What is everyones opinion of using a 150 grain nosler partition for an "all around" bullet in a .30-06?? I've tried both 165 and 180 grain loads but the 150's tend to shoot much better in my rifle plus the recoil is much less. I hunt mostly deer but occasionally plan to go after moose, elk and black bear.

Rufus,

I guess the easiest way to answer that is that weight wise, there just isn't enough of em. It's a penetration problem. You run out of bullet before you run out of critter. Probably okay in an average size black bear and most likely good for cow elk but for a tough thick old bull or any moose, well I'd prefer the 180 even to a quality 165.
Rich Elliott

Seems I just answered my own question too. I was still puzzling over a Mt. Goat load.
R.E.

Rufus, Jim Zumbo killed MANY elk with his M70 Featherweight using 165gr. Partitions, that might give you an idea how they work, I like using 150gr bullets, also. But you can't beat a 165 for an 'all-around' bullet. Jay

In my opinion a 180 grain bullet is your best bet in any .30 caliber rifle exept maybe the .308, but if your hunting moose, elk, or bear then I would move up to the 200-220 grain bullets. The .30-06 is perfect for the 180 grain partitions! Good day

If you hunt mostly deer and the occasional pronghorn, 150s are a great way to go in the .30-06. I've used that weight in the '06 on many Texas whitetails, plus mule deer and blacktail deer here at home. For this class of game, the 150 gr. weight leaves nothing to be desired.

But make no mistake about it, a 180 gr. bullet at 2700 fps. or better is THE all-around load for the .30-06. If I wanted only one load to use for everything and I owned only a .30-06, I work up a good 180 gr. load (likely with Nosler Partitions) and never look back.

But if you only occasionally hunt the bigger stuff, why not work up a 180 gr. load and keep that load on file, but stick with 150s if the majority of your hunting is for deer-sized game? If you do have an elk or moose hunt coming up, follow your 180 gr. load, sight-in for same, and go hunting. The rest of the time, stick with the 150s.......

AD

Rufus,

A possible suggestion to recoil why don't you put a sims vibration pad or a Pachmayr decelerator pad...And stay with the 165 bullet or 180 for moose...A friend of mine shot a eastern Canadian moose many years ago with a 308 shooting 180gr. ammo Indian guide said he is ready to die so shoot...He was using a model 88 win...emptied clip in the shoulder and still standing and reloaded second clip and gave him 2 or 3 more finally he started to sway then fell over...He thought he was missing and every hit was in the area the size of a paper plate...
But for deer a 150gr is the ticket will devistate...

Mike

Freedom is not Free

[ 06-18-2003, 00:21: Message edited by: retreever ]

Maybe I'm off base here, somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Aren't the 150 bullets in most manufacturer's lines (except Barnes?) made for deer sized game and have lighter jackets to open faster? I would think this would make them unsuitable for elk-sized game due to the heavier muscles, bones, and skin. I think the heavier jackets on most game bullets, including the Partitions, start at the .165's in the .30 caliber bullets.
I'm with most of these guys, use the 150's for deer and have a 180 load worked up for your '06 and use that in case you get an elk or moose hunt lined up. It isn't like a hunt like that is going to happen overnight- you should have plenty of time to work up a new load or sight in with a load you've already worked up.- Sheister

[ 06-18-2003, 00:24: Message edited by: Sheister ]

As owner and shooter of a number of '06 rifles today I believe I will echo what Allen says.
If I only had the one rifle and ammo combo it would be '06 and 180 Nosler Partitions.
I have killed much with the 150's in my early years. A few things with the 200 and 220 grn. stuff but...now it is 180 NP and forget about it.
Same for my son.
We own many toys in various calibers but...'06 and 180 please for us.

I agree with the rest that a 180 is much more suitable for elk sized game, BUT! It appears to me that Rufus is talking factory loads and says the larger ones arent shooting well in his gun.

Lighter than reccomended bullets have been working for years and they will get the job done, but if you choose to go that route then you better make sure the bullet goes in the right spot. Bullet placement is important even with 180 grainers, with a 150 it would be absoloutly critical. Personally I would rather have a well placed 150 than a bad shooting 180, but if it is possible to find some larger loads that work better than it would be a good idea for the heavier animals.

A friend used 150 gr. Federal Hi-Shoks in his 30-06 on a large bodied moose. He had called the bull into approx. 75 yards, then fired. After the smoke cleared, and the bull was down, there was 7 or 8 empty brass at his feet. He just shrugged off the hits to the shoulder/lungs, and began slowly walking away. Obviously this is not a moose load, but with the exception of a few bullets (Barnes X & Fail Safe), NO 150 gr. 30 cal bullet is a good one for moose in my opinion. They just have too low of a sectional density to penetrate. Better yet would be to bypass the 165 gr. (except X & FS), and go to a 180 gr. or even 200 gr. premium for elk and moose in a 30-06. They have enough weight and SD to punch through the thicker bodies of these critters.

The 150 gr. is not a good "all around" weight in 30 cal. Better is the 165 gr., it will reach out almost as far as the 150's, and deal a blow almost like a 180 gr. Save the 150's for deer.

As usual, Allen's answer makes the most sense. When premium bullets became popular, one of the selling points was the fact that since the bullets were more robust, one could conceivably go down in weight, thereby increasing trajectory. That is true to a point, but there is no substitute for physics and sectional density is still the way to go. My favorite bullet for the 06 is the partition spitzer in 180gr. jorge

The 150's are ment for deer the 180's are elk bullets, penitration is needed at times and the 180 have it all over the 150's, especially on a going away shot....

I use the 180 Noslers in my 30-06 for about everything, never found anything they didn't work great on from Duiker to elk...I like the 200 gr. Nosler for Moose and Eland.

Rufus, if you're going after moose and elk you'd want the 180 grain, personally I like Fail Safes but would have confidence in the Swift A-Frame as well. Any more bullet weight than that and I would probably opt for a .338 WM which I like better for moose and elk anyway.

I agree that a better choice would be a larger sized bullet, I wouldn't hesitate to use a 150 grain partition on Elk or Moose if the rifle shoots them well. Purhaps you can try a different bullet. I also like the failsafe.