What's a good 30-06 round to shoot for deer

[ShootALot523]

Looking for a 30-06 round for hunting whitetail with my Remington model 700. I have it sighted in with 165 grain Remingtons that I'm not impressed with, but would like to see what brand of ammo and weight other people think is appropriate.

 

[Fumbler]

Most 30-06s will shoot 165 gr bullets well compared to equal quality loads of different bullet weights.

What exactly are you not impressed with in the Remingtons? Accuracy? Terminal performance?
What specific Remington bullet is it?

If you don't like the accuracy then try a higher quality line of ammo in 165 gr.
Some things that come to mind are Federal Premium, Winchester Supreme, Hornady, Black Hills Gold, etc.
Those lines of ammo are loaded with bullets that are typically more consistent (read accurate) than regular Rem or Win soft points. These are bullets like the Nosler ballistic tips, partitions, accubond, interbond, fusion, etc.
The Ballistic Tip and similar bonded bullets with polymer tips tend to top the accuracy list.

As far as terminal performance goes it doesn't really matter what bullet you pick. Deer are not hard to kill. You're going to kill a deer with any bullet out of a 30-06 whether it's a $14 box of cheap Winchester soft points or a $50 box of Barnes TSX. If the bullet doesn't kill the deer then it's your fault.

Having said all that, I used to have a Win Model 70 in 30-06 and used 165 gr Federal Premium Ballistic Tips. The Ballistic Tips killed deer just the same as Winchester Super-X soft points or Barnes TSX. The Ballistic Tips just happen to shoot better so thats what I used.

You simply have to try ammo until you find one that works for you.
Higher quality ammo almost always shoots better and 165 gr bullets typically shoot better than 150 or 180. You should still try some 150 or 180 gr loads if you don't mind plopping down the cash for some expensive experimentation.

 

[rondog]

Pretty much anything, but NOT military-type FMJ's!

 

[natman]

I have had good luck with Winchester 150 grain Power Points, although 150 grain Remington Corelockts are also good.

 

[ThrottleJockey72]

It really depends on where you're hunting. In heavy cover in the cedar swamps of northern MN, I have had good luck with heavier bullets and like the Rem core-lokt in 180grain, but in wide open turf, like when I hunt antelope in ND, I prefer a much lighter bullet like 150-165 grain. So, in other words, there are too many variables for a one size fits all answer. Just remember, the bullets come in different weights for a reason. Sort of like hammers, you wouldn't use a ball peen to roof your house much like you wouldn't use a framing hammer to make jewelry or pound out the fender of your car.

 

[wankerjake]

We've had good success with 150gr core-lokts on elk, I reckon they'd work well on deer too.

 

[nathan]

Deers are killed with .243 cal in 85 gr to 100 gr easy as long they hit the vitals. A .3006 in 150 gr is more than plenty . And its much more with 165 gr. My Garand M 1 has already been zeroed iwth the Winchester 150 gr SUper X , I used a SChuster Adjustable Plug. Planning to get a deer with it someday.

 

[Nautilus]

Remington 150gr core-lokts have always worked very well for me hunting white tail. My Savage 30-06 will group them close to 1" at 100 yards and is more than enough power for white tail deer.

 

[.333 Nitro Express]

Anything weighing 150 grains or more is perfectly suitable. Find something accurate and don't give it another thought.

Tom

 

[wyohome]

I load 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips in my .308 for deer. A 30.06 would be similar. I have found that those bullets expand too quickly for elk, however, and don't give enough penetration for my liking.

 

[Art Eatman]

Folks seem to swear by Remington CoreLokt for factory ammo. I've only used handloads in my '06 hunting; Rem Bronze Points, Hornady Spire Points and Sierra Spire Points.

I, my father and my uncle have 99% of the time used 150-grain bullets. I tried a few hunts with 165-grains, but that became a "Why bother?" deal. From an '06, 150s are plenty good to 400 and 500 yards, from family experience.

 

[chas08]

150 grain bullet in whatever brand groups well in your gun.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I like 150 and 165 grain bullets by any manufacturer.

 

[3pairs12]

My 700 30-06 likes 150 gr Federal Pwoershok. Its cheap too.

 

[blackbearaddict]

a buddy of mine uses 150 grain core lokts through his remi 700
i used to use 150 grain core lokts through my remi 721
he blows holes in whitetails half the size of my head
i drop'em dead with holes the size of a quarter
... any who they work great either way but i still dont get it

 

[RDA 226sig]

150 grain Remington Core Lokts bullets are hard to beat for performance and cost. Reasonable accuracy and satisfactory terminal performance. You can spend more if you want but there isn't any reason to.

 

[sonier]

its a great excuse to reload your own i say reload some 125 gr spitzers at around 3600 fps and watch em drop like a fly with a swatter.

 

[ShootALot523]

I was sighting it in with Rem Core-Lokt. Groups were just ok. There are so many different types of hunting ammo. Want something that is going to expand well and do the job.

 

[ShootALot523]

I know a lot of ammo will shoot nice groups, but not sure which tip to get. Looking at Federals, but don't know if I should get Nosler, Sierra, trophy bonded or spitzer boat tail. Why the hell are there so many different tips in the same bullet weight? If one of them does the job, why do you need all these different tips? Like to compare two of these. which two would you recommend out of the above list? I understand shot placement is also key, just want to get the right fit for a whitetail. Don't want to blow it to hell. Never hunted with a 30-06 before.

 

[Geno]

Check this previous thread for 150 versus 180 grain projectiles in .30-06. I also posted the ballistics to 500 yards for the 150, 165 and 180 grain projectiles. As Art stated, the 150 grain will work just fine to 500 yards.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=441805&highlight=300

Simply stated (repeating a previous post), use whatever groups accurately for you.

Best of luck,

Geno

 

[exbiologist]

Every one of those bullets is designed to do something slightly different(actually they are all designed to kill, but expand and fly slightly differently). For deer I lean towards rapid expansion and high velocity. Nosler Ballistic Tips are fantastic in my experience. The Winchester Ballistic Silvertip is basicallly the same thing. I'd go with 150 grains for a .30-06 on deer.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

The managed recoil loads are the best AFAIAC for whitetails - enough power, and no flinch during sight-in!

 

[Ben Shepherd]

My rifle(Rem 700) puts 3 shots of 165 core-lockt into one hole at 100 regularly. Your rifle doesn't.

So- Try the Federal powershock, the new fusion offering is getting excellent reviews everywhere I've looked, Winchester failsafe(I dislike there regular superX type loads, I've seen one too many deer hit with them that had jacket/core seperations), and if you can find it, some factory Hornady 165 interlocked would be fine if it's accurate in your rifle.

All of the ones I mentioned you can expect through-n-through penetration on deer with a golf ball sized exit hole and very little bloodshot meat.

If you like more explosive expansive stuff, then look to Silvertips, Bronze points, etc.

Regardless of what you choose, try stuff that weighs 165 first. The '06 has been shown to really shoot that weight well across the board in several articles I've read, and personal experience bears this out.