30.06 Favorite bullets and loads???

[Blktail]

I am just starting to reload for my rifles. I like to use 180 grain in my 30.06 and .308 as I hunt any game with either gun.
I hunt moose, deer and bear.
Is there a bullet you would recommend for both to keep things simple?

[Cariboo]

180 grain Accubond, Scirocco, or Partition work well in both the '06 and the 308.

[Rocky Raab]

Once you throw moose and bear into the equation, penetration and bullet strength follow along.

The 180 Nosler Partition is still the bullet to which all others are compared, and it's never a bad choice. Earlier versions were sometimes not as accurate due to the difficulty in making the bullet, but they solved that some time ago. Today's Partition is a superb bullet.

Another option would be to drop back one weight slot and use the 165 Barnes TSX. It penetrates as well as a heavier bullet, is very accurate and will offer you a bit more speed and a bit less recoil due to its lower weight.

I don't load for the 30-06 but in the 308, I like either RL-15 or W760 powders.

With the 165 TSX Barnes bullet, try 41.0 to 45.0 of RL-15 OR 46.0 to 50.0 of W760 for right at 2800 fps. (Both loads from the Barnes manual.)

[Blktail]

I have never used them, but I know 3 guys who have had expansion issues with them. One fellow shot a moose 3 times and none of the exit wounds was any bigger than a pencil. They expanded OK if they hit a large bone, but could go right through the chest cavity of a moose, taking out a rib, without expanding.
These guys all shoot 7mm mags and the stories are 10 years old.

Rocky - Is the 165 gr Barnes TSX big enough for moose?

Thanks for the info guys.

[denton]

A 180 grain Sierra GameKing loses a lot of penetration above 2800 fps, and fails to open below 2100 fps. If your load will give you 2800 fps at the muzzle, then your working range is 0 to 400 yards, where the bullet drops below 2100 fps.

A Partition is a much tougher bullet. It hangs together well at 3100 fps, and reliably opens at 1800. That gives you a 0 to 500 yard working range with your 06, or a 0-650 yard working range with a 300 Mag.

Penetration is actually fairly constant over the working range of most bullets. Partitions give an extra 2-3" of penetration, which is worthwhile. The Barnes X gives even more, and I suppose the same is true of their other offerings.

I'm no expert on bear hunting, but my thought would be either 200 or 220 grain Partitions for them, and maybe 180 grain Partitions for elk or meese, and standard 165 grain bullets at maybe 2850 fps for anything smaller.

[Rocky Raab]

blktail, while that's still a tiny sample, your story points up what has long been a misconception about Partitions.

Just because there's a small exit wound, it does NOT mean the bullet failed to expand.

Instead, that's how a Partition often works, especially on a big, thick animal - or when fired from a magnum rifle. The bullet will get inside, expand completely and create massive damage. But as it continues to penetrate, the front core of the bullet will get "wiped" off and the jacket will peel back against that solid rear section. When it exits, it no longer has a large frontal diameter - but it exits a dead animal.

The Barnes acts a lot like that, except that it doesn't have a core to "wipe" off. It expands into a mini-broadhead, slices its way through and out of the animal, which promptly falls over dead.

[Downwindtracker2]

I use a 30.06 for moose and mule deer.I have heard that one " small exit wound" before.I think some Partions flip and exit ass-end first. This is a bad thing,two valleys in the Kootney bad.Rather I would look to two different bullets for deer and moose.The plastic tipped, bonded bullets will have a much more reliable expansion for moose,you don't want him to get to the pond. For deer, I use SSTs,cheap and very accurate,but most any conventional bullet will work well from a 30.06.Both are 180s,but 165s are likely as good.

My three 30.06 for my sons and mine are: 61.3/N-560 ,barely warm enough for that powder;57.0/IMR-4350,too hot,only used for hunting; and 55.8/H-4350.They all run in the mid to high 2700s

[Blktail]

Denton

What is the vertical axis on the graph you attached? Penetration?

[Blktail]

I do need a do-it-all load as I often hunt deer, moose and bear in the same area at the same time.

[Downwindtracker2]

If I remember the regs right,unless you get Limited Entry Hunt,that would be immature moose ,black bear and bucks.For those any conventional bullet 180 or 165 would be perfect,but the plastic tipped,bonded ones would certainly add some more knock down before the walk to the pond. I use Interbonds 180s,they are more accurate than Partions but less than SSTs.In my 338WM the Accubond 225s are very accurate,I should think the . 308 180gr,if you can find some ,would be very accurate in a 30.06 pushed by IMR-4350.Where we live temperature sensitivity is a non issue, so the consistancy of Canadian IMR over Aussie H-4350 gets the nod. Good hunting

[RUMLUVER]

Blktail,

For your listed peurposes I would also use a tipped bonded core bullet. Like downwindtracker said they will give you plenty of knockdown energy. I use Swift Sciroccos and Barnes TSX and would fell comfortable use them both for moose blackbear and deer. In my .300 Ultra Mag I shoot 180gr Sciroccos at 3276fps and in my .338 Ulrta Mag I use 210gr Sciroccos 3245fps. Both loads are very accurate and devastating on deer. As for the Barnes I use the 168gr and 180gr In the .300 and 210gr and 225gr soon also the 250gr in the .338.

[Esox357]

I would look into a 180 grain Hornady Roundnose. Others would be barnes TSX or Failsafes or any bonded versions. Esox357

[RUMLUVER]

Everything I've read about a Failsafe said they were inaccurate and that was part of the reason that Winchester has relaced it with the XP3 bullet. That seems to be a better bullet accuracy wise than the Failsafe but I'm sure it will be just as expencive.

[Evan03]

ive been turned off from partitions ever since i tired to get them to shoot through my 2506. though they did kill a fair number of deer and one elk through my 270win. the bullet works.

but i somewhere along the line decided that nosler balistic tipps are my go to bullet to hunt deer in all my calibers.

im shooting a 3006 pushn 165gr nos bts and h4350 powder. i did quite abit of research and looked around, what i found was the 3006 bible said to try 57grs of h4350 or imr4350 behind a 165gr bullet.
i found great acuracy with 57grs of h4350 through my 22" barreld ruger. no this load does not shoot as well as my varmit calibers but its way better than minute of deer.

ill probly never load 180s. no reason to with the tough 165gr bullets only way id ever load 180s is if i go to moose or larger game, but then if thats the case ill skipp the 180s and shoot the 220s.

i see in the nosler book that the 308 pushed a 165 at2502 fps with a imr4350 useing 46grs of powder.

[JT7771]

Blktail, you didn't say what kind of bear that you hunt. I will assume that you are after Black Bear for the sake of arguement. Although, I have friends here that want me to hunt Browns with my 30-06. I am working up loads for 180gr Barnes X Tripple Shock bullets. I have loaded 168 gr Tripple Shocks ahead of RE 19 (61.0 grains)in Remington Cases. Out of my Speer Reloading Manual #13, it lists this as a Max load and a starting load of 57.0 gr. I have been unable to find a loading manual for this specific bullet, but I can tell you that the 168's are extremely accurate out of my "run of the mill" rifle. if you try the 180's the Cartridge Over all length is 3.250", start with 55 gr.s of Reloader 19 and work from there to a Max of 59.0. I love Reloader 19 powder and Winchester primers, the powder is extremely clean and very accurate. I hope this helps, I'm in Alaska as I assume you are as well. e-mail me at jthornton7771@gci.net if you have questions.

Jerry

[JT7771]

Hey bud, just read your later posting on hunting deer. I have used the 168gr Nosler Ballistic Tip ahead of 61.5 gr of Re 19. I used this load in my 06' to take a North Texas White Tail a couple of years ago. The deer gave me a broadside shot at approx. 100 yds, when I fired, the deer acted stunned and trotted into the woods. He didn't do the "circus jump" that you see on tv, he just trotted about 20-30 yds into the woods, where I heard him fall over dead. when I examined the shot, the bullet entered where I aimed (just behind the shoulder), completely desintegrated the heart and lungs before leaving an exit hole that I could put my fist through. I'm convinced that the exit hole size is attibuted to the bullet catching the back part of the off side shoulder. for the money, you'd be hard to beat the Nosler Ballistic Tip. I love the 165 or 168gr bullets in the 06, can't find a bullet in that weight that wont shoot straight.. good luck