Premium Ammo Suggestions

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PuckHunter

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Looking to select a premium factory round for hunting use in a 3006 Tikka T3, and wondering if some could weigh in on experience...

I've been leaning towards a bonded bullet and thinking to go with a Nosler but also looking at the Sako Hammerhead. I realize I'll have to pattern to be sure, but about every cheap factory load I've tried has been within moa.

Thinking my options are;

1. Sako hammerhead, 180 grn
2. Federal Premium, Nosler AB, 180 grn
3. Nosler Trophy Grade, AB, 180 gen

I've only considered 180 grn for a do it all round from whitetail to moose... but should I look at a 165 or 150 even?

Thinking heavier is better over 300 yds, and anything less is generally the same except energy delivery

Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
If you wish to take a bad shot and drive a bullet lengthways through a moose from hind-quarter to brisket then a premium bullet load has an advantage , but if you are going to go for a more senible shot and take the moose in the lungs or other vital area there is no benefit to spending the money on the high tech. Ammo. The moose today are not wearing body armor. They are the same species as our grand- fathers were shooting with standard lead or jacketed bullets.
 
If you are going to buy 1 bullet and use it for everything, deer and moose and your gun is the 30-06 then I like the 180gr. 150gr is fine but the 180gr will give you that extra pop for moose, 150gr is light on sectional density for moose and if you are not going to be moving between loads then go with 180gr.

As for premium ammo, I think that it is more important to shoot the gun than to put a few premium rounds down the pipe a year. If you look at grey box winchester at $26/20 vs premium at $50/20, you will shoot the grey box winchester a lot more and therefore you will make much better hits and need the premium ammo much less.

There is also a bonded bullet by winchester, about $32/20, still cheap compared to the premium stuff.
 
I use 165’s in my .30-06, I have a good stash of Hornady’s discontinued Light Magnum Line in both Interbonds as well as their SST. Both bullet types shoot to the same POI which is nice. The line was superseded by their Superformance line but both have some extra velocity and these happened to be extremely accurate in my Rem 700.

Hunters have been dropping moose with 130’s from .270’s and similar weight bullets from 6.5 x 55 Swede’s for quite some time. A well constructed 150 grain projectile from a .30-06 will work fine, concentrate on what bullet weight shoots best from your particular gun.

I had a .270 WSM that shot all over the place with a few of the most expensive premium cartridges I could find yet it was most accurate with affordable Federal Fusion, so that’s what I ran in it. Downed animals aren’t filling out recipient-satisfaction surveys on bullet performance or noting if they’re offended by being killed with value ammunition.
 
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PuckHunter said:
Looking to select a premium factory round for hunting use in a 3006 Tikka T3, and wondering if some could weigh in on experience...

I've been leaning towards a bonded bullet and thinking to go with a Nosler but also looking at the Sako Hammerhead. I realize I'll have to pattern to be sure, but about every cheap factory load I've tried has been within moa.

Thinking my options are;

1. Sako hammerhead, 180 grn
2. Federal Premium, Nosler AB, 180 grn
3. Nosler Trophy Grade, AB, 180 gen

I've only considered 180 grn for a do it all round from whitetail to moose... but should I look at a 165 or 150 even?

Thinking heavier is better over 300 yds, and anything less is generally the same except energy delivery

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Here is my two cents worth.
When I bought my Tikka T3x in 223 I also purchased two boxes of Sako Gamehead Ammo 55 grains. This is the only ammo I purchase for the Tikka. It shoots consistently under MOA in my Tikka. My last 5 shot group at 200 yards yesterday measured 1.42 inches. I have the Leupold 2.5-8x36 had magnification on 8x.

I do not think I can reload better ammo without spending a lot time and funds - give Sako ammo a try you will not be disappointed
 
For the cost of 3 boxes of ammo you can buy dies and a case of beer to go over to someones house and do some reloading for a better bullet at half the cost or less. Its not rocket science, nor does it take weeks and weeks to reload a batch of ammo
 
I agree with your choice of 180 grain as a do it all weight for the 30-06. It has been the standard for a long time. The recent trend to fast light bullets is fashionable, if that matters to you, but does not work as well IN game as the paper charts would otherwise convince you. I don't think you'll find any measurable difference in performance IN game between the three loads you haven listed. If one is more accurate in your rifle, choose that one.
 
I also have a 3006 tikka I use federal nosler partitions 180 grain for moose I’ve had great experience with them they have dropped 7+ moose for me. The partition has done everything it was advertised to do mushroom up until it gets to the solid part of the bullet then it holds its weight without deforming or break apart. I’ve also seen moose get dropped with Remington cor-lokt and bullet retrieval the mushroom looks similar to my partitions. Goes to show you don’t need to spend $50+ a box but I figure you only get one shot so I don’t cheap out .And I use 150 grain Hornady “American whitetail” for deer it “was” cheap and you don’t need anything fancy for deer as long as it shoots good. Take this with a grain of salt because many factors can come into play but I used my 180 grain partitions on a deer and I lost it, it left a really tiny blood trail then the trail dried up bad shot? Or the bullet zipped through without expanding? Needless to say I keep my $50 a box 180 partitions at home now when deer season it here. Like others have mentioned 165 grain would be a great all round bullet I’ve dropped 2 moose with 165 grain partitions
 
There are a number of very decent bonded bullets out there such as Federal Fusion et al that perform way above their pay-grade. Go for those and save your money.
 
the_reaper_33 said:
I also have a 3006 tikka I use federal nosler partitions 180 grain for moose I’ve had great experience with them they have dropped 7+ moose for me. The partition has done everything it was advertised to do mushroom up until it gets to the solid part of the bullet then it holds its weight without deforming or break apart. I’ve also seen moose get dropped with Remington cor-lokt and bullet retrieval the mushroom looks similar to my partitions. Goes to show you don’t need to spend $50+ a box but I figure you only get one shot so I don’t cheap out .And I use 150 grain Hornady “American whitetail” for deer it “was” cheap and you don’t need anything fancy for deer as long as it shoots good. Take this with a grain of salt because many factors can come into play but I used my 180 grain partitions on a deer and I lost it, it left a really tiny blood trail then the trail dried up bad shot? Or the bullet zipped through without expanding? Needless to say I keep my $50 a box 180 partitions at home now when deer season it here. Like others have mentioned 165 grain would be a great all round bullet I’ve dropped 2 moose with 165 grain partitions
Click to expand...

You should never have had a partition 180gr not do very well on a deer, you must have missed your mark.

The partition is the bullet for which all other premium bullets are measured, opens rapidly up to the partition then plows through.

150-180gr will work just fine, if you are hunting moose then a 180gr will do better with potentially off angle shots but that is not saying that the 150gr will not work fine with a controlled expansion bullet.

No need at all for premium $80/20 rounds for deer or any other animal for that matter with a 30/06.
 
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