30-06 which bullet is best?

[Deerman]

My wife bought me a new 30-06,Remington 710.I'll be shooting only deer.Which bullet,brand and weight is best?She bought it for Valentines Day,yea,after gun season!Anyway it's still in the box and I'll have enough time to get to know it.

[Swift]

Congrats on the new rifle!

As to yer question, your gonna need to find the best.
What works for one fella and his rifle may not work for another.

Best of luck and enjoy!

[skeet]

Deerman...Really ain't any "best" bullet but for factory ammo try the ol standby made by the people who made the rifle. Remington 150 gr core lokt. Usually a pretty good combo. Congrats on the rifle. Hope you like it and shoot it well....and often:D Hope ya gave momma a real big hug and a kiss for that gift!! :D :D :cool:

[srab]

Try something in a 150 gr. bullet first. Hornady would be a
good place to start as their factory ammunition is usually not
pricey and is typically fairly accurate. That's not to say,
though, that it will be accurate in your rifle. If not, try a
different brand of ammunition, again, in a 150 gr. offering.
You don't need "premium" bullets for deer-hunting
with a 30-06, and "premium" ammunition costs a little
more, so I'd stick with the less-expensive stuff.

If, after trying several different brands, you can't find one
that will shoot reasonably well (hopefully capable of
putting 3 shots into 1 1/2 in. at 100 yds), you might try
a 165 gr. load. These will provide a very suitable load for
deer as well, with just a touch more recoil. The sectional
densities of the 165s are better than those of the 150s
in .30-caliber, so, even though they leave the muzzle a
little bit slower than the 150s, they retain their down-
range energy a little better than do 150s.

If you happen to find a box that shoots particularly well
through your rifle, go back to where you bought it and
buy 3 or 4 more boxes and you'll be set. Unfortunately,
the factories tend to change their recipes over time, so
you can't necessarily rely on just buying another box
next year, the year after, or whenever you might
need it, because they may be using completely
different powders/bullets/primers, and will certainly be
using different lots of powder/bullet/primer even if
they are using the identical combinations. The "new"
stuff down the line may not shoot as well.

Good luck with that 710!

[Jack]

srab's really covered it nicely. if you follow his advise, you'll be in good shape.

[Evan03]

remington core lockts seem to shoot good in all my rifles and very good in some.

id try and find 165gr factory ammo in any varity of bullet to start with.

my ruger 3006 shot 150gr core lokts into 1.5"-2" groups at 100yds wich isnt very bad for rifle that just outa the box and hasnt been tuned nor tested any other ammo in. thats plenty good for most any deer hunting.

["yote"]

As for factory fodder, I've always been very satisfied with
Fedral Premium. In my 308, I can't match it with handioads.
(sub MOA).

[PJgunner]

I prefer heavier bullets for better penetration, less meat damage and potentially better blood trails should I mess up my shot. So, for deer, I load the 180 gr. Sierra Pro-hunter and for bigger game the Nosler 180 gr. Partition. In all my 30-06 rifles, I am able to use the same powder charge with either bullet.
This is what works for me.
Paul B.

[Classicvette63]

deerman, check out the thread in the reloading section entitled "extensive bullet testing".

I agree with PJ, I use 180gr bullets for deer, specifically round nose core-lokts. It anchors them right on the spot.

[Deerman]

Thanks for the info that will really help.She did get a big kiss for it.Now if I can just get some time off,we're still working on Ivan.

[Dom]

Paint me in the heavier category also -- I use 180 grainers, both Nosler Partitions and Speer Grand Slams. There's so many good bullets out there, you just gotta find what works for you, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[Duffy]

First of all, your wife is AWESOME! Wish mine would buy me a new toy, but alas...

I always use Remington 170 grain Core-Lokts, and have always had good consistent shooting/hunting success with them. Nothing better, in my opinion.

[Hi Ball]

In bullet weight for the 30-06, using it on whitetail deer, I would opt for the 150 grain if your hunting bean fields or shooting over corn fields. However, if your hunting in the woods, I would go with the 180 grain bullets.

Remington Core-Lokts have worked well over the years for this old hunter around our place! I also like reloading my own and use the premium bullets for trophy hunts in the form of Nosler Partitions. The 165 grain gets the nod in hunting mule deer out West.

If you find the bullet that works best for you in factory ammo and you going to buy more of that same ammo, make sure they are out of the same LOTT of ammo.

[TreeDoc]

I, as well as several of my friends, have had incredible results with Federal's Premium 165gr Sierra Gameking. I also shoot the Premiums with the 180gr Nosler Partition. Accuracy is not quite as good as the Gameking but the performance of the bullet speaks for itself, especially on Pigs.

There's 2 worth trying, maybe that 710 will like them. If it doesn't then I'll buy the remainder from you!

[DogYeller]

First find the bullet your rifle shoots best, then shoot until you can shoot up to your rifles potential. My 30 06, 25 year old 700 Rem bdl, shoots 150 gr Hornady spire points best. My brothers pre 64 Winchester likes 180 gr soft points best.

[Deerman]

You know,I think all the bullet makers should get together and make a sampler box like the Whitman candies.Be a great Valentines gift for us shooters,and save a heck of a lot of time.LOL Can't wait to get to the range!!!

[Stuck in Cali]

My god, how refreshing to read info from people who know what they are talking about. I have the same question. By the way great Valentines present!
I was surfing around trying to find what type of ammo I should be putting through my new 30-06 and came across your thread.

I'm glad to read that the 30-06 can be quite useful with all the different grain bullets. The guys at the shop tried everything to talk me out of chambering it as a 30-06. They wanted me to go with a 300 win mag. Anyway after reading all of your replys I feel much more confident in my decision.

[Hi Ball]

Now for those of you who may think the "Old Soldier" has been put to rest because of all the other magnums stemming from the 60's to the WSM's of today, best you think again OK. It is still in the top 3 for sales in the USA today!

I can personally tell you that I wittnessed, a hunter harvest a bull elk in Wyoming across a canyon, with the distance being a measured 447 yards.....FACT! A 180 grain Nosler Partition bullet entered it's side and took out it's liver and then traveled forward to the lungs.

So those of you, who might be wondering do I need a magnum to get the job done, guess again hunters. The 30-06 will kill anything on this planet with the proper weight and constructed bullet inserted in the chamber. You only have to put the bullet into the vital zone of said animal to become successful on your hunt.

It is far harder to be accurate with a rifle period, never mind at long ranges shooting magnums types. Most magnums deliver far more recoil to the body than a 30-06. Something on the scale of 28 to 50 pounds or recoil to the body in small & medium bore calibers like the 300 Win mag, 338 Win mag, 340Wby, .358STA or .375 Wby. A 5 pound increase in recoil to the body can surely be felt for those of you who don't realize this fact.

The 30-06 is much easier for most hunters to control with it's mere 22 pounds of recoil that is within most hunters pain tolerances. Many many large bears where taken in Alaska in the 40's, 50's and early 60's using the corner stone caliber, known as the 30-06 with 180 to 220 grain bullets back then.

[Tarfur]

Hello

I have had very good luck við Sierra 165gr. GK HP. Good accuracy in my rifle, no mead-damage. I have mostly been using it to shot caribous.

Tarfur

[Cossack]

Being a hadloader I shoot only premuim bullets (Barnes TSX) for my hunt loads. About any 150-160 grain bullet will do for deer. Much of it depends on what your gun likes (some will shoot more accurately than others in your gun--regardless how they shot in someone elses gun...of the same make and model, even). The distances at which you shoot will also matter. Polly tipped varmint bullets have great ballistic coefficients for distant hits but tend to blow up when the connect on something up close, for exaple. So try different brands and different bullets (most of the big co's offer premium bullets along with conventional ones) until you find the accuracy and terminal performance you want. And if you do want to experiment with premiums, CCI and Federal offers Barnes X, and Winchester has the Fail Safe which is comperable. They may cost more but 18 one-shot kills keep me thinking it's worth it to send the very best.