Can anyone recommend a good all-around 30-06 bullet for mule deer and perhaps the odd elk? I was thinking about the Barnes 150 XBT (assuming it will shoot). What about Nosler? Should I go with 150 grain or 165. I would like to achieve 3000 fps if possible (highly unlikely with a 165 grain bullet).
I am with Ray on this one: I think the universal 30-06 load is a 180 gr. Nosler Partition with 61 gr. of RL-22 and a good primer. I think that I could do anything with this load in north America. In fact I have with the exception of Grizz. MD
Posts: 1899 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 03 May 2001
I agree with the other guys on the strength of my experience with Nosler, but my Nosler load is in .270 not 30-06. They are quality projectiles.
In .308 cal. generally, I shoot Speer 180 gr. Spitzer Hot Cor. Cheaper than Nosler. Gives me moa out of a Browning A-Bolt 26" bbl in .300 WM. I've had good experience with moose, deep penetration with a good wound channel and lots of bone crunching and mess.
Also in .300 WM I shoot a 200 grain Barnes X. Lots of guys speak of problems with accuracy with Barnes X, but that is not my experience. This load is not as accurate as my Speer 180's, but that is paper accuracy at the range comparing the Barnes X to the Speer load. It is still moa and plenty accurate for hunting. My last bear kill with it ran end to end on a 5+ foot black bear at 150 yards, and came out weighing 5 extra grains from meat it picked up along the way. The X bullet is pure copper and when it opens into its characteristic mushroom "X," those four petals just cut through the game like a chipper blade. It's longer than the same weight lead bullet, so it has a higher ballistic coefficient for any given bullet weight than a lead bullet.
Luck to ya.
Posts: 36231 | Location: Laughing so hard I can barely type. | Registered: 21 April 2001
I've been using Nosler's 165gr. Partition @ about 2930fps for years and no moose or deer have walked away and I doubt an elk would put up any argument. Seems that Nosler believes that the 165 is optimum for the '06 as well; they say so in their manual.
165-grain Fail-Safes have worked well in my son and wife's '06. I'm a long time Nosler Partition fan and still use them, but the Fail-Safes have impressed me on the dozen+ critters I've used them on (30 and 375 caliber).
Posts: 3293 | Location: Western Slope Colorado, USA | Registered: 17 August 2001
You say mule deer (primarily) and elk occasionally. In that case, I would recommend the Nosler 165. The 180 will handicap you a bit in long range trajectory on muleys while the 165 will still give you adequate penetration for elk. The 150 Barnes (and for that matter the 150 Nosler) will also do.
Posts: 13265 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001
I read years ago that for good penetration on big game, one should use bullets with a sectional density of at least 250. The 165 grain 30 cal bullets have that. I have never had a Partition fail to work for me but then, they don't always shoot well in every rifle either. Try some and see if they will shoot well in your rifle.
Thank you all for your responses. I just ordered some GS HV bullets. If looks could kill this bullet would be the ticket. It has an impressively aerodynamic shape. I like the Barnes concept (monolithic copper---no lead core), but have never gotten them to shoot accurately. Hopefully these GS bullets will give the high weight retention that the Barnes seems to have, but with accuracy too. We shall see.
I'd probably pick the Hornady as well. I simply cant seem to find a rifle that they dont shoot well in. The Gameking is a winner too, accuracy-wise its probably the most accurate hunting bullet made, and about all rifle's love em.
But the Gameking doesnt have the penetration, or hold together, like the Interlock. I have a bunch of .308 165grn scirocco's, and they might end up being the "Best '06 bullet". I havnt been able to spend enough time with them however ; They do appear to have a lot of potential...................10
Unlike most people, I believe the 165 is a better choice than 180s. I know it don't have as much energy as the 180, (until way out there) but it has more than enough for anything you'd be hunting with an -06 and it has a better trajectory.
The Hornaday is hard to beat. So is the Sierra.
I use the Speer Grand Slam because in my tests the only thing that out penetrated it was the Barnes X (and that includes the partition), and they wouldn't shoot under 4" in my gun. Have yet to recover a bullet or have an animal go far.
------------------ Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
Since mule deer are mentioned my choice is for the 165gr. I have had great results with the 165 Nosler Partition on mule deer and elk. Most factory 22" barrels safely max out in the 2900fps range using RL-22 behind 165gr bullets.
Jordan, you had a recent post inquiring about the Ackley Imp. version. I've been doing some research with 30/06AI owners, you can reach 3050-3100fps safely with the 165s if you choose the right powders they tell me.(RL-22, H4350, H4831) sure-shot
I too have heard that 165 grains are optimum in a 30-06. According to my friend its also the militarys preferance in the 308. I like gamekings for muleys and speer grand slams for elk.
Posts: 10189 | Location: Tooele, Ut | Registered: 27 September 2001
I had a 06 rechambered to the improved version for fun. I a buddy had rented the reamer so what the heck. It shoots the same. I can't see much improvement in velocity from a lousy 4 grains.
Don't bother unless it's for fun and not velocity.
For a two-bullet set-up, I think a 165 grainer for deer and a 200 grainer for elk-sized game is ideal. For a one-bullet set-up, the 180 grainer is the standard choice and quite possibly the benchmark by which all other NA rounds are judged. For me, if you want to shoot 150's in a 30-06, you should get a 270 and run 130's through it...
while I am a fan of the 165gr .308 bullet, I do want to point that a 180gr bullet @ 2700fps and a 165gr bullet @ 2800fps will shot within an inch of one another at 300yds. So much for the need for a 165gr bullet as it will "carry up" better.
Posts: 2037 | Location: frametown west virginia usa | Registered: 14 October 2001
Wstrnr The military standard .308 load is a 147 grain FMJ bullet. The current .308 Military match load is the 175 grain Sierra though there are some 168 grain loads still out there... fwiw
If mule deer is your primary target the 150 grain bullet will do the job. Some consider the 150 gr. bullet marginal for Elk but many guides out west use it as the rule to harvest Elk. For both, I would choose the 165 gr. bullet. The 165 gr. will nearly equal the 180 gr. in game performance at all distances.
How about the 150g X or fail safes? If they open up on the lighter game they'd be a good candidate for an all around bullet. They'll hold as much weight as any lead 180g bullet on tougher animals, the question is if they will open up on the smaller ones, and if they'll shoot as well.
I would say the Nosler Partition is a good bullet , too but i have made best experiences with the Brenneke TUG (Torpedo universal bullet) 180grain. It is similar to the partition but the precision is better. I shoot it in 300WINMAG , too.
