220 Grainers in 30-06

[H4831]

anyone gonna bite on this LOL.

Why bother?

 

[stubblejumper]

I would never bother with 220gr bullets,as about all that they add is additional recoil and bullet drop.A good quality bullet like a 180gr TTSX will penetrate more,shoot flatter,and recoil less.

 

[X-fan]

anyone gonna bite on this LOL.

I've fished enough moose and elk out of lakes, rivers, and god awful hell holes to know I want them dead right there. Not dead where it feels safe.

If a lung shot moose heads for water a Texas heartshot from a 375 will flip it off like a lightswitch. I don't think that is impractical at all.

Chuck or whoever with a 6.5X55 better have waders.

Violently alive huh.

I'm sure your not a DIK Chuck...You just type like one.

 

[chuck nelson]

I would never bother with 220gr bullets,as about all that they add is additional recoil and bullet drop.A good quality bullet like a 180gr TTSX will penetrate more,shoot flatter,and recoil less.

Apparently not. Though I will say it will darn sure penetrate enough. Even on a shot at the south end of a north bound moose. A friend dropped a big bull Moose in its tracks with a 140 TSX from a 280 with just such a shot last year. After reading this thread the old bull MUST have thought he was shooting a 375 H&H.

 

[Boomer]

Have you shot anything with these Boomer?

The 240s shoot well in my 1:10 twist barrel, but won't stabilize in my wife's 1:12.

 

[Boomer]

I would never bother with 220gr bullets,as about all that they add is additional recoil and bullet drop.A good quality bullet like a 180gr TTSX will penetrate more,shoot flatter,and recoil less.

I honestly can't tell the difference in .30/06 recoil between 180s, 200s, 220s and 240s, provided all the loads are maximum. When I'm shooting a .30/06 I expect a certain amount of recoil, and I haven't met anyone yet who can tell me the bullet weight based on the amount of the recoil he feels. The proportionately greater powder charge and velocity of a lighter bullet seems to balance out the amount of recoil generated by loads with heavy bullets. If you think the gun is going to buck more when loaded with a heavier bullet, that preconditions you to be more sensitive to it. I've worked pretty hard at not thinking about recoil but a .30/06 kicks like a .30/06 not like a .458 and it doesn't matter how you load it, it won't kick like a .458. Just like the .458 won't kick like a .500. A .30/06 with a poorly designed stock is objectionable. It bites, there's no getting around it. But given a properly designed stock that fits, a decent recoil pad, and a good position to shoot from, no .30/06 load should present a recoil problem to a competent marksman who normally shoots 150s @ 3000. Any small differences in recoil resulting from changes in bullet weight can be ignored.

 

[CV32]

Apparently not. Though I will say it will darn sure penetrate enough. Even on a shot at the south end of a north bound moose. A friend dropped a big bull Moose in its tracks with a 140 TSX from a 280 with just such a shot last year. After reading this thread the old bull MUST have thought he was shooting a 375 H&H.

Heh. Funny how all those dead moose were fooled into dying right there, huh?

 

[JerryJeffWalker]

I have found 220 grain bullets very accurate in my 30-06 rifles. I have never tried "downloading" any, but I have reloaded them and fired them over a Oehler chronograph. With a good charge of H4831 the lowest went 2425 and the highest of five went 2447. That gives a foot pounds of energy figure of a hair under 3000, which is no slouch of a bullet. With it's high weight to diameter ratio, it will hold up surprisingly well, and is not just a short range bullet. Hardly could compare to the large diameter, light weight bullets of the 444.
Also, it is often said on these threads that "your mileage may vary." My opinion varies on the recoil. I don't think the 30-06 kicks any harder with 220 grain bullets than it does with any other weight hunting bullet, if each is loaded to full power.
I am not saying it is the best bullet for general use in the 30-06, but for an encounter with a grizzly bear in the bush, it would certainly be hard to beat.

So a 130 grain load kicks as hard as a 220 grain load?????

 

[H4831]

So a 130 grain load kicks as hard as a 220 grain load?????

You got it!
It's all about foot pounds of energy. A loaded up 220 grain bullet will have about 2850 to 2900 fpe. A fullly loaded up 130 grain 30-06 will have about 2850 to 2900 foot pounds of energy.
Energy goes both ways, forward and backwards.
If there is any difference in felt recoil, it will be because the heavier 220 bullet MAY give more of a push, rather than a sharp hit of a lighter bullet.
I agree with Boomer, a fully loaded 30-06 has a certain amount of recoil and there is no possible way I could tell by shooting it, whether it was loaded with a light bullet or a heavy bullet.

 

[Gatehouse]

According to a fee online ballistics calculator, in an 8 lb rifle, the 130gr load will have 16.63 ft/lbs of recoil whiel the 220gr load will have 22.76 ft lbs.

Is it accurate? Maybe...i dont' really care.

 

[burnt_servo]

anyone gonna bite on this LOL.

why not ask all the "bullet proof " moose shot dead with smaller cartridges .....

OH WAIT too late they are all dead , in the freezer and eaten .

anyone who can't kill a moose with a 30-06 and a 180 grain bullet has no idea how to shot a rifle properly , and no idea what the words shot placement mean .

 

[david doyle]

and bullet drop

Really?

H4831s load in a ballistic calculator and compare to a 180 grain spire point started at 2700fps. If both have a 225 zero you will need to compensate an extra inch as the bullet reaches it peak trajectory and a whopping 2 inches at 300 yards. Beyond 350 even if you have a hot rodded 180 you are gonna need a range finder no matter which bullet you are using. The only diffrence is that the 220 is gonna hold more energy and be harder to displace windage wise.

Trying to convince folks of the above has always been like telling the inquisition that the earth is round.
Unless your the one rifle, one load, been shooting it for 20 years insticntive rifleman You always need to 'think' before creating a site picture so I constantly fail to see the arguments infavor of inches gained by velocity and light for cal bullets. Unless your target is so far away that you have to hold so high that the scope is showing you blue sky above the horizon there is no gain to having loaded a light bullet. Even then the windage caluclation is going to be just as hard or harder to figure then the extra drop calculations.

Then why have the ammo manufactures made the 165- 180 grain load so popular? I guess cause there is less material in em, (cheaper), look ###ier, and cause they are good enough. Might also have to so with the required twist for heavier bullets. More turns per inch uses up machine tools quicker so there is an incentive on the part of manufacturers to produce barrels for lighter bullets. (?) More twists per inch also can cause greater resistance/higher pressures. Maybe they feel more comfortable selling under loaded ammo to shoot out of a longer twist barrel (?)
None of the above is a bad thing, a 30-06 rifled and chambered to give max velocity with a 150 grain premium bullet would be a neat rifle no doubt about it. Not as cool as a p17 rifled and chambered for a 220 grain bullet though LOL

 

[BigUglyMan]

This has turned into the best thread ever.