Favorite .30-06 Factory Load for Deer?

[Guyon]

Application is white-tail deer hunting. Since I'm not taking long distance shots where I hunt, I was thinking of just picking up some plain old Remington Express Core-Lokt in 165 grain. Thought I'd get some opinions here first...

What factory loads do you shoot in your '06? Any loads you don't like?

 

[Terrierman]

Favorite factory load (deer hunting) for my 760 .30-06 is Federal Premium with 165 grain Game Kings. Very accurate in my rifle and Game Kings work like they are suposed to on deer.

 

[ryan b]

Im not crazy over the Remington 165 Corelokt I shoot 168 Winchester Supreme Balistic Silvertips or Failsafe both very accurate and deadly My longest shot was 460 yards on a coyote great loads.

 

[Onmilo]

I'm leaning to a 165 grain soft point handload but haven't had the opportunity to try it on a deer yet.

 

[ACP230]

I used to use a .30-06 with 150 grain Remingtom PSP Core-Lokt bullets for deer.

Then I went to a .250 Savage with 100 grain PSP Core-Lokt bullets.
Both worked fine on deer. With the .250 deer often dropped on the spot.

If I went back to the .30-06 I'd use the 150 grainers again.
In fact, I bought 500 and use them in my .30-06 reloads.

 

[dakotasin]

i've had good luck w/ 165 and 180 sierras and 165 hornady.
if i were to fall back into the factory load trap, i'd start w/ hornady custom, hornady light magnum, and black hills ammunition. i would certainly avoid federal.

 

[TIMC]

I like the Federal Classic 150gr high shock ammo in my 30.06.

 

[jd25q]

The .30-06 is plenty gun for deer. The 150 to 165 grain bullets are ideal. I would prefer the 165 for longer ranges (350 yards plus). Main thing for deer is to avoid the super premium stuff. The stouter bullets (bonded core bullets) wont meet enough resistance in a smaller deer, and will not expand much. Core-lokt, if sufficiently accurate, would be ideal.

 

[LeonCarr]

IMO the best factory .30-06 load for deer is the Federal Premium loaded with the 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Accurate, and kills like a bolt of lightning .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[HankB]

Whitetail deer are not bulletproof.

If you're using factory ammo, any hunting bullet from a major manufacturer weighing 150 grains and up ought to do just fine, as long as you place your shot properly.

I handload, and my standard "do anything" load uses a 180 grain Nosler Partition. It will do the job on a whitetail (or any other big game I take on with the '06) from any angle . . . if I had to use a factory load, I'd use the Federal Premium with this same bullet.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

My M-1917 Enfield eats up those Core-lokt 165gn rounds like they were cavier

I have stopped shooting anything else from that gun. Eventually I plan to get a reloading set and cook up my own rounds, but right now the core-lokts and my rifle shoot way more accurately than I can when not at a bench.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The .30-06 has more than enough power for deer. No need to worry about needing premium ammunition. For deer, either white tails or mulies, you won't go wrong with any bullet weight from 150 grains on up. My advice would be to pick what shoots well in your rifle.

The 150 grain bullet is the traditional deer and antelope bullet in the .30-06. The 165 grain bullet is probably the best balanced -- plenty of muzzle velocity, good retained velocity and energy and enough weight for bigger beasties. The 180 grain bullet is the traditional elk and moose bullet.

There are also reduced recoil loads with (as I recall) 125 grain bullets designed for deer hunting. Those look attractive, but I haven't tried them.

 

['Card]

Most of my hunting is in heavy brush and thick cover. That means I try to look for a round with more than enough power (overkill, we call it) to put the deer down quickly - having to track a wounded buck a long distance through ugly terrain can make for a long, miserable day. I also need a cartridge capable of 'brush-busting', without getting pushed too far off centerline by every little twig between me and the target.

My current two favorites are the 180-grain Federal Premium Vital-Shok and the 220-grain Remington Express Soft-Point Core-Lokt. Both do the job, but for the last few years I've generally picked the Federal, because I haven't been too happy with Remington's quality control.

 

[scbair]

My Ruger M77 .30-06 seems to prefer 165 grainers; they print smaller groups than do 150 grainers (I haven't tried 180 grainers . . .). I've used Winchester 165 grain loads (Power Points???). Had trouble finding a resupply loacally, last season (verified zero with two 3-round groups; had 4 rounds left ).

I'm currently working up some handloads with Sierra 165 grain bullets.

If your rifle likes 150 grain projectiles, they'll do nicely. As already stated, the '06 is PLENTY powerful enough; go for accuracy in your hunting arm.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Here in Texas, where everything is big except the deer, I had great success last season with Remington's Managed Recoil 125 grain loads.

Four shots, four dead deer. (One was a fallow buck.)

I don't think I'd use that load on the big whitetails in other parts of the country, but for the "dog deer" around here, those loads worked great.

 

[Rob96]

My brother took a 230 pound buck with the 220gr Remington Bronze Point. One shot at 150 to 200 yds, dropped it like a rock.

 

[foghornl]

Sadly, can't use anything but shotgun-n-slug here in Ohio, unless using a centerfire handgun of .357 or bigger...

I have punched some holes in paper Bambis with Federals' new "Fusion" ammo. The 150's seem pretty accurate out of my Mossberg ATR-100

 

[30-06 lover]

Premium bullets are better. The box of cheap stuff is around 12 bux. The cost of premium is about 25 bux. The cost for licence, tags, gas, food, lodging about 200 bux. Don't worry about 10 bux when it comes to ammo. I haven't deer hunted in a long time, but when I did I shot a few deer with cheap ammo. Result...most droped like a ton of bricks. Others...had to take 2 or more rounds to die because the bullet fragmnted. For deer I say 150 to 165 or 8.

 

[brickboy240]

Federal Premuims, tipped with the 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tips.

Very accurate and kill deer and wild piggies like lightning.

- Brickboy240

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

I took a mulie buck in November with a 180 grain Federal Fusion bullet flying out of my Remington 700 in 30'06.

 

[James T Thomas]

details please

Nathanel Greene:

I too, have been interested in the RR 125 gn ammunition. I've resighted my rifle for it, but have to wait for this season to give it a try. Hopefully I will encounter one of the larger PA whitetails.

How was the penetration of that round on the deer you took?
Did you strike any bones?

There is a range limitation recommended for that round, so I will take along some heavier rounds and if I am able, adjust my point of aim, if I have to shoot to a longer range.

Considering the performance of other rounds at 110 gn to 140 gn, I would presume that as long as the bullet remains in one piece, the 125 may prove adequate for the heavier deer also; within closer distance.