Any quailty scope will do. I don't think those mil-dot things are needed. 4x or 3x9 are my choice. as for load If you are going for the factory stuff core lock 150 gr. or 180 gr. will kill the animals you are after. Any decent hand load will work with a good bullet. LLB

Take those 3-9scopes and throw in garbage. I like something starting at4x or 6x.I crank it up at the range.Crank down to 4 or 6x for hunting.The zeiss conquest is not as clear as burris.For your price range look at Kahles. Made by Swarvoski.I did not like results of failsafes on deer...they failed.

Personally, I think that Failsafes are overkill for anything in the lower 48. In standard chamberings the majority of standard bullets perform just like they were intended to. Its kind of a shame really, just when standard bullets were begining to really make some giant leaps toward perfection, along comes hyper velocity cartridges and threw opinions on bullet development and application into a state of chaos.



If an Africa trip is in your future, where the REAL penetration is needed, then the Monolithics may be just the ticket. But the beasts that need that type of bullet would also nessesitate a bigger gun.



The Barnes triple shock is the next step in the ongoing development of the Barnes bullets. I expect they work well enough, but frankly I despise their marketing methods so I dont buy their products.





The "High energy" 06 ammo supposedly comes within about 100 fs of magnum velocities, but I load my own so havent tried it.



Again, even in factory ammo, I like the 150 grain loads for deer. They give a bit better velocity than the 165's so will shoot flatter and are plenty bullet for any deer, however a 165 grain bullet will put down anything you need it too.



The advice to find one load that shoots well in your rifle that is suitable for all your needs and go with it is sound advice.

I have had more than a dozen .06 rifles, I have five very choice ones at present. I have used a lot of loads, my all time favourite is 57 grs. IMR-4350 or HH-4350, Mag. primer, Win. brass, Nosler Pt. 180 gr. This load in both Win. and Fed. brass works superbly in the following rifles.



Pre-64 Mod. 70 FWT.

Brno-ZG-47-FWT.

Brno ZG-47-STD WT

Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine

Browning Safari-LE



All of these give over 2700 at the muzzle and consistent .75" groups. What more can one ask for, really?



I like the 1.5x6 scopes on an .06, especially the Leupy VXIII, LE, Matte, HD. For over-all B.C. conditions, they are perfect, IMO.



BTW, start at 52 grs. for above load although I have shot hundreds of them in a dozen rifles w/o problem, better safe than sorry.For non-reloaders, I find the Federal "High-Energy" loads to work extremely well, but, they are very expensive, especially here in Canada. So, start reloading, it's worth it.

i would check out the zeiss conquest in 3.5-10x 44mm. not as much $ as u might think.

or leupold vx3 3.5-10x 40mm, bargains are to be had on them now that they are being discontinued.

load...
federal high energy in 180 gr. n.p....till they offer it in a 200 gr. no complaints.

cold zero

Another perspective. I have, for my hunting needs and rifles for "lower 48 big game", deer, elk, boar and antelope. I have been slowly changing out all my scopes for straight 4x models. I'm not target shooting or varminting with the .30-30, .30-06 or 8x57. My goal is to put a bullet in an 8" circle at +95% success rate. I don't need the moving parts or other distractions of a variable power scope. I use gongs for practice and only worry if a rifle won't ring the gong with the first shot from a cold barrel with 2 more as fast as I can cycle the action.
My current choices are the Nikon, Weaver and Bushnell 4x models. I have chosen different makes for different models, the choices being based on mounting needs.
Are there better, without a doubt, I just decided on the ones at the price I feel good about.
As for loads for the '06? 150 gr. Core lokt. Put it in the proper place-----BANG-FLOP!!!

YMMV

Once upon a time, I had this 22 year old kid who worked for me. He was from out west here, had just wrapped up college, was getting married, and liked to hunt deer and elk with his brother and father occasionally. At anyrate he wasn't overly experienced at the latter as one might guess. Well this fella was an outstanding employee and all round standup guy. Which, only made me shudder harder when I learned that he, his brother, and father planned an elk hunt with only one rifle between the three!! Long story short, my partner and I put together a big game rifle for the guy as a thank you and wedding present.

What did we select? And why?

A CZ 550 30-06 topped with a 4x Weaver scope. I know we spent less than $500 on the whole outfit. We also included several boxes 150-165gr shells so he could find one that shot well.

Several years later, I've received a handfull of letters from time to time of the critters he's shot with this setup. All were dispatched in short order, mostly with a single bullet, between ranges of 80 and 300yds. He couldn't be happier! In the last letter I got he said, "I thought I was maybe underscoped and undergunned until the animals started dropping..."

What I want to point out here is the acronymn I keep chanting over, and over, and over, and over to myself.

K. I. S. S.

Keep It Simple Stupid

You're getting some great feedback from several guys who I'd bet have photo albums to backup what they recommend. I pass along a pinch of my experinence to hopefully give you something else to mull over and over and over... Good luck!

My preference for Nosler Pt. bullets in all calibers for hunting all species of legal game is simply based on the fact that one can legally hunt Elk and Moose during deer season where I hunt and I find that these bullets work well for everything I have shot and seen shot over the past 40 yrs. I DO NOT think that they are necessary for deer hunting, but, I like to use one load for everything.

I prefer to use the Leupy I mentioned as it is brighter and clearer than ANY 4x scope I have used/examined in the dawn or dusk, when I seem to shoot most of the animals I get. I just got a 4x west German Zeiss for Christmas and hope to find it better than the Leupy as I very strongly support the KISS principle.

I am primarily a meat hunter and retired bushworker, I lost one camera down a cliff and the last two quit working, so, I have only a few photos of game I've shot and can't be bothered with the weight of a camera, etc. on backpack trips.

We cannot buy Nikon scopes in Canada and the big US outfits won't ship optics into this country, so, I cannot try them out. I have had very good service from Leupy and would far rather buy American products than any Asian ones. I wish Leupy would bring out a real highend 4x, I would buy a lot of them. I do have some of their current ones, they are o.k., but could be better.

Overall, a .30-06 with good loads and a good 4x scope is about as useful a rig as one could ask for, I think that most of us would agree on that.