Best 30 cal bullet for deer

[yomomma]

Wish they still made Hot-Core bullets.

 

[Sqr]

168 guns Barnes TSX.

 

[ironsighter]

165/168 gr sst or interlock. No need for a premium bullet for deer at mild velocities

This.

 

[captonion]

Cup-core give a better blood trail and tend drop deer faster than does mono..
Premium aren't needed as new age cup-core are very well suited for the job.

 

[Demonical]

My '.308' bullet for deer is a 200gr Accubond, handloaded to ~2750fps, in a .300H&H. Very accurate. Will shoot brisket to arsehole on pretty much any whitetail.

 

[CreamySmooth]

SST and shop no more. I use 150s from deer to boar to elk to moose to bear. There's nothing in NA it won't kill.

 

[skneub]

Best is a matter of opinion, when people want different results it's impossible to pick one bullet that will make everyone happy. I like fast opening bullets for large wounds and couldn't care less about meat loss. The bigger the wound channel the better. A 150 grain Ballistic Tip is about as good as any, but realistically deer are neither big nor tough and aren't hard to kill with the most ordinary of bullets. They can be awfully hard to find though, and fast drops go a long ways to making it easier.

Much truth to this....

Tracked one for miles once ...
sucker jumped as I shot...lost a lower leg
we did recover it .
after walking past it

 

[trevj]

The best one is the one that you can make shoot well enough for your needs.

I have filled a LOT of tags with bulk-bag Winchester 150's and 180's. Don't try to wring out the n-th degree of velocity out of them, and aim for ribs instead of smack on the shoulder.

I CAN say with some authority that the least running after the shot, is from a spine hit deer. But it costs in the prime cuts!

Cheers
Trev

 

[Cleftwynd]

Accubond in the weight range you want to use, good expansion and if you happen to hit bone it will penetrate anyway. Good for close or far, fast or slow. Deer won't know the difference anyway. It'll just end up in your freezer.

My $0.02

 

[Gatehouse]

I would personally use a 130gr TTSX and shoot any deer from any angle and kill it quick. Works for moose, too.

 

[Cleftwynd]

Yup, all the expansion in the world won't do sh!t if it doesn't reach the vitals!!

 

[LawrenceN]

I've used Sierra Game King, both HP and SP, in the 165 gr. weight. For my rifle, they're accurate as hell and do a good job on knocking down deer. I've never had anything go more than 5-10 yds. from where I hit 'em and I shot the best group of my life with those bullets on top of 48 gr. of H380 (4 shots, one ragged dime-sized hole at 100 yds.). I've put a lot of venison in the freezer with that load over the years. Mind you, I nailed a nice little 6 pointer 2 years ago with my SKS using 123 gr. SP. He didn't go more than 3-4 yards before he flopped over (50 yd. heart shot), but if I was shooting where I had the option of longer range, I'd go with 150 gr. min. Lighter bullets are more prone to deflection and wind drift, IMHO.

 

[jackrabbit000]

30-06 150gr (any bullet) gets my vote.

 

[BigUglyMan]

I'm Fuddish so I would recommend a 150gr Nosler Partition. Just in case of a bad shot angle.

 

[jackrabbit000]

I'm Fuddish so I would recommend a 150gr Nosler Partition. Just in case of a bad shot angle.

Works but no fancy bullet needed for deer. I've never used one and never will. Still shot my deer every year. All this TTSX, Superformance, GMX and all other premium ammunition/bullets is just marketing and for companies to make more money.

 

[Brutus]

Works but no fancy bullet needed for deer. I've never used one and never will. Still shot my deer every year. All this TTSX, Superformance, GMX and all other premium ammunition/bullets is just marketing and for companies to make more money.

^Agreed.