Hey guys. Just picked up a new 30.06 and plan to bring it with me to Colorado during elk season. My primary elk rifle is a 300 Win but the .06 will be a back up gun as well as something to carry in the timber, ie. shorter and lighter.

Anyway, whats a better bullet weight to go with? Do I go with the 165's for a little higher velocity or the tried and true 180's for better weight retention? I know in the end its all a wash but hey, this is kinda fun.

Thanks,

CA Mike

I consider the 180's the right weight for elk, but others will tell you to go to a 200. That's a little heavy for my taste in a .30-06, since your trajectory begins to arc a little worse and the 200 makes longer range hits a little less certain. On the other hand, a 165 may be just a little short on penetration.

More important than weight, however, is bullet quality. Many of the "conventional" bullets will perform just fine, but you can't go wrong with a Nosler Partition (provided they shoot well in your rifle.)

I chose the 180gr NP for my son's 06 for his 1st elk hunt. Unfortunately, he only nailed a decent mulie buck. I think it's a good middle of the road bullet for elk in the 06. If you like the 165gr NP, by all means use it. It's what YOU are comfortable with.

CA Mike; Does your new '06 have a 22" or a 24" barrel? If it is the longer barrel you might just consider the 200 Partition. Most 24" '06's will make 2700 or better with that bullet, and it has a lot of authority, even on an animal as vital as Elk are. However, the 165 or the 180 Partitions will do fine, I would be a little more "picky" with my shot if I were using the 165's, however. The final choice might come down to which bullet your rifle prefers. Regards, Eagleye.

Wow, lots of quick responses. Thanks.

The rifle has a 22" barrel. I will be shooting premiums no mater what weight I choose.

CA Mike

I use 180 grain bullets in my 30/06.

I normally hunt deer with 150s in my .06 - would probably want 180 Partitions if I had the time to work up a load but a well placed 165 Parition will definitly do the job.

180 partition factory

165 partitions handload

180 grain partions. If this bullet in a .30-06 is not elk perfect then I don't know what is. Same goes for your .300 Win. Good luck with the trip.

180's on elk and 165's on deer. Hard to go wrong with that combo. I've used the 180's on everything without failure, but I've recently switched to 165's for deer for a little more range. Nosler partitions are without a doubt the best to use, no matter what the weight. Something else, don't get fooled into thinking that you've got to push that 180 grain bullet to it's max velocities. You'd be surprised what 2550 will do on Elk, deer, and bear. I've never needed more than one shot running at those speeds, and that's shooting normally at about 2-350 yards on the average. The other added benefit is that you'll get very little bloodshot meat, something that the proponents of hypervelocity cartridges never take into account. Besides, horns never really appealed to me on the dinner plate.

The 200 will hit harder, but the 180 gives you an extra 50-75 useable yards. A good, stiff load can clock up near 2800fps, this will provide great flat shooting and strong penetration characteristics well within the Partitions velocity application. I would use a 200 in a Magnum, but the 180 is the ticket for the '06.

180s from the 06 is pretty much my designated Elk combo. The exception is if I decide to take a lever gun for a walk through the timber.

I've always used the 165NP with great success on various big game(including elk). You could also make up some 200NP to carry if you drop off into the thick timber, they will shoot close enough to zero to hunt with. Another good load I am thinking about working up is the new Barnes XLC 168gr. I'm betting with Lapua or WW brass and RL19 powder you could make 2950+fps in a good turnbolt. This would be the holy grail in an '06 for longer ranges. MtnHtr

165 NP

I know 2 people that shot their bulls last year with a 30-06 loaded with 165gr Partitions. They shot 3 times, made 3 hits, and had 3 complete pass throughs. And the 1 bull was just over 400 yards! There is nothing wrong with the 165gr in a premium bullet. But the 180gr will work just fine, I think the 200 is a bit heavy for caliber unless you're shooting at close ranges.

In Colorado one consideration is the "Combined" seasons. I have tags for Elk and Mule deer for the same time and area. I didn't consider the combined seasons when I was working up loads. I've got 150g conventional bullets and 180g Partitions loaded up.

Will a 180g Partition from a .30-06 open up on a mule deer? What about a 150g Partition on elk?

Just curious. This year the 180g Partitions are going to the woods, there are more elk than deer in my area.

My son shot his mulie buck @ about 275yds w/ a 180grNP @ 2750fps. The hit was a bit too far back & hehad to shoot again after a bit of tracking. Both bullets were complete pass throughs. I think you will get more expansion from the front half of a NP than any of the other premiums. That's why I keep shooting them.

I like the 220 RN.

A bullet i've used for many years before I Whelenized my 06 was the Hornady 190g BTSP. It was an accurate shooter out of my model 70 with a near max charge of IMR 4831. I've taken numerous elk,deer and antelope with this bullet out to @ 350 yds. Another bullet that shot well out of that rifle was the 180g Remington Bronze Point with IMR 4350. I could get 3 holes to touch at 100 yds. with these. The BP bullet was hell on bloodshot when you hit bone. Other than that it was a real stopper.

Loren, I've used the Nosler Partitions on deer while hunting the combined seasons and they worked great. I use the 165 or 180gr bullets, I've never used the 150s.