30-06 Factory Hunting Ammo - Favourites - Most Accurate - Most Effective

Devlin

Devlin

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I recently picked up a new X-Bolt 2 Mountain Pro chambered up in the old reliable 30-06, stuck a Nightforce NX8 4-32x50 on it. I did some initial shooting today in exceedingly gusty wind hitting 60-70 km/h gusts, and was able to hold decent'ish groups out at a hundred yards. Rifle has a 22 inch barrel and is a 1:10 twist, now even with strong winds at 100 yards I don't think the wind is going to drift a .30cal round too terribly much.

These were the first rounds out of the rifle and it's meant to be a carry a lot, shoot a little hunting rig. I ran three shots for each ammo type today and then let the barrel cool for 5 minutes.

I'm looking for as close to a do everything cartridge in the form of a factory available option as possible, thinking a 168 grain or 180 grain or somewhere in that ballpark would be a happy middle ground weight to work with.

I had a bunch of ammo on hand from another rifle and tried a few out today just to see what they would do out of this rifle. The ones below were what I tried out today in three shot groups (again it's a hunting rifle, not a bench gun)
  • Hornady Precision Hunter 178 ELD-X
  • Barnes VOR-TX 180 TTSX
  • Remington Core Lokt 180 Grain
  • Hornady Amercican Whitetail 180 Grain
  • Federal Fusion 180 Grain
  • Winchester Deer Season 150 Grain
  • Sako Super Hammerhead 150 Grain
  • Norma Whitetail 150 Grain
So hit me with your suggestions CGN, whats worked well for you in the ammo department.
 

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I reload as well which I'm not opposed to doing but a grab and go factory option is always nice for this sort of rig. I'm not super happy with the groups I got today but am going to chalk it up to a few things, weather, new rifle, shooter of course is always usually the biggest factor, it was miserable cold here today and I wasn't exactly taking my time etc...so of all those excuses I'll hang 75% of the results on the shooter being the biggest factor.

I did check over the rifle tonight and found the rear action screw wasn't as tight as the front, both were out of spec from what the manual says they should be at 35 inch pounds, so made that adjustment, may lower the weight on the trigger as well since that's an option with the new X-Bolts as well and go back out in better conditions when the weather isn't so hateful and winter actually screws off for a few months.

Will grab some Terminal Ascent to try out as well as I've read a lot of glowing reviews on it also.
 
I hardly ever shoot factory ammo, so I'm not much help. I usually try shooting minimum 5 shot groups. Federal fusion line, which I have shot in 6.5 creedmoor, 7mm WSM, 308, and 30-06, has always grouped very well for me.

If you want to try tighten up your groups, do as others have suggested, starting with the bases, screws bottom out on some actions before they are fully seated, and the screw needs shortened sometimes. Then go to rings, action screws, forend of stock touching, all the usual suspects.

Also with all factory barrels I usually shoot a hundred rounds down the pipe, clean it to bare steel, shoot a other 5-10 rounds down it. Then start my load development. Anytime I have tried with a new rifle right off the bat, it always seems to change.

Goodluck, and I'm sure all those groups will only tighten up for you as you get more rounds through your barrel.
 
The supposed sweet spot is projectiles between 155-165 for that barrel length. Nice rig btw.
Every rifle is different as you know. I would try some 165 grain Hornady CX Superformance ammo. Cheers
 
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I will second the 165gr Hornady Superformance. I have some older ones loaded with SST's and they shoot very well in both my 30-06 and my wife's. Mine is an older S&W 1500, hers is a Tikka T3.
 
If your rifle likes them the terminal ascent is amazing but some don't I also have slot of faith in the Norma offerings
 
I like accubonds
All your choices are more than fine, should do the job
Winchester deer season is decent but they aren’t kidding about rapid expansion.
I’ve thought the Sako and Norma stuff is good value
 
Devlin said:
tried a few out today just to see what they would do out of this rifle. The ones below were what I tried out today in three shot groups (again it's a hunting rifle, not a bench gun)
  • Hornady Precision Hunter 178 ELD-X
  • Barnes VOR-TX 180 TTSX
  • Remington Core Lokt 180 Grain
  • Hornady Amercican Whitetail 180 Grain
  • Federal Fusion 180 Grain
  • Winchester Deer Season 150 Grain
  • Sako Super Hammerhead 150 Grain
  • Norma Whitetail 150 Grain
Click to expand...
results?
 
Maybe try some 165 grain Federal Premium Nosler Partition.

I mostly use that and a 125 grain handload out of my .30-06. IMO, 165 grains delivers the "right balance" for the .30-06.

If I want to shoot/need heavier bullets I switch to 7.92x57 Mauser.
 
I've tested a few different rounds in a few different rifles for accuracy. I've taken whitetails with a few, as well. I'm not a big fan of bolt guns which may put some fellow Nutz off. I like semis, levers, slide/pump actions. I seem to be able to maintain cheek weld and follow through better with those actions and can work them without punching myself in the eye with the scope or the lever's bolt.

Winchester LR 190 Grain - don't like them. They did not seem to expand well within 100 yards in my experience but tunneled right through the deer.

Heavy for caliber, 180 grain and up. I don't think I need them. I have a 300 WM if I need bigger pills for bigger game.

Federal Fusion 165 Grain very accurate in the Rem 7600.
Barnes TTSX 180 Grain. I have some, if needed. Good accuracy. Expensive.165 Grain looks to be available in TSX but not easy to find in TTSX.
Hornady SST 180 Grain. Nope. I had cycling problems in an older semi-auto. The rounds were so hot that the action was cycling while the case was still expanded inside the chamber, tore the rim off and left the swelled case jammed in the chamber.
Remington 165 Grain Core-Lokt Tipped. Moderately accurate. Expensive for what is considered non-premium ammo.
Nosler Partition or Accubond 165 Grain. I'm sure will get great penetration, if needed. Not as accurate as I'd like in my rifles.

Norma Oryx 165 Grain. Good price for a bonded bullet. Will hunt with them this year. Seems very accurate out of my BLR Lightweight 22" barrel, 1:10 twist. Muzzle flash indicates not all the powder is burning in the bore and getting spit out the muzzle. But I like the accuracy and felt-recoil that is a push and not sharp. From what I've read it is well-respected in Europe. Factory ammo with a soft point bonded bullet to be had at a reasonable price. This will serve my double-duty need for deer and happen-upon bear. I'll report back if I get to shoot at big game this year.

Sako Powerhead Blade 170 Grain. I understand this is a Barnes bullet. I picked up a few boxes of this premium ammunition because it is discontinued and on sale. I'll test accuracy next week. If I like it, I'll buy the replacement 162 Grain and test that, too. Apparently Sako discontinued this with a planned replacement using their own monolith because Barnes bullets are getting hard for them to import. That's just what I was told through the grapevine. It may or may not be true. If anyone has more verifiable details I'm happy to hear it. I'll post results after testing. Using two rifles, the BLR and a Benelli R1 Big game 22" barrel 1:11 twist.
 
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Devlin, if you reload, you would realize the futility of asking which "factory ammo" shoots best in your rifle.

Even with today's great tolerance consistency levels, maintained with CNC equipment, it's a crap shoot on predicting which manufacturer produces the best ammunition for your particular rifle.

Manufacturers have to produce ammunition that is safe in a multitude of firearms over a century old to new manufacture.

IMHO, they do a pretty good job at it.

They can't control headspacing or chamber dimensions of firearms manufacturers from all over the world, so they produce ammuniton that measures somewhere between the maximum and minimum SAAMI or CIP specs, depending on offshore or North American specs.

You might get lucky with the first choice off the shelf, or as is most likely, you will have to chase different brands until you find one that works in your rifle to your desired accuracy standards.

Once you find that brand, with velocities and bullet weights/construction you prefer, there is no guarantee that the next lot will be as good or even acceptable, and you have to chase brands again.

Some "premium" loads from a specific manufacturer are consistent between lots. Not all of them.

You likely know this very well.

Handloading, if it's possible, is the best way to go for repeatable/reliable consistency IMHO.
 
Now that you have found and corrected the action screw issue, I would suggest another range day without the cold and the wind, where you will be able to produce better results because you aren't cold. This will help mitigate that shooter variable! And you've eliminated the rifle variable that can affect results.
Also, slow your shooting down some...try waiting a minute or two between shots in each group, and allow the barrel to cool more between groups, if you are looking for overall accuracy. Take another rifle or two so that you can give it time to cool, as you rotate between rifles.

I too would suggest trying the Federal Terminal Ascent ammo. While not everyone of my rifles likes it as much as some of the others, most do, and produce sub-MOA groups with it. With only my 300 WSM not doing so, but at just over 1 1/2" groups, it is still acceptable for most of the hunting I do...I just prefer 1MOA or better. But that's my preference. (What's yours?)

Federal no longer loads Nosler bullets in their ammo, so you may not find any Partitions or AccuBond ammo anymore, but they were good performers. Most of the bullets that they offer now do produce good accuracy from many rifles, ad their consistency is very good (most of the low single digit standard deviations I am getting in factory ammo is coming from Federal). The Terminal Ascent, Trophy Bonded Tip and Trophy Copper ammo are producing some of the best groups on some of my rifles today (e.g., 6.5 CM, 270 Win, 270 WSM, 7mm Rem Mag and PRC, 308 Win, and 338 Federal.) To date, I am impressed by the overall accuracy and on-game performance of the Terminal Ascent bullet.
Federals' Fusion ammo is another to try, as I have yet to hear of any rifle or cartridge, regardless of manufacturer, where this ammo hasn't produced at least acceptable accuracy. On-game performance has also been very good. And their new tipped version is getting good reviews. I have yet to try it myself, but have just acquired some to try in my 7MM PRC and 6.5 CM.

The Nosler ammo is also very good, usually producing MOA or better accuracy in many of my rifles. And the on-game performance of the Partition, AccuBond, LRAB, and Ballistic Tip ammo is very good, depending on what game and performance measures you are hunting and looking for. As happy as I have been with the accuracy and on-game performance of the Partition bullet, the AccuBond has become my favourite hunting bullet since it was first introduced. Consistency in the accuracy department, on-game results, and how easy it is to work up handloads, across all calibers and cartridges from 0.257" to .375" has been very good. And it usually the first ammo/bullet I try in any new rifle.

Any ammo with the Sierra Game King (SGK) ammo is also worth trying. While not bonded or mono-metal, it is also a bullet that produces good accuracy and on-game performance. I have yet to try their new tipped version (TGK or GameChanger), but am looking forward to trying it in Barnes new ammo line, in my 6.5 PRC and 7MM PRC.

And the old Winchester Power Point ammo can be very accurate in some rifles, despite not being a newer, sleeker bullet design, and also has a great on-game performance record over the decades. Remington's Corelokt ammo also has the same reputation.

In the end, it will really depend on what game you are hunting, in what terrain/environment you are hunting, and how long of a shot you are comfortable in taking from field positions (100 yards? 200 or 300? More?).

The 3006 has a great on-game performance record, and depending on your needs and desires, choose the ammo/bullet combination that suits your needs, and provides the greatest accuracy from your rifle, and go forth with confidence!
And make sure your knives are sharp!

Best of luck in your quest! And hopefully you'll have many great adventures with your new rifle!
 
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