30-06 questions

Troy1760

Troy1760

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I have a great Savage axis in 30-06 and love it. Versatile rifle with all i need for hunting and good afternoons of shooting. What i would like to know from those who have the experience is the following

1. What is a good grain bullet (150, 165, 180...) size to zero with and hunt with up to 300 for deer?(i want to zero with the ammo i will use for hunting)

2. What is a good range to zero at to be effective up to 300? (i have a Bush Trophy DOA reticle)

3. Last question, What ammo company do you use for hunting? (i know this is a can of worms but im curious)

I have taken deer in the past but by bow, i got into deer with rifle last year with friends, so i am just looking to know what you guys use for deer, within those ranges, and preferably anyone's exp with DOA sights for this caliber.

I have seen a few dope calculators for Core lite Remi rounds at 150, tried this week and shot well at 100yrd zero, but for 200, it fell short on my DOA 2nd dot, and just high from the 3rd dot on my scope. So they werent exacly compatible rounds and scope, but i have more dope to do, but want to start with the right grain, bullet and company. So far i usualy shoot remi, but i think i may go to fed as they are not too expensive but i have had luck in the past with them.

any SA would be great for the new to it 30-06 hunting group.
 
For deer any of your above noted bullets weights will do. You don't need fancy bullets either. Zero for 2-3" high at 100 meters and you are set. The heavier bullets will hit a tad harder at the longer ranges, but there will be few deer that will notice inside 300 meters or so.
 
Firstly, your are relying too heavily on the "dots" on the scope. They are a guide, not a definitive hatch mark for a specific brand or grain of bullet. The trick is to shoot a particular brand that your rifle "prefers" - ie. shoots well, and then reference the bullet placement in relation to the dots. Anything else is Fantasy Island as you are NEVER going to find a round to match the scope, even though some manufacturers even go so far as to reference a specific grain to a stadia line - Burris comes to mind.

For deer, I use 150 grain bullet or a 165 gr bullet. I find exceptional performance with them. I handload, but also use Remmy or Winny also, as they are readily available injust about any store selling ammo.
 
1) 165's. They'll kill any game you care to hunt. 150's will do, but the 165's are more versatile.
2) A 165 sighted in about 3.5" high at 100 will put you on target out to about 300. The brand doesn't make much difference.
3) Only my hand loads now. However, if you're not reloading, you have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your rifle shoots best. Think in terms of 2" or so groups at 100 being accurate enough for deer sized game. Smaller is nice, but not absolutely necessary.
Once you find the ammo, practice shooting, off hand, at a 9" paper plate, at 100, until you can hit it every time.
Go here and read. Add the W's. .gunnersden.com/index.htm.30-06springfield-ballistics-hunting.html
Forget the Remington 30-06 Springfield Accelerator stuff. It's useless and not loaded anyway.
 
165gr bullet with a 2 " high zero @ 100yds and hold just behind the shoulder for a good, solid hit from 50-300 yds. Forget about variable scopes, fancy reticles, bipods and all of the other gee-haws and whifftickers. They just waste time when you are getting set up for what is often a fleeting shot opportunity. A quality 4X OR 6X wide field scope is good.

Handloads bring out the best in any rifle and it pays to experiment with different propellants, charges, seating depth and bullets. I have been able to work up MOA loads for my M1903 Springfield sporter with all of 150,165, and 180gr bullets. IMR4064 and IMR4350 are tough to beat in a .30-06.

If you are used to bow hunting use fieldcraft (hide to break sillhouette, wind in face, facemask, no motion) to get a closer shot. I've shot Whitetails at very close ranges doing this, even in the wide open spaces of the prairies where folks think they will be shooting @ 300 yds.
 
I load 150GR for deer, 180GR for elk and moose. I zero 3" high at 100 yards with 150GR, 180 GR hit around 2' high. If you look at down range ballistic charts the 150 GR are point of aim out to 275 yds. and 180 GR point of aim is 240 yds. Check a chart or web sites as I'm pulling those numbers from memory, believe they're pretty close, but double check.
 
I used to use 180's in my 30-06. Then one day my oldest son asked why. He used 150's in his. I then went to 165's, as I read somewhere that 150's may do more meat damage. That may have been the case quite some time ago, but may not be nowadays. An inch and a half high at 100 yards was where we zero'd. We haven't hunted with the rainbows for many years now. We went to 308's for many years and now my son is using the 260 and I have gone to the 7mm-08.
 
I use 150 grain TTSX in my 30-06 for everything from deer to moose. It has worked great so far, all shots were placed perfectly so just about any bullet would have worked.
I sight in 2.5 at 100, puts me dead on at about 250 velocity is 2975 FPS from a 23 inch barrel.
 
I have been hunting with the 30-06 since 1957. It is a fine, versatile chambering that will fit your needs very nicely.

IMHO, the 165 grain bullet is probably the best all-round choice. You do not need a premium bullet for deer, BTW.

I cannot recommend a factory load, since I have not shot factory ammo for decades. However, the 165 is loaded to around 2800 fps by most manufacturers.

You should sight that in +3" at 100 yards. This will give you approximately the following figures: 100Y = +3.0"; 200Y = +2.9"; 300Y = -3.3".

This will allow a "dead on" hold on a deer's vitals out to just over 300 yards.

Enjoy your 30-06. It is a dependable, useful chambering.

Regards, Dave.
 
I've hunted with a 30.06 since early teens. I started with a 125gr bullet because i was small. Went to 150gr, then 165, 180, and even tried many rounds up to 250gr. I've settled the last 20 years with 180gr. I set it zero for 200 and aim across the back for 300 yards.

Most of the areas I hunt are fairly treed and long field shots are unlikely. 180gr drops moose, elk, bears and has no problem doing a bang-flop on a deer.
 
Troy1760 said:
I have a great Savage axis in 30-06 and love it. Versatile rifle with all i need for hunting and good afternoons of shooting. What i would like to know from those who have the experience is the following

1. What is a good grain bullet (150, 165, 180...) size to zero with and hunt with up to 300 for deer?(i want to zero with the ammo i will use for hunting)

2. What is a good range to zero at to be effective up to 300? (i have a Bush Trophy DOA reticle)

3. Last question, What ammo company do you use for hunting? (i know this is a can of worms but im curious)

I have taken deer in the past but by bow, i got into deer with rifle last year with friends, so i am just looking to know what you guys use for deer, within those ranges, and preferably anyone's exp with DOA sights for this caliber.

I have seen a few dope calculators for Core lite Remi rounds at 150, tried this week and shot well at 100yrd zero, but for 200, it fell short on my DOA 2nd dot, and just high from the 3rd dot on my scope. So they werent exacly compatible rounds and scope, but i have more dope to do, but want to start with the right grain, bullet and company. So far i usualy shoot remi, but i think i may go to fed as they are not too expensive but i have had luck in the past with them.

any SA would be great for the new to it 30-06 hunting group.
Click to expand...

IF (with apologies to Mr Kipling)

IF you hunt deer exclusively, and shoot your rifle well,
IF you hunt in open or broken country,
IF your area is free of large predators,
then a 150 gr spitzer will do you well.

IF you prefer a bit more versatility,
IF a black bear or a moose catches your interest,
IF the wind blows a little stronger,
the 165 gr boat-tail might be a better choice.

IF one bullet is for all chores,
IF the range is near or far,
IF a grizzly shares your hunting grounds,
the pointed 180 gr is hard to beat.

IF you hunt at woods ranges,
IF heavy game becomes your cup of tea, and a bison must provide a robe,
IF recoil poses no concern,
the round nosed 220 hits hard and penetrates deep.

So much for bullets. When sighting in with high velocity cartridges, I usually prefer to zero for 200 yards, the logic is that between the muzzle and where the bullet first crosses the line of sight, it will never strike more than 1.5" below my point of aim. If my bullet hits 2" high at 100 yards, then between the range at which the bullet first crosses the line of sight and 100 yards, the bullet will never strike higher than 2 and never dips below my horizontal sight index. At ranges beyond 200 yards, I find it easier to deal with bullet drop than it is to deal with impacts much higher than 2" at near ranges as is the case with maximum point blank range zeros. Typically your bullet will strike 8" low at 300 yards, but your 200 yard zero must be confirmed with shooting, as must your long range bullet drop, rather than simply trusting drop tables or the predictions of ballistic software. Write down your observations, so you can refer to them in the future.

I prefer to handload the .30/06, but any factory ammo with an appropriate game bullet is sufficient to kill deer. The biggest complaint towards Federal is that the brass is soft, but if you don't handload, that is of no consequence. Federal tends to load on the conservative side, and the 180s I chronographed only made about 2600 fps, where my handloads are closer to 2800. But the ammo is accurate and very uniform, and their bullets compare favorably with other cup and core designs.
 
For up to 300 yards, I'd recommend the 165 grain, the 180 @ that distance may drop to much (depending on where your aiming). I believe 27 is the norm for sighting in a rifle. If you sight in your rifle at 27, then it'll zero out @ 100 yards. I shoot remington core lokt through my '750' woodsmaster, works great!
-cheers
 
topgun62 said:
For up to 300 yards, I'd recommend the 165 grain, the 180 @ that distance may drop to much (depending on where your aiming). I believe 27 is the norm for sighting in a rifle. If you sight in your rifle at 27, then it'll zero out @ 100 yards. I shoot remington core lokt through my '750' woodsmaster, works great!
-cheers
Click to expand...

what do you mean by 27? as in 27Yrds. I was shooting the core lock this weekend and was 1" group at 100yrds, 150 grain. shot a watermelon for the kids and it exploded. they loved it. But at 200yrds, i was falling way short, but I was reliying on my dots to hit, hence falling short.
 
Eagleye said:
I have been hunting with the 30-06 since 1957. It is a fine, versatile chambering that will fit your needs very nicely.

IMHO, the 165 grain bullet is probably the best all-round choice. You do not need a premium bullet for deer, BTW.

I cannot recommend a factory load, since I have not shot factory ammo for decades. However, the 165 is loaded to around 2800 fps by most manufacturers.

You should sight that in +3" at 100 yards. This will give you approximately the following figures: 100Y = +3.0"; 200Y = +2.9"; 300Y = -3.3".

This will allow a "dead on" hold on a deer's vitals out to just over 300 yards.

Enjoy your 30-06. It is a dependable, useful chambering.

Regards, Dave.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, but wow what a drop from 2 to 300 yrds. 6". sound s like good info. Most if not all are saying what i think is the answer i needed. Sight 2-3" high at 100yrds. 165 grain and find the ammo the gun likes to eat and stick with it. What i eventualy want to do before my memory goes...is put a dope kinda cheat card on the side of my rifle or in the butt, so depending where im shooting, i can make sure i know where to aim on my scope.
 
marty06 said:
I use 150 grain TTSX in my 30-06 for everything from deer to moose. It has worked great so far, all shots were placed perfectly so just about any bullet would have worked.
I sight in 2.5 at 100, puts me dead on at about 250 velocity is 2975 FPS from a 23 inch barrel.
Click to expand...

This. Shoot 150gr TTSX, GMX or E-Tip. Deer and Antelope are bang-flop, Elk and Moose are a short run and they crumple. YMMV.
 
Troy1760 said:
.....is put a dope kinda cheat card on the side of my rifle or in the butt, so depending where im shooting, i can make sure i know where to aim on my scope.
Click to expand...

Troy,

The whole point of sighting in three inches high at 100 yd, is so that you don't have to do that. Just hold dead on the vital area, and the bullet will fall within that six inch range if your hold is good. Kind of a 'set it and forget it' ...out to 300 yards.

Ted
 
Why not? said:
Troy,

The whole point of sighting in three inches high at 100 yd, is so that you don't have to do that. Just hold dead on the vital area, and the bullet will fall within that six inch range if your hold is good. Kind of a 'set it and forget it' ...out to 300 yards.

Ted
Click to expand...

Times 2
 
I have been using 165 gr. Nosler partion's, and when they came along the Accu Bonds in my 30-06. I hand load using 57 gr. of IMR4350. Load info is straight out of Noslers manual. I sight it in 2.5" high at 100yds. This particular load is accurate in my particular rifle. I use 165gr. Noslers for everything, which is deer and moose mainly. Closest moose was 25ft, farthest in the 400yd range. I have never shot 30-06 factory ammo so I can not comment on that. The 30-06 and the 165 gr. Noslers have served me well since the early 70's. I have had several bang flops with the 165gr., two of them moose.
 
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