30-06 , opinion on bullet weight for large deer

Dogleg said:
I did a little 600 animal test with the 30-06 awhile back, with Hornady Interlocks, Woodleigh and Barnes TSX being the main culprits. There were some blue box Federal and factory Norma in there too. There was no doubt that the TSX had a firm grip on last place. My spotters learned to hate them.
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Accuracy or pass through issues?

600 animals? Culling? Do tell.

I am not all worked up about the 'risk' of lead bullets, the cost of some of the fancier stuff has put me off them from the outset, but the tales of pass-throughs from the Barnes copper bullets really don't motivate me to bother with them.
I see them as the solution to a problem that didn't exist until folks that should have known better started to believe the propaganda from the hand-wringers.

But that may just be me! :)
 
trevj said:
Accuracy or pass through issues?

600 animals? Culling? Do tell.

I am not all worked up about the 'risk' of lead bullets, the cost of some of the fancier stuff has put me off them from the outset, but the tales of pass-throughs from the Barnes copper bullets really don't motivate me to bother with them.
I see them as the solution to a problem that didn't exist until folks that should have known better started to believe the propaganda from the hand-wringers.

But that may just be me! :)
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Yeah, culling in Australia. That was 3 weeks worth.

There was no problem with the accuracy, and pass-throughs were the norm. They just kill slow. Penetration is over-rated though, once you have enough, what is more going to do for you?
 
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My 06 shoots the best with 220 Hornady RN’s Also very surprised how flat it shoots out to 300 yards
 
Dogleg said:
Yeah, culling in Australia. That was 3 weeks worth.

There was no problem with the accuracy, and pass-throughs were the norm. They just kill slow. Penetration is over-rated though, once you have enough, what is more going to do for you?
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Copy That.!

good to hear someone with experience, realising Barnes arnt Bombs in everything.... really fast stuff....Yes...... mid all rounder stuff,,, naah.
:)
 
John Y Cannuck said:
I've always found the 165's to be the best compromise between range, and energy for the 30 cals.
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I have been using 165 gr. Nosler Partitions and more recently the Accubonds as well, over 57 gr. of IMR 4350 in the 30-06 since the early 70's. Many moose and deer have been taken over the years with the 165 gr. without issue. Closest moose was about the 25ft, the farthest around 400 yds. The damage a 165 gr. Nosler Partion will do to moose at 400 yds. is very impressive.
In more recent years I have acquired a pair of M-70's in 300 H&H and 375 H&H and have used heavier bullets in them to take deer and bear. They work just fine but really not they did not make things any deader than the 30-06 with a 165 gr. Just my experiences for what its worth.
 
Dogleg said:
I did a little 600 animal test with the 30-06 awhile back, with Hornady Interlocks, Woodleigh and Barnes TSX being the main culprits. There were some blue box Federal and factory Norma in there too. There was no doubt that the TSX had a firm grip on last place. My spotters learned to hate them.
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Interesting...

Is there a link to this info?
 
I used 165 grain game kings for many years. Moose, whitetail, mule deer, mountain goats and black bear are all the game animals I shot with it. From rock throwing distance to something over 400 yards. I did experience some bang, flop, bullet “failures” at very close range though.
 
i rekon im goin to comprise between recoil an flatter traj by going 165s , with a slightly bigger case than the 7mm-08 which i use 140gr... makes sense to go a bit heavier but not too heavy.. as the rifle should be fairly light ...
its going to rain Friday, an i should be hitting the city to get my Marlin! let yas know!
 
blasted_saber said:
If 150gr are dumping them fine from a 308, why bother changing?
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well the aught Six will spit them out appx 200fps faster, which with a 150gr cup an core is right on the velocity bracket to which reliable performance can be obtained, i know woodleighs are tough as nails which is the only reason i would use a 150gr Woodleigh bullet in the 06 for these Sambar.

its like with the 270, i know 130s work fine if you hit them in the sweet spot, but i always advise the 270 shooters to use 150gr of the same flavour for that insurance when the shoulder/leg is hit first..

as some replys show, alot of people only ever use 180s in their aught six... an i was hoping to see an read their experiences as to why, kind of like me being on the other end of my 270 advice... im a newbie to the 3006, believe it or not!

pretty keen for it...... an to sell off my 9.3 :D
 
WhelanLad said:
well the aught Six will spit them out appx 200fps faster, which with a 150gr cup an core is right on the velocity bracket to which reliable performance can be obtained, i know woodleighs are tough as nails which is the only reason i would use a 150gr Woodleigh bullet in the 06 for these Sambar.

its like with the 270, i know 130s work fine if you hit them in the sweet spot, but i always advise the 270 shooters to use 150gr of the same flavour for that insurance when the shoulder/leg is hit first..

as some replys show, alot of people only ever use 180s in their aught six... an i was hoping to see an read their experiences as to why, kind of like me being on the other end of my 270 advice... im a newbie to the 3006, believe it or not!

pretty keen for it...... an to sell off my 9.3 :D
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With the 270 I feel like it really depends on the bullet. If you're using cup and core bullets then I totally agree with stepping up to the 150gr weight to bring the velocity down a bit. However, a 270 w/130gr has a sectional density only slightly behind the 165gr 30cal so with a bullet that can hold up to 3000+fps the 130s are great if you are looking for a flat trajectory to 300m+.

Like many here, both of my friends who shoot 3006 as their main rifle use 180gr pills for everything.
 
For lighter animals like whitetail and mule deer I shoot 150's. For heavier game like elk or moose I use 180's. I have been playing with the idea of loading 165's for all of them, but I haven't gotten around to do it yet.
 
Your post made me think over a bunch of .30-06 kills and projectiles used. Between elk, moose, deer (whitetails and mules) and black bears I’ve used bullets from 130 to 180 grains in weight. Oddly enough deer are the only ones I’ve shot with 180’s.

Bullets types ranged from barnes T/TSX to lapua scenars and a bunch of plain cup & cores in between. They all work. If I really needed to simply a .30-06 I’d load a 165 cup and core of repute with something 4350ish in burn rate.
 
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