Good Load needed for 30-06

[Gary Brommeland]

Hi Folks!

I have loaded metallic target ammo for some time, but never anything for big game. I am looking for a place to start in working up a hunting load in 30-06 to be used primarily on Whitetail Deer. I need not only specific data concerning powder type and charge weight, but also a recommendation for a quality bullet with good performance in the 150gr to 168 gr range.

To all who take the time to post, I thank you in advance. I appreciate the help. Thanks!

 

[ants]

Everyone's opinion is different. Here's mine.

Let's say you're not looking for 1000 yard match accuracy, but a really good place to start for deer ammo.

Pick any major bullet manufacturer - hornady, speer, sierra, etc. - and go to their web site or catalog to learn about their bullets. Each makes a different type of bullet for different shooting: target shooting, varmint game, medium game (like deer), and large dangerous game. Pick the medium game bullet. Select the bullet weight of your choice, but many .30-06 rifles seem to really favor 168 or 180 grain.

One of the oldest quintessential powders for .30-06 is 4895 (either IMR or Hodgdon). It was the military powder of choice for several decades when that cartridge was the top small arms military cartridge. It is very easy to load, and you'll quickly find a load that your rifle likes.

Then, the fun starts. Try different bullets, different powders, different primers, different brass, and keep trying just to experiment. That's the fun of reloading.

 

[bragood]

I had the same question, sort of. I have a 308 I needed a load for and some experience from a friend who has loaded for the 30 06 for 40+ years. He said and I did try the Hornady SST. At first I tried the 150 gr with imr 4895 and shot 1/2 moa off the bench. That was good for me! Im going to try the 168 just for kicks but that has worked for me so far and will drop anything I hunt.

 

[Gary Brommeland]

Thanks, guys. I owned a benchrest gun years ago in '06 (A Schilen Barrelled 'O3A3 that I kick myself every day for selling) and IMR 4895 was my favorite powder to load for it w/ 168gr Match King's.

I was going to use that load as my starting point. I guess that my question revolves more around choosing a bullet. The Game King is pretty close to the profile of the Match King, but it is an old design. It is my understanding that bullet design has come a long way in the past 20 years or so.

So waddya'll think - is the Game King still considered a premium bullet, or have some of the new designs (like Ballistic Tips) made them obsolete?

Thanks again for the input.

 

[Idano]

Gary,

My pet deer load for my old Model 70 is 125 gr Sierra (Now called the Pro-Hunter) with a CCI-250 primer and 50 grs of MR-3031. This round clocks in at 3110 fps on the chrono. It is a nice flat shooting round that has served me well out to 300 yrds on mule deer. I have been very happy with the bullet mass retention after impact approximately 40 - 60 % as long as it doesn't hit bone, but if it hits bone it usually leave a hole the size of your fist.

 

[ants]

Game King is a boat tail design, and still good after all these years. It's not necessarily top of the line, but certainly not the bottom of the line for medium game. And it is priced reasonably.

Check out the other manufacturers. They all make a type of boat tail bullet for comparison.

Premium bullets would include Hornady Interbond and Nosler Partition. And Barnes X. And a few others.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

For the 30-06 I like Sierra GameKing bullets in both 150gr and 165gr. I use 4350 for all my 30-06 rounds and my rifles like H4350 a little better than IMR4350 but your rifle may like the opposite. H4350 generated less pressure at the same velocities than IMR4350.

I've had good success using 4895 but that's to be expected since it was the original 30-06 powder but I like 4350 just a little better. I also use only a 168gr Sierra MatchKing bullet at the range. I see no reason to go up to a 175gr unless you are shooting out to 600 yards or more. Considering I have little chance if any at hitting anything out to 600 yards I stick with the 168gr bullets!! LOL

 

[Oldcoyote]

I shot animals in Africa ranging from 80 lbs to 600 lbs with the 180 gr Nosler Partition but for deer only, most any 150 grain would be fine. A favorite is the Nosler Balistic Tip. Look at many loads on Hodgdon's web site. Many people like H4350. Also see Ramshot web site for loads using Hunter, a ball powder.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Sierra 165 grain BTHP over 60 grains of H4831SC. works quite well in Browning .30-06 A-Bolt...

 

[Gary Brommeland]

Thanks guys!

 

[Remo-99]

pretty much any hunting type bullet in a 30-06, placed right, will drop a whitetail. more so than an optimum hunting bullet not placed so right. that's my opinion anyways.

 

[critter]

In mine, I use 150 gr Nosler BT's and either IMR 4895 or IMR 4350. I have had great luck in the accuracy department as well as the 'dead deer' department. Most were 130-150 lbs, not the moose-like animals I always 'hear about'.

 

[swampshooter]

30/06

Just load the Sierra 165 game king the same as you would a 168 and it'll work marvelously.

 

[BoilerUP]

150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip over 48.5gr Varget is highly accurate in my Remington 700, and the load I'm going to hunt with this fall.

 

[NCsmitty]

Any game bullet of 165gr., Rem., Nosler, Hornady, Win., Sierra backed by the load that you used for competition should be ideal. Of course, checking for groups with whatever you use is an essential part, as you know.

NCsmitty

 

[willymike]

Any good quality well constructed bullet in 150 to 165 grains will work fine if placed in the right spot. Deer are not that tough. I really like the 165 grain bullets in my 30-06 and mostly load Hornady Interlocks, Seirra Gamekings, and Hornady SST.

Any of those three work just great. Try them all and see which your rifle likes best. Terminal performance between the three is very similar. The Seirra probably has slight accuracy edge, but not by a great deal. You can purchase the Gamekings are reasonable prices. Weight consistancy (measured on digital scale) is excellent. Again, you can't go wrong with any of the three.

I load the 165 grain bullet on top of 57.6 grains of IMR 4350. Start about 5 - 10% lower and work up.

 

[Ky Larry]

The Remington 165 Corelokt is an oldie but goodie. Reasonably priced and accurate. I like IMR-4350 and RE-19. Do your part and the bullet will do it's part. Good luck.

 

[Sunray]

Work up a load using 165 grain hunting bullets and IMR4064 and you'll be set for any game you care to kill. The '03 loves 'em as much as it loves the 168 grain match bullet. Not quite the same accuracy, but very close.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Another vote for a 165g premium bullet (NBT) over 57g IMR 4350.

 

[Griz44]

Like several others here, I found that my Rem 700 in 30.06 realy likes the Reminington PSPCL in 165g, loaded over a WLR primer and 57g of H4350. Very accurate and has very good take down power.

 

[Galil5.56]

First metallic round I ever loaded was 30/06 using 165 bullets and DuPont IMR 4064... Still works as well as ever.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

My 700 BDL loves the tried and true 165 remington core lockt. Off the bench, three shots into one ragged 40ish caliber hole at 100 yards. This in numerous temperature and humidity conditions, and by multiple shooters. I'm not fixing what isn't broke.

One thing you need to figure is this:

For you, are you wanting through-n-through penetration with a classic mushroom of around 45 caliber? Or are you one of those guys looking for more explosive preformance?

example: I've shot, and help dress out others deer that were shot with the core-lockt slugs. Most times, the slug wasn't recovered as it passed clear through, exit wound usually somewhere between a quarter and a golf ball in diameter. A shot through the shoulder usually results in a badly deformed but still largely intact slug lodged in the off shoulder or ribs. Generally find about a 3-4 inch circle of destroyed tissue surrounding the wound channel.

But take something like a remington bronze point, winchester silvertip, or several different ballistic tip designs. They work a little different: Two years ago, a buddy of mine put a silvertip through the shoulder of a 170ish lb mulie. Yes the deer was DRT. But the slug expanded so violently that it flat-out blew up. Pieces of jacket and slug all over in the boiler room. Shoulder and the front 2/3rds of the ribcage were destroyed. It did get to the vitals as it grenaded, and made an unholy mess of them. Absolutely no damage to the off side ribs or shoulder.


Guess it just depends which type of preformance you're looking for.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

Another vote for IMR 4064 and a vote for the 165 Sierra Game king bullet as well. Load data for this powder and bullet weight shows that it likes being loaded at or near max and proved to be the case for my Chilean Govt. contract modello 98 Mauser. At 50.0 gr. am getting right at 2,850 fps with neck sized only fire formed Rem brass, Fed 210M primers and will shoot 1 in. groups at 200 yds with a clean barrel any day of the week ( the wind doesnt get over a breeze ) . So many loads,,, so little time ,,, Have fun ! 10 SPOT

 

[smitty_bs]

My Remington 700 BDL loves 48gr of IMR4320 under the 150gr Hornady Interlock. This is a mild load giving about 2700fps. But I've shot deer at ranges from 25 to 200 yards with it. All one shot kills. It groups under an inch.

Other loads are 52gr of IMR4064 for about 2950fps. I've used Speer 150gr flat bases with this.

I do like 180gr RN bullets in the woods. A Speer 180gr RN over 48gr of IMR4064 is an excellent woods whitetail load. The Wisconsin deer I've shot have all gone down instantly or dropped within 20yds. The round nose opens faster than a spitzer, and there is still plenty of shank to drive the bullet on through.