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Old October 6, 2015, 01:40 PM   #1
ycastane
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30-06 Hunting Bullet

At the moment I am at work and cannot remember the 2 different grains I have for hunting with my 30-06 both polymer tipped. Question is which would be the more preferred grain and brand when shooting 30-06 for hunting. Thanks gents!!!
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Old October 6, 2015, 02:19 PM   #2
GeauxTide
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I've always favored 150s for deer. Hornady Interlocks and Sierra Game Kings have been excellent.
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Old October 6, 2015, 03:10 PM   #3
T. O'Heir
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165's. A 165 will kill any game in North America and the '06 loves 'em.
If you're not reloading, you'll have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your rifle shoots best. Cost or brand makes no difference. No match grade bullets for hunting anything but varmints.
Everybody and his brother makes a bullet with a synthetic point. That really doesn't matter anyway. It's the base of the bullet that matters.
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Old October 6, 2015, 04:05 PM   #4
22-rimfire
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Remington core-lokts always worked just fine for me, so something around 150 or 180 grs in the '06. As always, it depends on what you're hunting.
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Old October 6, 2015, 05:22 PM   #5
Hawg
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I like the 165's too.
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Old October 6, 2015, 05:35 PM   #6
ycastane
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Forgot to mention what I'm hunting, that's my bad. Small white tail deer, I say small because that's all we have in south Florida. Eventually I will do reloads but for now I'm just reloading 300 BLK because I don't have time.
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Old October 6, 2015, 06:43 PM   #7
Art Eatman
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Anything heavier than 150 grains is more recoil than is needed. Any brand/bullet that groups inside of two MOA will do just fine to 200 yards; no thinking needed.
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Old October 6, 2015, 07:11 PM   #8
natman
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Quote:
Small white tail deer, I say small because that's all we have in south Florida.
150 grains for any deer. For the large dog size deer in FL, any factory softpoint from Winchester, Rem, Federal, etc will work just fine.
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Old October 6, 2015, 07:31 PM   #9
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Back in the early 70's when we only got a single deer tag, I shot Browning branded 180 SP exclusively. It was fairly accurate and didn't tear up a lot of meat since preventing unnecessary meat loss was important. Then that ammo was discontinued and I changed rifles (still 30/06) so I shot Remington 150 CoreLokt for a while. After permits were liberalized, I was less concerned about meat loss and doing more long range shooting. I found a source of commercial reloads with Nosler 165 BT and that provided both range and terminal performance. I still have some of that ammo and would not hesitate to use that bullet for deer hunting.
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Old October 6, 2015, 10:55 PM   #10
kraigwy
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Depends on what you are hunting. Different animals have different systems that need addressed.

Deer, antelope, etc, has a nerves system that should be attacked with bullets that work like Bergers, SSTs, ect. These bullets come all apart attacking the nerves by shattering, spreading through out the lung heart area.

Bear/Hogs system is different. They don't have the nerves throughout the heart/lungs as do the deer/antelope. Their system can soak up the little bullet fragments without the quick humane kills. There for you need a heavy penetrating, expanding bullet that holds together to break down the animal. Something along the lines as the Rem Cor-lock or Hornaday interbond and similar bullets.
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Old October 7, 2015, 06:57 AM   #11
kcub
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+1 150 grain Remington Core Lokt

No reason to spend more for deer. I've seen deer angle raked through the body.

Whatever you do don't drop down to 125 -130 grain for deer in .30-06. Those bullets blow up too fast for deer. I wounded a deer a long time ago when I had .270 flat ballistics envy.
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Old October 7, 2015, 07:48 AM   #12
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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I like 180 round nose myself. Never have to worry. They plow a road through whatever they hit._
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Old October 7, 2015, 09:13 AM   #13
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On deer, at normal ranges it doesn't really matter. Even some of the 125-130 gr bullets work just fine. Some are designed as varmint bullets, others are big game bullets. One of the 130 gr TTSX's at about 3300 fps will out penetrate the 180 gr RN bullets.

Once you get to game larger than deer, or at extreme ranges bullet choice starts to matter. The cheapest 150 gr bullets you can buy will do as good at 300 yards or less than anything else.
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Old October 7, 2015, 05:27 PM   #14
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I was always a Remie Core-lokt person in 270 win. Always used the 150 gr soft points. It was a meat getter. A 100yd shot was a long shot where I hunted.

As time passed, I became more interested in the sport than I am with filling the freezer with venison. So, I shifted to handguns. Frankly, I don't really care if I get a deer or not.... but when I hunt, I hunt and I am all about a successful hunt and having fun. I mostly just want to see deer in the woods and if a shooter comes within my range, I take a shot. That's why I stopped with the rifle.... don't care anymore other than I want to see deer.
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Old October 8, 2015, 04:30 AM   #15
bamaranger
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long ago

When I was a kid, as the lever and pump gun era ended, my great uncle began to deer (whitetails) hunt with a Rem 760 in '06, (after shooting a .35 Rem pump for decades) and early on declared the "180 gr RN in the '06 the best killer in the woods". And many believed and loaded their own rifles just so, as well as .308's (that would be me, having retired a twice handed down .30 Rem pump) And .270 shooters tried to emulate and loaded 150 RN in an attempt to follow the declared best path.

And I quickly concluded that a .308/180 kicked a bunch in my M88 Winchester, and when shot for group at 100, did not group nearly as well as 150's (the M88 in .308 was twisted 1-12) and the 150's kicked less, important to a kid. So I deviated from the path....... shot light bullets, with less kick, more accurately. But ol'uncle Harry never gave me much credit after that.

All that to say that even a very big whitetail will not survive a .30 cal slug in the 150-165 range running 2800-2900 fps or more from the '06. Find a load/make that your rifle prefers and have at it. The '06 is much gun for the average whitetail, note not "too much" but really more than one likely needs. And a full house .30/180 in '06 begins to get in the range of recoil (in a decent sporter) that most begin to notice. No point in getting beat up in the process when you don't have to.

As far as getting beat up goes, I just spent the afternoon shooting an '06 bolt rifle, (Mark X Mannlicher) and a .308 bolt rifle Savage Hog) , both with 20" bbls. Both like 180's....alot. Heck, the Mark X likes 200's!!!!! Like sub MOA. So accurate with the heavies that I cannot turn my back on it. But after 30 rds or so, I was not enjoying the process, and wished like all get out that those two stubby blasters would shoot 150's!!!!!
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Old October 10, 2015, 01:09 AM   #16
reynolds357
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150 in any hunting bullet.
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Old October 26, 2015, 11:52 PM   #17
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I used to use 150 on deer and 180 on elk. I would often take deer at 300 to 400 yards. Now I hunt deer and elk in the same territory where my shots are usually between 25 and 80 yards. Now I simply use 180 for both. Never need to re-zero that way. If I still made long shots I would compromise with 165. I have been very pleased with Remington core lokt. It's all I've used for several years now. Cheap and effective. PS: I use a Rem 700 and I have never noticed the recoil while shooting at game; at the range....yes, but not while hunting...and I weigh 150 pounds. If just hunting small deer.....go with 150.

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Old October 27, 2015, 09:19 PM   #18
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I've aught-sixed a pile of deer and antelope in the last 25+ years, and I'll tell you that any 150grain or heavier bullet will do, and some of the lighter ones, too.

That said, you are a bit over gunned for the Florida strain of whitetail. I might consider Remington's 170gr managed recoil load. It is basically a 30-30 wearing a 30-06 costume. It'll kill em cleanly without being a meat grenade.

+1 to the 150gr corelok't. It will doubtless work. Steer WAY clear of the Ballistic tip, Bronze Poino, Silvertip, and other such fast opening bullets...unless of course you don't like venison.
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Old October 28, 2015, 05:50 AM   #19
Jack O'Conner
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75 yards is an average shot where we hunt in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. 180 grain round nose bullets are common within our camp among the guys who shoot 30-06 pump action rifles. But I typically hunt with my trusty 30-30 for these hunts.

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Old November 4, 2015, 04:36 PM   #20
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For deer, I use 150-165 grn Btips and Accubonds, depends on my mood.
In 1985 I traded for my first 30-06, it was a 700 ADL, with pressed checkering, and open sights.
And for at least three years, 180 grn Core Lokt ammo was all I ran through it for deer.....that was wicked, I always had pass-through, double blood trails to look at, and through the ribs never wasted much meat..
The 150 grn Btipcomes apart pretty fast and I liked its consistancy so much they were all the billet necessary for whitetail deer.
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