OK, let's make a distinction here between "hunting" bear and "bear defense." For "bear defense" -- even black bear -- I want the heaviest bullet I can get. Big fan of .458 dia. in 350 gr. or better for "bear defense." And we're talking WAY under 100 yds.
30.06 in various grains
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scythefwd
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stinger, my .30-30, which is way less powerful than your .30-06 will take a black bear using 170 gr corelokts. I could take a grizzly with that same gun, but I would rather have something a little more stout. That is hunting... when being hunted you want the biggest and baddest thing you can carry.
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stinger 327
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Like a 220 grain ?
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In handloads 165 gr work best for my favorite '06. I read somewhere that the optimum 30-06 weight was the 168 gr pointed boattail as determined by the U.S. Army. That comes from when I was attached the Army AMU in Mannhiem, Germany. You can hardly go wrong with 150 to 180 gr.
Maybe it was 168 gr for NATO, 180 for '06. Man Im getting old. That was in the '60's.
While we're debateing, grizzly bear, elk, and buffalo were nearly wiped out by black powder cartridges, far inferior to the 30-06. Wild Bill Hickok was said to have tried to kill a grizzly with a .36 cal. black powder pistol. Men weren't as wussy then. You're not living if you haven't been scared to death.
Maybe it was 168 gr for NATO, 180 for '06. Man Im getting old. That was in the '60's.
While we're debateing, grizzly bear, elk, and buffalo were nearly wiped out by black powder cartridges, far inferior to the 30-06. Wild Bill Hickok was said to have tried to kill a grizzly with a .36 cal. black powder pistol. Men weren't as wussy then. You're not living if you haven't been scared to death.
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stinger 327
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So 150 to 180 grain makes a great sniper bullet as used in the US Army?
The army must have some kind of criteria for this as to effective range for this weight.
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Stinger, the criteria is, "We need something that works."
So you test and find out what works better than the other options. You then scream, "Eureka!" The next step is standardization and mass production.
It's pretty much the same for whatever purpose one decides upon. Try it; if it works, it's good.
From trying it, I know that an 00 Buck and five grains of pistol powder makes the '06 a good squirrel load. An 80-grain bullet ahead of a bunch of 3031 does horrible things to jackrabbits and buzzards. (Clue: Do not do this to a buzzard which is directly overhead. It gives a whole new meaning to "rain".) A 110-grain bullet is a good varmint load, and likely would be somewhat disruptive inside a Hostile Person. The 150 will take care of most any Bambi you'll ever see. IMO the 165 is sorta betwixt and between the 150 and the 180. More recoil than the 150 and less penetration than the 180--based on "ding depth" on steel at my 500-yard range.
Above 180? You're getting into specialized uses. 220-grain if all you have is an '06 and Great Big Bears are on the agenda. 230-grain VLDs for long-range target.
Testing weird ideas can be fun, particularly at age 16. You can carefully drill out the nose of a 220-grain lead hollow-point gas check bullet with a 1/4-inch drill. You can carefull cut off the exposed lead of a .22 long rifle cartridge. You can insert the remains of the cartridge into the hole in the bullet. You can load the bullet with no more than 20 grains of 2400. You can shoot at a tree limb with great expectations.
Don't bother. The result is under-whelming.
So you test and find out what works better than the other options. You then scream, "Eureka!" The next step is standardization and mass production.
It's pretty much the same for whatever purpose one decides upon. Try it; if it works, it's good.
From trying it, I know that an 00 Buck and five grains of pistol powder makes the '06 a good squirrel load. An 80-grain bullet ahead of a bunch of 3031 does horrible things to jackrabbits and buzzards. (Clue: Do not do this to a buzzard which is directly overhead. It gives a whole new meaning to "rain".) A 110-grain bullet is a good varmint load, and likely would be somewhat disruptive inside a Hostile Person. The 150 will take care of most any Bambi you'll ever see. IMO the 165 is sorta betwixt and between the 150 and the 180. More recoil than the 150 and less penetration than the 180--based on "ding depth" on steel at my 500-yard range.
Above 180? You're getting into specialized uses. 220-grain if all you have is an '06 and Great Big Bears are on the agenda. 230-grain VLDs for long-range target.
Testing weird ideas can be fun, particularly at age 16. You can carefully drill out the nose of a 220-grain lead hollow-point gas check bullet with a 1/4-inch drill. You can carefull cut off the exposed lead of a .22 long rifle cartridge. You can insert the remains of the cartridge into the hole in the bullet. You can load the bullet with no more than 20 grains of 2400. You can shoot at a tree limb with great expectations.
Don't bother. The result is under-whelming.
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stinger 327
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Seems to me I need not worry about any more bruises dropping down from 220 to 150-180 grains.Stinger, the criteria is, "We need something that works."
So you test and find out what works better than the other options. You then scream, "Eureka!" The next step is standardization and mass production.
It's pretty much the same for whatever purpose one decides upon. Try it; if it works, it's good.
From trying it, I know that an 00 Buck and five grains of pistol powder makes the '06 a good squirrel load. An 80-grain bullet ahead of a bunch of 3031 does horrible things to jackrabbits and buzzards. (Clue: Do not do this to a buzzard which is directly overhead. It gives a whole new meaning to "rain".) A 110-grain bullet is a good varmint load, and likely would be somewhat disruptive inside a Hostile Person. The 150 will take care of most any Bambi you'll ever see. IMO the 165 is sorta betwixt and between the 150 and the 180. More recoil than the 150 and less penetration than the 180--based on "ding depth" on steel at my 500-yard range.
Above 180? You're getting into specialized uses. 220-grain if all you have is an '06 and Great Big Bears are on the agenda. 230-grain VLDs for long-range target.
Testing weird ideas can be fun, particularly at age 16. You can carefully drill out the nose of a 220-grain lead hollow-point gas check bullet with a 1/4-inch drill. You can carefull cut off the exposed lead of a .22 long rifle cartridge. You can insert the remains of the cartridge into the hole in the bullet. You can load the bullet with no more than 20 grains of 2400. You can shoot at a tree limb with great expectations.
Don't bother. The result is under-whelming.
Stinger, I may be wrong and I don't want to go back and read through the whole thread, but did you ever answer the question about what your uses for this rifle load will be? This is the most important factor in suggesting a good load to use.
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scythefwd
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No, I mean like a howitzer. I want a 45-100 shooting barn burners. I was a 416 rigby. I want a 50 bmg. That is if the bear is hunting me. Hunting anything short of a grizzly, I'd use a 150 gr. nosler partition. When I am hunting, I have time to be very picky about the shot. When being hunted, I may only have a few seconds of time to shoot...and I want a round that will rip the dadgumn bear in half (none exist that I know of) or as close to it that I can manage and shoot.
As to shooting burglers before they enter your house... you're more likely to catch a murder charge than be justified.
Hitting the bulls from a bore sighted gun can happen, but you will more than likely need 5-9 rounds to zero or more from there (assuming that you shoot 2-3 times before making a sight adjustment).
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scythefwd
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www.nosler.com
It is a round that was designed to expand well, have good weight retention, and solid penetration. While very expensive (they are 25 dollars for 50 projectiles, not loaded bullets), they are about the best round out there. Many bullets out there are sufficient for what you are wanting to do (and that includes hunting bambi, porky, baloo, and any other big game on the North American continent). If you are looking for plinking, stick with corelokts, if you are hunting deer, the corelokts will do, if you are punching paper in serious competition, use a sierra match king, if you are hunting BIG bears, use something designed for it like the nosler partition.
And even though your 220 gr corelokt will do the job, it may not have the best trajectory. Your corelokts are 50-60 year old technology, if not older. Bullets have been improved a lot since then.
It is a round that was designed to expand well, have good weight retention, and solid penetration. While very expensive (they are 25 dollars for 50 projectiles, not loaded bullets), they are about the best round out there. Many bullets out there are sufficient for what you are wanting to do (and that includes hunting bambi, porky, baloo, and any other big game on the North American continent). If you are looking for plinking, stick with corelokts, if you are hunting deer, the corelokts will do, if you are punching paper in serious competition, use a sierra match king, if you are hunting BIG bears, use something designed for it like the nosler partition.
And even though your 220 gr corelokt will do the job, it may not have the best trajectory. Your corelokts are 50-60 year old technology, if not older. Bullets have been improved a lot since then.
Abel
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I would never use the 220 for anything. If I needed the 220, I'd want a larger caliber.
my first hunting rifle was and still is a rugar m77 in 30-06. I bought it in the early 80's i have a harris bipod on it and have been loading my own ammo for as long as i have owned the gun. shoot my first deer in southern OK using a serria 130 gn bthp. dropped the deer but blew up inside. started playing around with loads and the best for my rifle is 165gn serria pointed bt. i have taken big deer in Colo and WY from ranges of 50 yards to 500 yards and they all droped in their tracts all was heart/lung shots and through and through. i have played with other cal 223's 22-250's 243's 25-06's and 308's and my old rugar '06 is my go to rifle. this is probably because i have shot this gun forever and am more comfortable with it. somebody already said this but you can go into any hunting store and 30-06 shells will be on the shelf and they will be lower priced than most of the others, also if you get into reloading there is more info on the 30-06 reloads than probably any other cartridge. just try some different rounds and see which ones you and your gun likes the best. have fun
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stinger 327
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Again the 165 grain 30.06 comes to attention. Must figure you get the best range & accuracy with this projectile vs. the heavier 220 grain bullet which will have less range and drop faster.
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Why is that?
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It would seem that the consensus here is that the 165 grain or 168 grain 30.06 bullet is the accurate bullet / most popular.
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stinger 327
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I like the Core lok they fit my budget fine. Those Winchesters that cost over $40. I don't think so.
What bullet in 30.06 does Super X Winchester use for it largest game? I saw on the back of the box a chart identifying their bullets by category and type of animal taken.
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