Advice on 30-06 whitetail bullets

Samsondog04 · 10-24-2010, 17:54

Please share some favorite bullet types or recipes for whitetail deer for the 30-06 Springfield.

10mmbob · 10-24-2010, 18:05

I reload for the .308, which is real close to the '06. The bullets I load are the 150gr. Rem. core-lokts. Win. Power Points also work well. These are considered the Plain Janes of the bullet world, but have killed more game than any of the newer bullets combined. Alot of the premium bullets out there are bonded core, or extra tough constructed, which simply not needed for light-boned animals like white-tails. Hornady Interlocks are also very good bullets.

Ahmid · 10-24-2010, 18:17

I think any soft point 150 grain bullet will do. I shot a wild boar with a 150 grain Sierra at about 30 yards. It went clean through to the off shoulder and stopped. That was through both shoulders.

10mmbob · 10-24-2010, 18:32

Agreed. I forgot about good ol' Sierra. My point was that the so-called generic soft points give you the expansion you need in deer hunting, not the super deep penetration.

Big Sam · 10-24-2010, 18:42

The answer is pretty boring. My father in law has been shooting whitetail deer for over 40 years with the Hornaday 150gr spitzer in his 30-06. 100% success. No end of people have successfully shot whitetail with 150 gr Core-Lockt's in 30-06. I'm told the same is true for WW Power Points in that weight as well as for the same weight Speer and Sierra bullets.

It's hard to go wrong with a standard quality 150 or even 165gr bullet. I'm personally partial to Hornady but that means exactly nothing. Get what you want. There are a whole laundry list of good powders for the 30-06 with those bullet weights.

ray glock · 10-24-2010, 18:43

150gr..................................YES

Samsondog04 · 10-24-2010, 19:19

Thanks

Flatulence · 10-24-2010, 19:23

All of the 30-06 bullets they sell at Walmart, Rem or Win, will equally turn a Deer's vitals to jello.

Kentucky Shooter · 10-24-2010, 19:28

Any bullet 150 grains and up will work fine.

ray glock · 10-24-2010, 19:36

Large heavy slow bullites in the 30-06 or 308 will not expend well at all in small game like Texas deer. If your rifle will shoot 150 gr. bullites well , stick with them. Don't go with heavy or hard jacke. Just my two cents from my experience.

**pennlineman** · 10-24-2010, 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by ray glock

Large heavy slow bullites in the 30-06 or 308 will not expend well at all in small game like Texas deer. If your rifle will shoot 150 gr. bullites well , stick with them. Don't go with heavy or hard jacke. Just my two cents from my experience.

I agree. I shot one deer with a 180gr bullet with no evidence of expansion. It died quickly but I've had far better results with 165gr sierra game kings and Remington 150gr core lokts.

albyihat · 10-24-2010, 22:08

A big +1 for core lokt. I also like hornady 165gr sst.

albyihat · 10-24-2010, 22:14

sorry I see you want recipes as well, my current fav. is 53.5gr H4350 165gr hornady SST this is using military brass so the powder charge is lower then if using std. brass. This chronos at 2850 fps.

Esox357 · 10-24-2010, 22:44

My 30.06 likes the 165 BTSP Hornady with H414. This kills even the biggest deer.

I.Hate.Glocks. · 10-25-2010, 10:10

I havn't began reloading for the .30/06, but the Winchester power points in 180gr, shoot, expand and kill perfectly. After first hand, seeing what the 180gr does in regards to shooting tight groups at 100 yards and making a "milkshake" out of the deers innards, I suggest you give them equal consideration. Certain rifle twist rates do much better with the 180gr compard to the 150. The fun is in the testing. Enjoy.

Pat T · 10-25-2010, 16:49

Been using Nosler 180 grain ballistic tips with 59.2 grains of IMR 4831 with a CCI 250 primer for 25+ years, absolutely lethal and VERY accurate. DISCLAIMER: This load is not found in current manuals, approach with caution. The magnum primer was found to be necessary for cold weather ignition. A six pointer owed his life to that many years ago.

GIockGuy24 · 10-25-2010, 17:05

The bonded bullets do much better than the old conventional bullets but they aren't required. For a super accurate load try 58.5 grains of IMR-4350, Winchester brass, Winchester primer and a 150 grain bullet load to 3.23" - 3.25". The case and primer can be different but this is a near max load.

tjpet · 10-25-2010, 17:07

165grn Remington Core Lokt w/59.5grns. H4350. A great cold weather load for anything in the US. Accurate and lethal.

plewi006 · 10-25-2010, 19:39

I like using the 168 grain sierra game king HPBT in front of 54 grains of imr 4350. i have have great success with that load. It is a .5 MOA load out of my x-bolt.

K.Kiser · 11-04-2010, 15:58

We have had plenty of trouble with sierra bullets losing their core, this was in .284/7mm caliber and we haven't tried them in .30.. We tend to use 165 grainers in our .30's and have had the cleanest kills with Nosler partitions, Barnes X family bullets, scricco's, accubonds, etc... They retain their weight while in the animal, which means retained velocity while penetrating, and that means retained shock... We've found the core-lokts to be inconsistent in construction, but for moderate range they should be alright... With the quality bullets, we rarely ever find the bullet still in the animal and few to none of the animals make it out of the immediate area... We've shot 200lbs.-300lbs. hogs off sandbags and heavy barrels out to 500 yards with complete penetration at broadside, those were 180 grainers.. At "woods hunting" distances, the Barnes, and Noslers have demonstrated that they will penetrate a 225 lbs. hog from stem to stern with a head-on shot and they couldn't have hit the ground any quicker than they did...

PhantomF4E · 11-04-2010, 18:07

Ballistic tips, think of them as exploding tips. When they hit flesh they expand great, when they hit bone, a mess becomes a really big mess. For bigger game at longer range they cannot be beat. But if you are after a common, old tried and true, boring, standard, nothing hyper technical, standard range whitetail deer round. the 150 gn Core lokt as mentioned in the previous posts are it. Economical, even range economical,( you can actually practice with the round you hunt with ) acceptable accuracy, and get the job done consistency, you can't go wrong. You may not get the bragging rights of having the latest and greatest super-duper $37 dollar a round, billionth of an moa at 500 yards accuracy, polymer tipped, depleted uranium round. BUT you will have a nice buck strapped on the trunk as you drive by the Bentley shooters club . Most deer shots are taken at less than 100 yards. Figure a 4" humane kill zone. Just about any normal handload,with normal techniques, with a normal firearm and you got meat in the freezer. There is nothing better than taking home great food with a round you personally created. Must be the cave man in me .....

JimM_PA · 11-04-2010, 18:20

165 gr. Nosler ballistic tips with IMR-4350 has been a reliable and accurate combination for me for many years.

BsChoy · 11-08-2010, 14:55

I have had 2 really great loads over the years. The 1st was 150 SST over 50.0 grains of varget and the 2nd same bullet with 50.0 grains of IMR 4064. Lung shot deer never made it far.

Pat T · 11-08-2010, 18:16

Phantom-

When the BTs were first out your description of their performance certainly applied, but since then Nosler toughened the jacket (or something) up a tad to keep them from being overly destructive, we noticed this maybe 8-10 years ago? If you haven't tried them since then you may notice a difference.

BTW, where do you get your depleted uranium bullets?!? Do they take MC???