The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Which factory 30-06 load for whitetail hunting

steveNChunter · July 5, 2014, 08:58 AM

IMO the answer to the OP's question depends on the range he is shooting. Any bullet 150 grain and up will work very well at killing the deer, but if he is more likely to have a shot under 100 yards (which is the range the majority of real-world hunting shots are taken), a 150 gr bullet will make an unnecessary mess of the surrounding meat.

If this is not a big deal to the OP, then don't worry about it. If it is, either use a bonded bullet (Nosler Accubond is a good one) or move up in bullet weight to a 168 or 180 gr, or you could also back off the powder charge a little and use the 150 gr bullet.

If you have a greater probability of a longer range shot where you hunt, this is all irrelevant. In that case use the most accurate bullet in your rifle, preferably a boat-tail design to buck the wind better at 300+ yards. It should also be a design that will expand at lower velocity, such as a Nosler Ballistic tip, Hornady SST, or similar.

In all honesty, when you're talking about a .30 caliber bullet at .30-06 velocity, it's harder to find a bullet that WONT work well on deer

July 5, 2014, 08:58 AM	#26
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	IMO the answer to the OP's question depends on the range he is shooting. Any bullet 150 grain and up will work very well at killing the deer, but if he is more likely to have a shot under 100 yards (which is the range the majority of real-world hunting shots are taken), a 150 gr bullet will make an unnecessary mess of the surrounding meat. If this is not a big deal to the OP, then don't worry about it. If it is, either use a bonded bullet (Nosler Accubond is a good one) or move up in bullet weight to a 168 or 180 gr, or you could also back off the powder charge a little and use the 150 gr bullet. If you have a greater probability of a longer range shot where you hunt, this is all irrelevant. In that case use the most accurate bullet in your rifle, preferably a boat-tail design to buck the wind better at 300+ yards. It should also be a design that will expand at lower velocity, such as a Nosler Ballistic tip, Hornady SST, or similar. In all honesty, when you're talking about a .30 caliber bullet at .30-06 velocity, it's harder to find a bullet that WONT work well on deer __________________ DEO VINDICE