30-06 whitetail load

scott_r

scott_r

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Ive been a big .270 fan all my life but for this season I'll be shooting the trusted 30-06 (boring but effective) :D What bullet weight and powder are most popular? Im thinking of shooting bullets in the 150-165 gr. mark possibly with IMR 4064 ???

Cheers!!
 
scott_r said:
Ive been a big .270 fan all my life but for this season I'll be shooting the trusted 30-06 (boring but effective) :D What bullet weight and powder are most popular? Im thinking of shooting bullets in the 150-165 gr. mark possibly with IMR 4064 ???

Cheers!!
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Jeez Scott! this is a difficult question to be productive with as it leaves so much room. Hundreds of writers have raised their families writing articles about shooting whitetails; What kind of gun? What kind of bullet? What kind of powder? etc. :) Personally I have hunted for years with Hornady bullets for reasonably thin skinned game. If I ever run out of the old interlocks, I am going to try the 165 grain Hornady SST. I'll just go to the manuals to see which powders work with this bullet, or bullet weight, and then do a bit of testing. Personally I prefer to use the manual published by the manufacturer that made the bullet when reloading a new bullet, but have experienced good results using any of the other manuals and I like the Hodgdon website too. After buying a bullet from any decent manufacturer, it all boils down to what works best with your rifle. Cheers! Fred
 
For light whitetail loads in a 30-06, I have used 150 grain bullets. 4895 powder is excellent for loads less than full power, because it is accurate at lower pressure, as well as at full pressure.
I loaded them to about 2650, but you could go a bit lighter, if you wish. Just look to see what a starting load is in a loading chart. It may be about 2650, but just go higher, or lower, to get the approximate velocity you want.
Sight it in for about 2 inches high at 100 yards, but don't ask your rifle whether it likes it, or not!
I have never yet seen a bench rest out where deer are shot, so practice with a shooting position you would be likely to use when shooting at a deer. That may be sitting, standing, kneeling, leaning up against a tree, or many other variations. A tin plate about five inches across at 100 yards is about right. If you can hit that about three times out of five, go get your deer.
 
fogducker said:
use 180 partitions with 55 g of 4350;)
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That loads a classic and should be written into the hunting hall of fame. No doubt it will do the job on anything. The only question that came up with my 06's was whether 54, 55 or 56 grains was best. :)
 
BCFred said:
That loads a classic and should be written into the hunting hall of fame. No doubt it will do the job on anything. The only question that came up with my 06's was whether 54, 55 or 56 grains was best. :)
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lol i always go with the 55 g..as im lazy and its easier to set the scale to it:D
 
In my 308 I shoot a 150 gr ballistic tip at 2800 fps and it is really effective, no need for more that that and easy to dupicate in the 30-06, try varget or H4350.
 
A 180 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip over 60 grains of Reloder 22 is the BEST deer load for the 30-06 that I have ever used. Even though it starts a bit slower than a 150 or 165 grain load its high BC allows it to shoot just as flat as the lighter bullets at ranges past 300 yards while packing more energy.
 
I would stick to the medium burning rate powders if loading for a semi auto. I've used 47.5 grs of 4064 and Hornady 165 SP's for years in my Browning BAR. Will group under 1 1/2" at 100yds. Lots accurate and powerful enough for deer. 46 grs of 4064 under the same bullet is my standard Garand load.
 
My standard is 55.5 IMR 4831 behind a 180 Sierra BTSP and it performs well in either my Ruger 77 or my Win Featherweight. I've never recovered one of these bullets from a deer, only moose. If I were starting over, and only loading for deer I'd take a good look at running 165gr but I have a lot of the Sierras, my load works for me, and it is versatile; no change if a moose hunt comes up.
 
Out of over a dozen 06' s only one didn't like my go to recipe of H4350 and the 168 grain Nosler Combined Technologies bullet. That one fussy 06 wouldn't shoot anything however.:rolleyes:
 
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