30-06 heavy loads?

bullet construction is more important than bullet weight. I would rather go after moose with 120 gr TSX in 7mm Mag than 175 gr Sierra boattails
 
I always thought bullet weight and have been a beliver of 180 grn partitions.
last week my nephew took out a Moose 200yds droped in his tracks
next day I took a buck at about 50 ft took off about 20yds like nothing had hit it thought I'd missed ran around a pine and died same shot heart and lungs never had that happen before? Now if that had been a Grizz.
Thinking now maybe 220 grns but maybe thats not the answer?
 
x-Hare said:
I always thought bullet weight and have been a beliver of 180 grn partitions.
last week my nephew took out a Moose 200yds droped in his tracks
next day I took a buck at about 50 ft took off about 20yds like nothing had hit it thought I'd missed ran around a pine and died same shot heart and lungs never had that happen before? Now if that had been a Grizz.
Thinking now maybe 220 grns but maybe thats not the answer?
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A heavier lead core bullet produces a larger wound volume, but whether that translates into faster kills with any given shot is a matter of some conjecture. I happen to believe a heavy bullet is better when the chips are down, and when I carry an '06 for bear work I load the 240 gr Woodleighs. This is not the answer for everyone, as the velocity by current standards is low (2400 fps) and the trajectory is only suitable for 200 yard shots. My testing seems to indicate that the final expanded diameter of the bullet has much more effect on wound volume than does velocity, and the heavy lead core bullets show the greatest upset. Protection loads are not necessarily the same as hunting loads. I load 180 gr TSX's in my wife's Husky due to the 1:12 twist but my barrel shoots the heavy weights just fine. I find I am equally at ease with the Woodleigh load in my '06 as I am with my .375, when all I have to worry about is myself.
 
Yeah that makes sense "Large Wound Volume" me like that as long as you don't hit the tenderloins.From the distance I hit the Deer at I figured it would have blown it right over which has always been the norm for me
I still got the Large wound volume just had to pull it a little further.
Oh well thanks guys great topic.
 
I hunted for 30 years with 30-06 180 and that did the trick. With better bullets now and with the higher velocities of magnums a smaller grain might be ok. With a 7mm mag 175 gr should be fine but Im certainly no expert. Maybe the bigger bullet size with 7mm makes it less accurate although moose are usually a short distance shot unless across a pond or down a cutline.
 
I've read a few "field test" type articles on factory light magnum ammo. Consensus seems to be that they are more powerful than standard loads, but not as powerful as the manufacturers claim, and that the cost difference in the ammo usually is not warranted. Personally, if I thought I needed to get that last bit of performance out of my rifle for that grizzly hunt or something(and I didn't reload myself, and couldn't borrow a more powerful rifle), I'd get a friend to load me up a box of hot handloads with a premium bullet.

As for the "heavy bullet" part of the thread...I tend to prefer heavier bullets pushed as fast as possible in most any cartridge.
 
mackillan said:
Caribou! You lucky bugger.:) Do you know of any outfitters?
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bugger! :eek:
You crack me up.:D
I could be your guide no problem. But there is one problem where I live since 1991 their migration has changed in 94 so we have to go far to find them. But in the last few years the big herd from Labrador came through which is only a measly 750,000 caribou :runaway::D;):p
When I had my dog team I had to get 3-4 caribou a week just to feed them. Thank god I don't have a team any more.
Any ways it doesn't take me long to cut one up. ;)

I'd be happy to have you up here, but a warning it's very $$$$$ just to get here. Have you got air miles?
 
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Money wouldnt be an issue. Holy Smokes that would be great.
inukshuk said:
bugger! :eek:
You crack me up.:D
I could be your guide no problem. But there is one problem where I live since 1991 their migration has changed in 94 so we have to go far to find them. But in the last few years the big herd from Labrador came through which is only a measly 750,000 caribou :runaway::D;):p
When I had my dog team I had to get 3-4 caribou a week just to feed them. Thank god I don't have a team any more.
Any ways it doesn't take me long to cut one up. ;)

I'd be happy to have you up here, but a warning it's very $$$$$ just to get here. Have you got air miles?
Click to expand...
 
I know one of the members here has been getting speeds of about 3000 fps out of his 30-06 using Vitavourhi, can't remember the details of the load he uses. With a 168 grain bullet that comes pretty darn close to 'traditional' 7mm loads.

I shoot the same bullet out of mine but at speeds closer to 2850. I can't see why you'd want more unless you were into very long range shooting - farthest shot for me was 250 on a moose, killed it quite dead in it's tracks (heart/lung, dropped on the spot, groaned a bit, died).

We always used 175 grain partitions in the 7mm. Killed moose dead.

I know 'best of the west' uses berger bullets for their long range kills.
 
This is where I'm confused.
I load up 1/2grn at as time starting with the min up to the max I'm happy when I get the tightest groups and settle on that load.
Now the accuracy is really neglegable when it comes to a hunting load an inch either way is really not an issue but what is going to do the most damage slower speed larger bullet or faster and smaller?
When I was using factory Ammo Federal 180 partitions I often recovered the bullet from inside the animal my stuff that I loaded for accuracy "Tight Groups" are going right through? I don't have a chrony just go by load data.
 
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