The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Choice of Factory Ammo for 30-06?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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One of Us |
Hey fellas, N E 1 have good (and, I mean GOOD) recommendations for their choice of factory round ammunition for a 30-06? I have a custom made '06 that looks like a john Rigby stalking rifle and it's VERY picky on what it likes. I've shot Remington Core Lokt's through it and it looked like u hit the target with a shotgun. I was given a box of hand loaded 160 grain Nossler Partitions that uses AA4350, which it loves. BUT, I do not hand load. Any recommendations would be GREATLY appreciated!!! Thanks!!! | ||
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| One of Us |
Mav, if you know the exact formula, send it and a loaded round to either safari Arms in NY or Superior Ammunition. They'll load whatever you want. The loaded round will give them the COL, brass type, primer type, etc. | |||
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| One of Us |
I humbly submit the 180 grain Winchester loaded accubond. | |||
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One of Us |
If it is picky, not sure how good a recommendation would work out. Federal makes some premium ammo with Nosler partitions. I have never heard of a 160 in 30 caliber so guessing that's a typo. "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
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| One of Us |
This is such a broad statement and darn near impossible for anyone to accurately predict. If you have a particular game that you generally hunt, that would be a good starting place. For example, if you are primarily a white tail deer hunter, the 150 to 165 grain bullet is plenty. Buy Winchester Power Points and Federal blue box and see if they shoot. If not, try some others. If large African plains game or elk is on the menu, try a variety of 180 grainers. I have a custom '06 and it shoots everything well. I load 110 grain to 240 grain bullets and everything is under 1" at 100 yards. In my opinion, it is perplexing that a custom barreled '06 would not be a 2 MOA or better rifle with just about anything. Do you know what the twist rate is? | |||
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Try federal blue box in 150 and 180 grains. Generally onevof them workscwell. | |||
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| One of Us |
Having spent all that money on a rifle that won't shoot, you're gonna have to spend a little more and buy several boxes of different brands and wights and see what works. What do you plan to hunt? A Remington Core Lokt in 180 grs has probably killed most stuff walking the planet. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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| One of Us |
My favorite factory .30-06 load is Barnes Vortex 180 grain. It shoots well in my main rifle. But I've had a picky rifle in .300 Win Mag. before and factory is not a good solution to that sort of problem because even when you find something that works, when they change powder lots, there is no guarantee it will still shoot. If you don't handload, I'd send it to Superior or one of its competitors and have them work up a load. Unusual for a .30-06 to be that picky, in my experience. | |||
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| One of Us |
+1 on the 180 grn Barnes Vortex TTSX. I have a Win featherweight classic. I have tried a good number of differing factory loads. I get consistent 1/2" groups (sometimes 1 hole) groups with the Barnes. Never follow a bad move with a stupid move. | |||
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| One of Us |
Fact of the matter is: with a "picky" rifle you will have to test fire different ammo to figure out what it likes - just like with a 22 rim fire. No way past it. Until you shoot it in your rifle it's all guesswork. | |||
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| One of Us |
trying different ammo is all good and fine until you buy a different lot number and have to start all over again. IME your rifle not shooting Remington corelocts well is a good thing, most rifles I have dealt with that shoot them well is not a fan of any other bullet. | |||
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It sounds like you should start handloading. Do it, it's fun!  | |||
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+1 Also the posts about picking the same lots of ammo is sound. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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| One of Us |
Beretta has a seriously good sale right now on .30-06 ammo. This is loaded by Norma and is very high quality. | |||
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| One of Us |
The actual problem as I see it is: I and others have posted that if you have a 30-06 that will not shoot well with any decent 165-180gr bullet ahead of a decent load of 4350, you're better off just selling the rifle. I've had half a dozen 30-06s. I start with a load of 55grs IMR4350 and work up to 58grs (with a 165). I've never tried any magic bullets nor monos, but that has worked for Speer, Sierra, Hornady, and Core Lokts. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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+2! You don't have to go to great expense, either and can experiment with small quantities of different loads with relative ease. Doug Wilhelmi NRA Life Member | |||
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there is no way to tell in advance but give this stuff a a try https://www.midwayusa.com/prod...soft-point-box-of-20 Mike  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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| one of us |
Just another opinion. Try cheap first. I have an almost picky 30-06. By that, I mean it shoots most loads at 1-1.5". One day I picked a box of Prvi 165 grain ammo just because I didn't have time to load for it at that time. I found it shoots at about .75-1". I bought three more boxes and just went hunting.....problem solved until I get more time. BTW, it killed the two deer I shot with it, one shot each, DRT. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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50$ for a box of ammo.[plus shipping] I hope that is in pesos or rubles and not American money. jezus. I paid less than that for my last reloading press. | |||
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It may be a typo. My father (formerly known as doubless here on AR) did all my hand loading for me. I lost him last February after a 4 year battle with cancer. I'll have to go back and find what he cooked up. B/C that ammo turned that gun of mine into a tack DRIVER out to 200yds.
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Planning on hunting white tail and feral hog. the core Lokts were all over the canvas after firing about 10 rounds through it.
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Thank you all for the advice and recommendations!! sounds like all options are limitless, till I find something that pleases me. Thanks again. Here is to making new friends! | |||
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Try Winchester black box ammo, I don't recall but maybe it is called "Supreme"? I know the black box ammo is very accurate in several of my brothers rifles and is available in several different bullet offerings. Condolences on the loss of your father. | |||
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| One of Us |
I've seen quite a few -06's that are much happier with 168 grain bullets. I'd suggest the Barnes VOR-TX 168's, or the Nosler-loaded 180 Accubonds. | |||
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Thank you for the kind words about my father's passing. He was an extremely smart, and talented individual. I'll check out your recommendation. Thank you for helping a guy in need...
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I knew your dad from another website as well as this one. I'm sorry for your loss. | |||
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I go with black hills, first then nosler in this situation. | |||
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one of us |
Head on over to Cabelas and buy a box each from various makers with bullets you want to shoot. Take them to the range and see what shoots best. Go back to Cabelas and buy all the remaining ammo for the one(s) that shoot well. ____________________________ If you died tomorrow, what would you have done today ... 2018 Zimbabwe - Tuskless w/ Nengasha Safaris 2011 Mozambique - Buffalo w/ Mashambanzou Safaris | |||
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| One of Us |
Give federal fusion a try, its on a rebate for a few more weeks. I've had good luck in several rifles as back up ammo to handloads, or just as cheap ammo to sight in so I'm not wasting time and components with handloads. Sorry about your loss. I'm curious though, what happened to his loading equipment? If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
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Moderator |
i'd go buy 3 or 4 boxes of stuff, 165gr to start, and if they didn't work, 180s federal premium hornady red box winchester supreme and hornady full boar https://www.hornady.com/ammuni...-gr-gmx-full-boar#!/ though 165 remington may be fine.... there's 5 boxes ... it will likely like one of those #dumptrump opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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| one of us |
I've had good luck with Federal blue-box 180- and 150-grain loads in several different rifles. They rarely hit full advertised velocity in a 24" barrel, but they're usually accurate. Federal Fusion is also earning a good reputation for being slow but accurate. Okie John "The 30-06 works. Period." --Finn Aagaard | |||
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| One of Us |
I hear that THIS is the best way to find your favorite factory ammo. 
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| One of Us |
Barnes Vor-tx - 165 or 180 - whatever is more accurate | |||
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| one of us |
You need to try them out, stop when you find a good'un...What other folks guns shoot well may or may not work in your gun. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I have 2 30-06s that will shoot Fed. Fusion ammo very well. My custom 30-06 will shoot 3/4" with $20 a box 150gr Fusion. My old stainless camo Steyr likes Remington HyperSonic and shots around 1".Some of the most accurate ammo I've shot has been Fed and Nosler BT ammo. Billy | |||
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| one of us |
truth is, only your rifle will tell you what it likes, a long time ago '25 years' I read where you need to shoot at least 3 brands of ammo in you rifle to see which one shoots the best, just like when i hand load, I usually try 2 or 3 brands of powder and bullets, and i usually start in the middle and go up.. | |||
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Yes sir, the only way is to try them until you find one..The other thing is whats a good shooter and whats not..I know a lot of ole boys that swear by a certain factory ammo, and they have no idea where or if the gun shoots at all. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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