Back from the shooting range today - having shot with several rifles and calibers it appears I'd like to have a heavier bullet at a lower velocity.
Should I wish to achieve about 2500 fps muzzle velocity what might be a good bullet option?

Based on the info on the manufacturers' websites it seems that the heavier .30 cal bullets tend to be designed for the magnums, i.e. high velocities.

The requirements are that the bullet should primarily suit heavy game (moose, wild boar), yet open up well on lighter game, as well (roe deer).
Typically, the shooting distance does not exceed 50 yds but I do hunt abroad, as well (Namibia this coming summer) so performance up to 250 yds would be desirable.
My favorite thus far has been the Nosler AccuBond both in .30 cal and 8mm (.323").

What do you recommend?

Another alternative would be to choose something heavier still but today heavier-than-200 grs .30 cal bullets are quite few.

- Lars/Finland

I love the accubond. Matter of fact that is just about all I use in all my rifles. Haven't used the 200gr but have used 160gr 7mm at 7x57 and 7mag velocity. Close and 300yd+ great performance all way around.

My understanding concerning Nosler partitions is with bullet diameters through .308 the front end is pretty soft in all weights. If so, a 220 at 2500 fps from an '06 would open up just fine.

I would like to hear from those who have used the 200 and 220 gr partitions.

Sam

I would take a look at the 200gr Nosler Partition.

Also the heavier Woodleighs, the North Fork, and the Hawk bullets with a .035jacket.

North Fork, TSX, about 2700 fps if you lean on it a little.

+1 for the 200gr partition. You might even look at the 220gr partition.

The Lapua Mega is a great 200 gr cupnd core semi-point bullet. Usually can be found on sale pretty cheap.

The Speer 200 grain HotCore is very accurate in my rifles. At the moderate velocity that you describe, the performance should be excellent.

Certainly all the more expensive bullets will work fine (read Partition). In the 30-06 the 200 gr Speer is a very reasonably priced bullet that works great on moose ,elk, bears and even deer.(at about 1/2 the price.)I have found this bullet expands very reliably yet holds together at 06 velocity.

I can't imagine not using a 180g TSX in a 30-06.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
I can't imagine not using a 180g TSX in a 30-06.

I'm with you Scott.
I can't imagine needing a heavier bullet than a 180 in a 30/06. I just use basic Sierras in mine and have shot tons of game with it and never recovered a bullet, Deer, Elk, Antelope, Bighorn, Goats from 25 yards to 425 yards.
If something tough was on the menu like Grizzly I'd probably switch to a TTSX or TSX.
For me the 180 has all the advantages, flatter trajectory, velocity and with the cup and core bullets I use I get exit wounds on even elk at longish distances what's not to like?

quote:

For me the 180 has all the advantages, flatter trajectory, velocity and with the cup and core bullets I use I get exit wounds on even elk at longish distances what's not to like?

Well - as per what I'm looking for: slower velocity i.e. less recoil.
So if the 180gr bullet works, fine; but if one wishes slower velocity, why not go up in the weight sector?

- Lars/Finland

Then if you must move up in bullet weight my personal preference would be to try a Sierra 200 or 220 grain bullet or a Nosler Partition or Accubond in about that order.
Another alternative is to reduce your 30/06 with 180 grain bullets to 30/40 Krag speeds, very pleasant to shoot and great penetration.
If you move up in bullet weight won't your felt recoil be the same as lighter bullets going faster?

quote:

Originally posted by Schauckis:

Well - as per what I'm looking for: slower velocity i.e. less recoil.
So if the 180gr bullet works, fine; but if one wishes slower velocity, why not go up in the weight sector?

- Lars/Finland

I have been loading 200's for my father and brother for deer hunting the past few years. At first I went with Partitions and than changed to Accubonds last year. I like them because they dont cause a great deal of bloodshot meat and offer great penetration. If you are looking for reduced recoil, I would recommend a lighter bullet at lover velocities. If anything I think that the 200's push a little bit harder in the -06

I think an Accubond would be ideal. I used in my 8x57 at about the same velocity as a similar 30-06 load.

Schauckis,

I think the Nosler Partition as others have suggested is probably your best bet in a 30-06 for a 200gr projectile. In my rifle they shoot very accurately and give nearly 2700 fps in a 24" barrel.

Mark

quote:

Well - as per what I'm looking for: slower velocity i.e. less recoil.

Really? Using a heavier bullet?

I really like the 200NP, they work perfectly with full power loads out of a 30-06... GREAT penetration, and they still expand, even in smaller animals.

It's easily my fav 30 cal. big game hunting bullet, and they are very accurate too,



DM

Sir,
The Speer 200 works fine in the '06 and both opens and penetrates well at 2600 fps. It also is not too expensive to shoot a bit more. The Nosler 200 Partition is a superb bullet for any game in the '06.
Felt recoil is a subjective thing and slowing the recoil down works for me as well. I shoot a 220 in the '06 at 2400, a 290 grain bullet in the 35 Whelen, 1800 fps and a 425 grain in the 458, 1600 fps and they all "feel" easier on the shoulder than the 2850 fps 180's in the '06.

Thx, Fury!

Please, tell me more - which Speer bullet do you use? (Hot-Cor, I take it, as it appears to be the only 200gr .30 cal taht Speer nowadays makes.)
And which 220 gr bullet do you use?

All: thank you for the responses.
I've understood that the NP leaves a "fist sized" exit hole. Is this so...?

- Lars/Finland

Schauckis,

Unless the Nosler partition hits bone as it exits which it most often does your not going get a big exit wound. The NP is designed to have the front 1/3 of the bullet expand very quickly often leaving the rear 2/3s as a solid with a frontal area of just above caliber thus a small exit. This is why this old design continues to be a top choice. You have explosive initial expansion and incredible tissue damage as well deep penetration for those raking shots. They work great!

Mark

My reading has suggested that the 200 gr. Accubond may be such a long bullet that it may not stabilize at 30-06 velocities. I've never heard anthing but good things about the 200 gr. Nosler Partitions and I've just picked up a box to try once my rifle gets back from HCR. I do like the performance of the 180 TSX, which is what I used back a few years in Alaska on caribou.

I love Partitions though and carefully hoard my few remaining factory roads in .260 Remington with 125 gr. Partitions.

I experimented with 200 gr. bullets in the 06 some 30 years ago, and have used them more than say the 180 or any other weight for big game from deer on up.

I pretty well settled on the 200 gr. Nolser partition about the same time and have been hunting with them ever since..I still hunt with 180 Nosler partitions from time to time if I can find seconds or used ones..they may even shoot a bit flatter, but I can't tell the difference in the field..I think I get more dramatic kills with the 200 gr. bullets, or so it seems to me.

Of interrest to some might be that the 200 gr. Nosler partitions consistently out penetrates the 220 gr. partition for some reason, at least that has been my experience.

I also use the 200 gr. partition in my 300 H&H most of the time.

I would not hesitate to tackle a Lion or an Alaskan Brown Bear with either the 06 or the 300 H&H with 200 gr. Noslers loaded with my old surplus 4831 to 2700 FPS in the o6 and 3010 in the 300 H&H..and its still an excellent deer bullet.

I'll put in another vote for the 200 gr partition and agree with Ray --- again.
Over the past thirty odd years I have used it more than any other 30 cal bullet, and in my rifle it scoots along at an honest 2700 fps with 60 gr of MRP.

Sir,
I used the Speer Hotcore 200 over a 53 grain charge of IMR 4350 says my notes. It shot into a 3/4" group and killed well. I used it to shoot a large buck in KS offhand at about 200 yards. Complete penetration and a very dead deer. I have also used the same bullet, at .323", in the 8x57 Mauser and it works great there too.
I use mostly the 220 Hornady jacketed RN soft nose bullet on game, also the 220 Hornady RNFMJ solid. I have used the 220 Sierra RN as well. All shot fine with the Sierra shooting very well. All kill great by the way. I am now using a Hard Cast 220 Lyman mold bullet and have yet to shoot any game with it. I use it to save dollars and barrel wear when I feel the need to shoot for the sake of shooting.
There are those whom don't use the RN bullets for the reason of "flat shooting" but I would not worry too much about that unless you plan on shooting over 350 yards often. Just run the 180's at 2800 and the 220's at 2500 over a ballistic program and see if you can hold the difference in field positions. I can't. I use them both and like them both. I just don't get too concerned about a couple of inches more drop at 300 yards if you know what I mean. If I want to hunt with the 220 RN and my peep sight or low powered scope, I simply do so and have yet to not kill what I have shot at with the 220 RN bullet.
I was just out in the shed today with an gentleman who wants to mount a rack for me and picked out the old buck that I crawled up on in the Kansas Prairie and put a 220 Hornady RN though his neck, sighting through a peep at a big square post sight, while he slept in the tall grass, down out of the wind; where I was going for the same reason he was there, when I found him. He was big, he was old, and he was / is a great memory.
Best Regards,
FURY01

A very good post, Fury. Thank you.

I have used Sierra, Hornady, and Speer in this weight out of my '06 and they all worked good. At the velocities you'll get anything will work, but the flat based bullets were more accurate for me. I liked the Hornady and Sierra ProHunters better than some others.

I used my Rem 700 '06 for a number of animals in Rhodesia..."back in the day".
The 200 gn Sierra Spitzer-Boattail worked well for me on everything I shot at from Impala to Kudu from 30 out to 235 yds. I recovered one bullet that exhibited a classic mushroom, however I don't know which shot that was. I do know that on the up-close shots they came apart but still resulted in DRT results.
The load I used was 53.3 IMR 4350, which is very close to max. and should only be approached with caution.

I have a few 200gr sierra game kings and match kings left over from when I was shooting them from my 300WM. I was planning on loading them in my 30-06 to see how they perform. I have always had good luck with Sierra bullets.

Match Kings are not suppose to be used as a hunting bullet. (according to Sierra) Because they sometimes blow up, sometimes work as a solid and sometimes actually word half way decent.

Why use a bullet for something it was never designed to be used for, when there's so many "properly" designed "hunting" bullets available?

DM

I don't have any experience with 200 grainers, but I love the 220 partition or 220 Hornady round noses over 53.5 grains of I4831 for about 2440fps in my 30-06s.

Two (of my 3) prefer the Hornady and it's cheaper, so I use it for practice and smaller stuff. I took a nice Kodiak brown with the 220 partition a few years back.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by Omnivorous_Bob:
I don't have any experience with 200 grainers, but I love the 220 partition or 220 Hornady round noses over 53.5 grains of I4831 for about 2440fps in my 30-06s.

Two (of my 3) prefer the Hornady and it's cheaper, so I use it for practice and smaller stuff. I took a nice Kodiak brown with the 220 partition a few years back.

Bob

Bob, obviously the Kodiak you shot couldn't read, otherwise it most likely would have run over and eaten you

Lead core bullets probably make the most sense if you're looking for velocity with a 200 or 220gr bullet in a 30-06. The monometal bullets will be larger given the same grain weight, and will cut into powder capacity when loaded for max velocity. Try the Accubond, Partition, and A-Frame and see what the rifle likes.

You might give the Sierra 200g SBT Gameking a try.....if your rifle likes them they might be a good thing. The velocity should be low enough not to worry about the fact that they are not bonded or partition style bullets....

Cheers,

Dan