30-06 Bullet weight?

Steamwhistle

Steamwhistle

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I've been doing some reading about what bullet grain I should be shooting and I'd like to have a discussion the see what cgn thinks. I shoot a Tikka T3 in 30-06, it has a 1 in 11 twist, and I shoot 150gr federal blue box very well out of it. However I've been thinking, what is the barrel designed for? Most of what I can read on the forums is telling me I should be shooting closer to the 180gr range.

I've considered buying a box in the 165gr range to see how it will shoot. I'm interested to find out what the rifle was designed for and to see if I can get better groups with a different bullet weight using factory ammo. My shooting never reaches out past 300m, I'm just interested in the relation between barrel twist and length, and bullet weight.
 
11 twist should be fine for any of your hunting option bullets. I have found in my hunting with the 06' that 165s are a good middle ground bullet and fine from vermin to moose. Under 300 yds any of your choices from 150s to 180s are good ones. BTW, I am finding excellent results with tsx bullets. Pick your poison.
My 2c
 
Is this with a 1 in 11 barrel?

I'm curious if I will get a slight accuracy improvement if I switch to a different grain. For example if I started to reload my own ammo, would I find that in my barrel 180gr loads would outshine 165 and 150?
 
I'm shooting at white tail, I've already taken 4 with it using the 150gr, and I'm considering starting to reload. If I start to look for more expensive hunting ammo I want to look in the right spot. I might be looking at a move out east next year where I will probably be hunting Moose also, which is why I'm thinking about finding a slightly heavier bullet.
 
1:11" twist is meant to be a good all around twist which performs well with most bullet weights. Anything from 150-200 should be great performers. For deer 150 Gr is a good weight, a little faster than the 180's and will take them down with a good shot. If you rifle is shooting good now there is nothing wrong with a higher end 150 Gr. bullet. Federal Fusion is decent factory ammo and has a bonded bullet which is a step up from the standard blue box. Make sure to try it out before you go hunting. For an all around bullet weight 165 and 180 will do the trick just fine!
 
Perfect, I wasn't sure if the 1 in 11 was meant to stabilize 180 and heavier. I've never really worried about twists before, but I've been thinking about maximizing performance.
 
150 gr federal blue box is a great bullet for whitetail. If it shoots well in your rifle then that's perfect. If you want to hunt something bigger like elk or moose then a more stout bullet will be needed. For traditional cup and core bullets then heavier is necessary. A 150 grain mono-metal bullet like a Barnes or something will be fine for larger game. For a bonded bullet like an accubond then I'd prefer a 165 grain. If you're really wondering if you can get better performance accuracy wise with a 180 gr bullet, then buy a box of 180gr federal blue box bullets and see if they group tighter. But they won't perform better on whitetails.
 
I've been playing with the Berger Twist Rate Stability calculator and with the 1 in 11, some 180gr bullets are just marginally stable.

but then again, I'm shooting marginally stable bullets in my 223 with good results :)

so that's your answer: up to 180gr, if you 're lucky perhaps 190
 
Gyroscopic stabilization comes into play twice during the flight of the bullet. The first time the bullet yaws is when it exits the muzzle, and it must stabilize quickly if accuracy is going to be exploited. The bullet yaws again at impact with the target, and the speed at which it again stabilizes affects the depth of penetration.
 
I can tell you that my Tikka 30-06 w a 11" twist barrel will stabilize the long hornady 208 gr ELD M at 2650 fps, my rifle shoots this load very well. Also shoots extremely well with the 200 gr Sierra game king (2730 fps) and the 220 gr RN bullets shoot well. My rifle range is only about 780 feet above sea level so hunting up in the mountains 3-5000 feet will only improve stability.
 
Anything from 110 to 200 will be fine... no reason whatsoever to switch from the 150's unless you just want to try something different. You would be hard pressed to find a .30 cal rifle designed for hunting that won't shoot 150/165/180 bullets... no need to overthink it.
 
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