Every basketball team has its five starters, and then there is the bench. Farther down the roster you’ll find the rookies, the cheerleaders and the towel boy. It’s not that the .308 isn’t a great cartridge, it really is — it’s just not gotten a bunch of playing time on my team as a starter.

Looking back at my records I personally have used it to take a few coyotes and feral hogs, a couple of cow elk and one mule deer. Not an unimpressive resume at all but definitely not as extensive as cartridges like my .30-06, .25-06 or .22-250 to be sure, all of which have gotten considerably more playing time than my .308.

That rifle was a hand-me-down from my father. It was an anniversary gift to him from my mother several years before I was born. For many years, that .308 was in his starting lineup. His best mule deer buck and bull elk were both taken with that rifle. So in deference to that record, it’s only fair that the old workhorse gets some pasture time.

Be that as it may, the .308 is a very versatile cartridge capable of utilizing a wide range of bullet weights and styles. In the interests of getting my .308 more playing time, I investigated the surprisingly ample selection of lightweight bullets available. When I say lightweight, I mean bullets weighing less than 150 grains.

In all of my previous hunting endeavors with the .308 I had utilized bullets weighing between 150 and 180 grains, which are the best selections for big game. Never had I considered using anything lighter.

At the reloading bench I discovered that velocities well in excess of 3,000 feet per second were possible (even from the 22-inch barrel) with the 110-grain Hornady VMAX. With such a load, some of the desired playing time could be realized as a goodly portion of my hunting each year is for rockchucks, badgers and coyotes.

The 1:12-inch twist of my old Savage 99 E was ideal for these stubby sharp-nosed bullets. Despite the creeping heavy pull of the Savage’s non-adjustable trigger, groups were impressive. As seen with other handloads in this rifle, I got the best results when using loads near the suggested starting levels of Varget powder as listed in my reloading manuals.

With this load, I fired the best five-shot group I have ever shot in this Savage 99. The Garmin chronograph showed my average muzzle velocity was 2,960 feet per second; a bit slower than anticipated, but with such good groups I was willing to sacrifice some speed.

Recoil was minimal, and noticeably less than any of the aforementioned big game loads of 150-180 grains of weight. Were I to pursue lightweight bullets for deer hunting, I would likely go up to the 125- to 130-grain bullets as they have a heavier jacket than the 110s.

I had originally desired to try both the 125-grain Sierra and the 130-grain Hornady bullets in this test, but none of my outlets had either bullet weight available. No matter, the 110-grain VMAX’s are entertaining enough to merit more time afield.

Even though a favorite Leupold M8-4x scope has ridden atop this rifle for most of its time, the desire for a bit more magnification led me to replace it. Groups like the one pictured became more common as I could see better with the new Burris Fullfield II 3-9x variable. Like Dad always says, you can only shoot as good as you can see.

As resources become increasingly scarce and more expensive, it’s important to explore all the available possibilities. Like it or not, I think it’s going to be that way for a while.

Don’t let the lack of your favorite ammunition or components dampen your enthusiasm for hunting or shooting. Broadening our horizons extends our experience and résumé as shooters, and that knowledge will always come in handy.

Get those “Bench and Rookie” guns some more playing time any way you can. I can guarantee you that a .308 works just fine on coyotes, too, as it does for so many other things.