbrella now.

[@EricChmelarsky]

@diggernash1 thanks for the info. I did not know that. It does make sense looking at the bullet performance.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@toddhall5565]

​@@diggernash1that would probably explain why there are very few Gold Dot rifle bullets available on Speer's website.

[@mr.mr.3301]

This is why I prefer Federal.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

It certainly delivers what you expect, unlike some others

[@mr.mr.3301]

@@masonleather_outdoors I r been a fan of the 165 for the past few years.

[@Matt-en1kn]

​@@mr.mr.3301facts

[@suliandenny6076]

Thank you for doing the .308win!!!! Federal fusion is amazing all across calibers!!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@llkj7944]

That Fusion stuff is no joke!! Good video.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@MattC-eo6ep]

Thanks for the video! Best all-around caliber, and best all-around ammo. Love the Federal Fusion in all my rifles. This is my go to ammo for hunting and defense. My PA-10 with 20 inch barrel loves the Fusion .308 150 Grain MSR (i don't think this variant is still made by Federal). I bought 500 rounds a while ago, so I'm good to go!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@StacyHagerty]

Great comparison! Should think about including the energy at impact also. Great presentation, as always!

[@atairuy]

Nice upgrade with the chrono! Way more accurate than the prochrono, now we get to see actual velocities vs declared

[@masonleather_outdoors]

This one is much easier to use, comparing data, the ProChrono still gave true averages, it did have it’s limitations though.

[@ikocher]

Fantastic performance and a great video. These keeping getting better and better. Well done sir. 🎉

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@williammoeglin6191]

Great penetration comparison between three bullet weights. Good Job!

[@TroyKSU]

Fusion is my go-to factory choice for Kansas white tail 👍🏻

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Great stuff

[@shovelhead2155]

Thank you. Keep em coming. Cant wait for the tipped Fusions to come out.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@oncall21]

Great start for the .308 comparisons. Love factory Federal if I don’t reload. Love the idea with the new metric and thanks for sharing Mason.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@carsonstivason5925]

I have been watching your videos for quite a while now and I really enjoy them and look forward to the new ones being released. This one is perhaps my favorite though. I like the side by side comparisons across the same line of bullet. Very informative and well done. Keep up the good work. I have even referred your channel to some other people to watch on a shooting chat forum where I belong. Thanks!!!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@chrisengstrom8247]

Excellent testing and I love the way you present the results and nice big text. You earned the subscription. This was my first video of yours that I saw and I’ll be watching a lot more. Your other stuff looks good too good luck with it

[@diggernash1]

Gold dots are a great choice in lead bullets...and Federal knows how to propel them.

[@brianguillot3403]

So are the fusions gold dot bullet ?

[@diggernash1]

@@brianguillot3403 I am almost certain they are.

[@tylarhaugan7908]

​@@brianguillot3403yes just different coating

[@Roosterboy_00]

@@brianguillot3403 yes , if not it’s a copy of the gold dot . The .223s compared to each other were the exact same all but 11fps and identical wound track, expansion and weight retention.

[@realityawayfromreality3494]

Mason, federal blue box isn't my favorite. Not by a long shot. But the fusion seems to consistently perform at a stellar level. I might pick up some for my .270 win and see how it groups. And I really like including 100 yd velocities. Great addition to a great review.

[@shovelhead2155]

They are releasing a tipped version of these very soon

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@rickyanke9407]

I've been using 130gr fusions in my.270 for almost two decades. Consistently good accuracy and a very tough bullet. It just so happens that my son's 30.06 and my dad's 300wsm each like fusions over several other types of factory ammo. They might not be great for your rifle, but IMO well worth trying. Have fun.

[@WilhelmNauta]

I have had similar results from hundreds of Federal Fusion rounds. Very consistent, excellent accuracy, ballistics and terminal performance.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Outstanding

[@jorge66518]

Thank you a lot for all your efforts doing those instructional videos🤝. I am fond of Federal ammo, in 308 I use Thophy Bonded Tip 180 with excellent at long distances. Congratulations!

[@ZeroDon]

I watched your Hornady ELD-X video yesterday. I didn't realize this was another one of your videos lol. Thanks for the reviews. I like your energy.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Thanks for your support! If you’d like early access to videos and a way to directly support more videos like this, consider becoming a Range Boss! channel member here: www.youtube.com/@masonoutdoors_masonleather/join

[@rjoetting7594]

I haven't had a 308 for many years now, and I just recently bought one. So I will have to try this ammo myself. I've been using the Federal Fusion 150gr in my 30-30 for years, and it has been exceptionally accurate and very effective on whitetail deer. The rifle I use is a 26" barreled 1894 rifle built in 1917, with a tang peep sight (original Marbles). 61 year old eyes really appreciate the peep sight. My best group was .72 inches for 3 shots with two touching. My average is about 1.25 at 100 yards. This was using a Caldwell lead sled. And the flip-up fine peep. I should also add that I tried the 180gr also, and my best group was 2.25" and 3" was normal. I'm not sure why the difference, but I stuck with the 150gr afterward.

[@bigal7125]

Thanks for the "Impact Velocity." I was thinking that was the Kinetic was, thanks for clearing that up. That's still getting hit with over a ton of energy which is phenomenal. Great video, and thanks for doing the research!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@Paul-q3m7k]

Fusion is great budget friendly ammo . Accurate and gets the job done . That ammo would handle moose and elk no problem out of the 308

[@brenteverett80]

I was going to ask if anyone had ever taken an elk with the fusion in a 308.

[@Paul-q3m7k]

@@brenteverett80 I know a few guys that shoot elk every season using fusions . I’ve personally seen two elk taken with fusions out of a 3006 . Complete pass through

[@brenteverett80]

@@Paul-q3m7k I ended up using Barnes 168 GR Copper TTSX this season.

[@Stanny936]

I’ve always wanted to see gel tests at distance. You are awesome!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@Stu650Zuk]

I went back and watched your Fusion 150 grain test using your 30-06 and was surprised the average fps was less than 2 fps difference! They're within 50fps with the normal 150,165 and 180 grain factory bullets from just about any 30-06 you've tested, deer wouldn't even know the difference basically..They loaded these pretty darn good...Hope they group good for me..I bought 3 boxes to try a few months ago...Heading out soon to test them out. Thanks for the video we've been waiting for.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@CreedmoorContractingSolutions]

This is funny because I was just looking through your videos to try and find a video on this ammo, and a week later here it is!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@fishandhuntmb]

My T3 300 wsm loves the 165 grain load, if i do my part a dime will cover up a 3 shot 100 yard group. They've worked well for plenty of whitetails and a few elk

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Outstanding

[@Swampytheroot]

I use the Fusion in both rifles and handguns. If they make a questionable load, I haven't met it. It's stunning from a lever action in 44 Magnum Nice presentation

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@mogulrider]

Great work Mason. It's Federal Fusion. IMHO for value and quality nothing beats it. In my guns it's the best there is. On animals - well you know...

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@ShaolinZX]

Great testing and simple and understandable comparison! Thanks a lot. Even for me as someone who doesn't speak english as his first motherlanguage and gladly uses the metric system instead if inches and stuff I understood nearly everything and am now even happier with my choice for FF .308 165gr.

[@stevemahrer7097]

Great systematic testing, well executed, and the testing rationale and results are well explained, well done! 👍

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support! Please share the video to anyone or anywhere you think it may be of use, that would be a big help!

[@NorthwoodsNomad]

165 grains are all I ever use in my .308 OR .30-06 . It just seems to be the sweet spot for performance in these two cartridges Surprisingly consistent results ! Kudos to Federal for their QC on manufacturing the ammo to meet or exceed published velocities. That’s actually very rare , most times the chronograph results fall short of the advertised specs with most all ammo manufacturing companies . Perhaps as you mentioned , they may be using 26” test barrels to get the optimal results, but real world hunting barrel lengths are 22” for standard cartridges and even the magnum rifles I’ve seen recently are only using 24” barrels , so yeah a little less velocity is expected from a shorter barrel. But those results you just expressed here demonstrates just how efficient that .308 Winchester cartridge really is, and that is a bonus to be able to utilize a short action with a shorter barrel, much easier to carry in the field and quicker target acquisition in a smaller package.

[@r.awilliams9815]

That's as good as it gets for normal hunting ammo, provided your particular rifle likes them. I don't even have a .308 hunting rifle and I'm tempted to order a case anyway.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Absolutely

[@ronws2007]

Great video. I have a supply of this ammo in the 165 gr. I have a TC Compass II in .308 (that I put in an Oryx chassis) that loves this round. .54 inches for two shots, which is all you need for whitetail deer. And yeah, the wound channel is what it is all about. This round gets in and then removes a lot of functioning material to bring down the game as humanely as possible. I also care most about impact velocity, rather than muzzle velocity. And let's choose the safe bet of 1800 fps to ensure full deployment of the petals. That is about 400 yards and the furthest most of us hunting whitetail in heavy woods is 300 yards or less. That is going to get a deer every time for not a lot of money. Especially the rig you have here. I have the Diamondback Tactical 6-24X50. Great scope for the price. Totally usable and affordable. My Compass II has the Venom 5-25X56. I like the eyebox and reticle on that. Get a cushy recoil pad like the Limbsaver Airtech slip-on. Performs great and allows you to practice with no flinching. The name of the game with this round is not the longest distance. It is about getting a deer in the winter wheat field on your aunt's farm.

[@communityprepper6153]

Awesome video. Love the nerd out stats. Just (finally) got my first 308 and I'm down the KZbin ballistics rabbit hole!

[@saltyguerrilla]

Appreciate the thorough review, no nonsense! Subbed!🇺🇸🦅

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Thanks for your support, glad to be of service!

[@americansafarico]

Would love to see you check out their new Tipped Fusion!!!

[@edwardbiasi37]

Fusion is my favorite do - it - all round

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Great stuff

[@samhiss6807]

EXCELLENT INFORMATION. EXCELLENT VARIABLE CONTROL & CONSISTENCY. THANKS

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service, thanks for watching!

[@brianmeyer9119]

Your channel has been fantastic for comparing loads and pondering terminal performance. With your findings, I’d been leaning towards fusion .308, and wondered about the three loadings. Thanks for all the work you’re putting in!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@averageaussieshooter9696]

Great review as always, very informative!!!👍

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@MScott-y4g]

I have some of the fusions that I was fixing to start loading these but I didn't if they were any good are not? I think you more than answered my question. Thanks for this video.

[@austinmanhart9088]

I’d love to see you do an accuracy test/comparison between the three! Awesome content as always brother 👍🏻

[@masonleather_outdoors]

I will at some point, Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@JakeisaHassell]

Love it! About to buy myself a nice 308 bolt gun. What about 357 lever though?

[@talbyjustus6403]

Just tested the 165’s out of my used (new to me) Remington 783 with 22” barrel. Cold bore shot was right in line maybe 2” high next 3 shots were .5” high and almost touching for about 1.5” group including the cold bore shot and maybe .75” group excluding the cold bore

[@andrewhirsch6472]

I strongly agree with your conclusions. Living as I do in the Northwest, clearly these are excellent loads for blacktails and mule deer, but for big-bodied Roosevelt elk? They expand too much, as you noted. The Barnes and Swift A-Frame bullets are more popular for that purpose. The A-Frames have lately become crazy-expensive, though.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@PassivePortfolios]

A guy from the local range used a 308 with 180 grain bullets (not sure what brand) to take a bunch of non-dangerous game in Africa. He said the heavy 180's bullets performed very well on some tough game. His rifle is a CZ.

[@usafret4709]

Nice Garmin Xero! Love Mine. Going to hit you up for some leather for my 30-30.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@bobbygreen2291]

I have used fusion many years on bucks ,,it stomps a big buck like a bolt of lightning

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Outstanding

[@ejsocci2630]

Another great video, awesome ammunition off the shelf. Thanks for sharing,

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@Gerald2121]

Excellent video. Thank you for clear and concise information!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@patchitwood7428]

Love this type of test. I would love to see Barnes TTSX in 30-06 with 150, 165, and 180 gr. Keep up the good work

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@zachklein4397]

Love your videos and the 308 win

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@johnnybessant4964]

Mason you are the man. I need to send you some .270 Win 140 grain Superformance to review. I'm just not sure about it.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support! For various reasons I don’t accept anything from outside parties, but I do have a lot of 270 on hand including Superformance, I’ll get to it 👍🏼

[@josh9429]

Great info. My son has dropped several nice whitetail bucks with them. They are hog stoppers, too. The 165's shoot half inch or better for me.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@mr.mr.3301]

Best video yet.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@garytrainer1690]

Perfect. You are the dude. 👍

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@scottythebody0811]

Fantastic review! Thanks for posting!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@bendetwiler7719]

great test.GREAT JOB

[@JohnDauffenbach]

For most of my hunting with kids I tend to use the lighter grain loads . They kick a little bit less. Helps new hunters shoot best and enjoy it more. Not many people enjoy getting slapped in the head with heavy recoil. Just pick the ammo your rifle likes and aim small miss small 😊

[@vicentewhite9881]

I have used Federal Fusion 165 grain on one of my .308s for years have many Wall mounts and meat thanks to this round very dependable and my Remington 700 likes it, I tested against Norma, Hornady and Remington Winchester Etc. this ammo shot more consistent out of my rifle sub moa groups, I wonder how the new Fusion ballistic tipped ammo compares? to the traditional one you are using here for testing.

[@nadineherrell5426]

Great show. Thanks Michael Herrell

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@czguy3045]

Yeah, those Fusions are the load to beat, esp considering it's not priced like premium ammo. I havent hunted with it in a number of years but my light 308 is a carbine with an 18.5" barrel so my load of choice is the 150 Gr, suspecting its most likely to get up to speed in the short barrel. I've only used it from a stand so I rarely even get a look past 150 yards. Two whitetail with it and they were very dead.

[@tylerhestla3022]

I hunt really close range. Got extremly lucky last year on a buck at 15-20 yards with 6.5 creed. But i bought a 308 specifically due to my federal soft point not expanding at all. Shor placment helped. At thes close distances woild you recommend Norma Whitetail 150g or federal fusion ? For 308 16inch riger american gen 2.

[@brucebanner6149]

Another Great video! Also love your website and ordering soon!

[@JacksonEngineering]

I love that you’re doing .308 now! Great video! Are you planning to do the Winchester Deer Season XP 150? I had an… interesting experience with it last year, so I would like to see how it does for you.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

I’m doing everything 👍🏼

[@TheGunNerd]

YAY MY FAVORITE SOFT POINT!!!

[@phild9813]

The performance of these was shockingly similar. Like you said, pick the one your rifle likes best. I’d like to see a direct comparison between these results and a test of the same bullets but loaded in 30-06.

[@DouglasPrice-p9q]

... I chronographed an average of 2678 fps for the 165 grain 308 Win Fusion factory ammo out of my Browning BLR '81 Lightweight takedown levergun ... not bad for the 20" barrel of the BLR ... the "box" stated velocity was 2700 fps ... the accuracy was superb

[@nestorpetriw3340]

Impressive work. Very informative review!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@cjmcdaniel7322]

Crazy to think about the 243 fusion you tested had 18” average of penetration… the same as the 150grain 308s!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

It’s definitely interesting to see how things perform now that I’ve got a good size data set

[@charlconradie4935]

3 for 1 friday special. Nice. Excellent Video thank you sir!!!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@michaelkeselman]

Love the paint job on the rifle

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Thanks! It’s fun making these Rvger Americans look better haha

[@outdoorswithroostercurrie6984]

Awesome video. I wish Federal sold these Bullets as Components for Reloading. If I’m not wrong I think 🤔 they used to, but I could be wrong.

[@Paul-q3m7k]

The 165 seems to be perfect for the 308

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Maybe so

[@aholland2804]

Loved this!! You’ve made me fusion fan out of all of your videos! Which one shot best out of yours? I’ve shot the 165s out of my Ruger and got 1.25 inch groups. It shots Hornady American whitetail 150s at about .5-.75 inch but I would prefer the fusions to hunt with. I want to try the 150s in the fusion next. How did yours do on them?

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support! I don’t accuracy test when filming these, they were all plenty good for anything I’d hunt with them.

[@a.joegevara3519]

Now you're talking! I'd love to see Hornady 150g SST, I've never had a deer take a single step after being shot with that!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

It’s coming

[@pastorjosh44]

Great video. I believe Federal's website says they designed the Fusion specifically for deer. What round would you use for elk out of a .308?

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support! For elk, keep watching, I’ve got two great options coming up in my next few videos 👍🏼

[@smallbore7025]

I use the 150 grain fusion.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Outstanding

[@johnreynolds6499]

Nice job. I enjoy your work.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!

[@johnnorman7708]

Obviously you would have to choose accuracy over everything else here. Especially on deer class game at the typical deer killing ranges. I like the muzzle velocity range of all three for deer class game. I'm not a big fan of blistering fast hyper expanding bullets and fragmenting bullets for edible game anyway. These hold together, expand well, and do plenty of damage at fairly moderated speeds it appears.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Absolutely

[@Buzz-rh4dz]

Love these bullets. Used them the last 3 deer seasons. Out of 4 deer, 3 folded on the spot. 1 managed to rare up and fall over backwards. So not quite dropped in tracks, but close.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Outstanding

[@jimscallen6452]

Federal makes great ammo.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Absolutely

[@Eman3037]

Great Video...Thank You !

[@hotramen5952]

Best ammo on the market.

[@edjett2631]

That Federal Fusion loads are my factory loads of choice. Great bullets.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

They’re the most consistent by far of any bullet line I’ve evaluated thus far

[@MikeR505]

Fusion 165 is my choice have you seen s&b txrg 110&165 gr copper bullet for testing. Thanks .

[@devincook3278]

Phenomenal video brother

[@prestonlovingood505]

I recently picked up a box of the tipped Fusion in .308 and would love to see a review of that. Had any luck finding it?

[@dalebenson6859]

Very interesting to watch the bullets performance but I wouldn't never hunt with a 308 after we had one in the family and used in NW Oregon where large Roosevelt Elk live and Hugh canyons we hunt, The 308 just can't muster up the power for Pacific NW hunting. I do own an AR 10 in 308 for all blasting fun and never used for hunting.

[@jorgesolis9468]

Try some of the aac stuff like the sabre black tip and their otm ones for less than 20 dollars a box it's hard to beat it ot at least performs decently

[@Gunnut10mm]

These look great, did you notice any difference in recoil? I bet it's close but .308 is used as a youth caliber particularly where the said youth might be hunting elk or moose. I know it's going to be close but in Idaho you can hunt supervised at 10 and would likely start with deer/antelope and by 13 or 14 elk are much more likely to be in the picture but every little bit of recoil makes a big difference to a smaller shooter.

[@masonleather_outdoors]

I didn’t bother to think about the recoil, none of them were excessive

[@18wheelsandadozen6shooters5]

One thing maybe to add to the new data is ft/lbs at the target because that’s what really matters. Great job, keep it up!

[@masonleather_outdoors]

Glad to be of service and thanks for your support!