30.06 Mule Deer factory ammo

It's pretty hard to beat the Rem CL, you can pay a lot more but for mule deer they will do the job very well.
For deer I would use the 150's

SST, Accubonds, or Core-Lokt work swell. As for weight, I would pick the one that shot best out of my gun, which in my case is the 165.

Shooting the buck through the ribs will preserve more meat. If you hit shoulder, hind, or loin it doesn't matter what you shoot it will wreck meat, the difference in those bullets won't hardly be measurable.

You really need to just shoot your gun and use what it shoots best. A mule deer is not hard to kill and most any will work. A few points:

I've tried the Superformance ammo. The loads I shot over a chronograph were more than 100 fps slower than advertised. My handloads are slightly faster than what I was actually getting with Superformance.

The SST is a good deer bullet, but it tends to give pretty dramatic expansion and will mess up more meat than a standard 180 gr bullet. The sharp plastic tip makes the bullet more aerodynamic.

If the Superformance ammo shoots well in your gun it will work as well as any factory load for your purposes.

As to bullet weight. A 150 gr bullet is plenty big enough for deer in a 30-06, but do not discout heavier bullets if they shoot more accurately in your gun. I get slightly better accuracy with 165's so that is what I use most. The difference in trajectory is a lot less than most consider. Heavier bullets are longer, and more aerodynamic. While a 150 starts out faster, it also slows down faster because of poor aerodynamics. At longer ranges a 165 or 180 will eventually reach a point where it is moving faster than a 150.

With a 200 yard zero 165 gr bullets in my 30-06 loads are only 1" lower at 400 yards. The 180's are only 2" lower than the 150's. Both 165's and 180 hit harder at long range and are less effected by wind. They will also destroy less meat.

I a nutshell any old bullet that shoots well in your gun will be fine. If you were planning on elk hunting and shooting at 500 yards then bullet selecton is more important.

VegasAR15 said:

I realize it won't be much of a difference to me or the deer, I just have a tendency to pick things apart and overanalyze everything.

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You must be an engineer.

All of the advice you have received thus far is good. H&H hunter's advice about shooting what you have makes perfect sense.

While slightly larger on average than a whitetail, mule deer aren't incredibly difficult to put down. I've taken them with .223, .243, 30-30, 7.62x39, and 7mm mag. All put the deer down. Any quality bullet that shoots well in your rifle will serve you fine

Actually a faster lighter bullet with less sectional density will be expand faster/come apart easier therefore it'll do MORE meat damage than heavier bullet with a higher SD moving at a slower speed.


this is absolutely right. go with the 180. it will kill well and not smash the carcass to pieces. you are already zeroed for it...

I typically reach for Core-lokts or Winchester Power Points.

TR

interlock said:

Actually a faster lighter bullet with less sectional density will be expand faster/come apart easier therefore it'll do MORE meat damage than heavier bullet with a higher SD moving at a slower speed.


this is absolutely right. go with the 180. it will kill well and not smash the carcass to pieces. you are already zeroed for it...

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Actually a 180 gr is not a handicap at long range. Although the bullet starts out slower than a lighter bullet it will retain its speed and energy longer than a lighter bullet. Where the 180gr shines is past 400 yds. There it surpasses the 150 with a flatter trajectory and more energy. Plus you will get deeper penetration than you would with a lighter bullet of the same construction.

Hornady Superformance SST 150 grains
Federal Fusion
the old Core-Lokt

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Seriously, any of those you mentioned will do the job splendidly.
Like jmr40 said, see what your rifle likes the best and go with that one. A deer will not be able to tell you any difference performance wise.

Actually a 180 gr is not a handicap at long range. Although the bullet starts out slower than a lighter bullet it will retain its speed and energy longer than a lighter bullet. Where the 180gr shines is past 400 yds. There it surpasses the 150 with a flatter trajectory and more energy. Plus you will get deeper penetration than you would with a lighter bullet of the same construction.
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Yes for sure. I agree

I vote for any of them. I've never had much of a difference in ammo where one bullet would hit outside of the kill zone when aiming for it. Successfully used plenty of core-lokts and winchester super x power points, gonna use fusions this year, and have some power shoks as well. I just buy what's on sale.

The last time I bought ammo for my '06, I had sighted it in with 180gr Core-Lokts the season before in preparation for an elk hunt. I didn't have time to buy 150s for the upcoming muley hunt, so I figured I'd "sacrifice a bunch of bloodshot meat" and stay with the 180s. Not only was i happy with the performance of the 180s on my buck, but I used a round from the same box to anchor a good bull elk a few weeks later. I see no reason to switch back to 150; in fact, the rifle shoots better groups with the heavier bullets in any case.

When I buy rounds these days, I get four or five boxes from the same lot number. Short of having to re-zero the rifle, that's enough ammunition to get me through about thirty seasons. No more often than I draw, I'll be passing three unopened boxes down to my grandkids.

I, too, recommend going with what your rifle prefers. That being said, my .30-06 bolt guns are most accurate with the Federal High Energy w/ 180gr Partition. Cataloged as P3006R, they are no longer made but are still available. My rifles also like the older Hornady Light Magnums.

I had great fun at a local club's sight in day when my '06 chronographed faster than another hunter's .300WinMag.