Multi- animal load

[charlie brown]

There have been a number of posts lately regarding the new Accubonds, as well as the Scirocco and other bullets. I have a .30-06 and have to date taken only deer with it. I have used my grandpa' s handloads of 56 grs. IMR 4350 and 165 gr. Core- Lokt. The accuracy has been fine and I am pleased with the results. I started reloading about a year ago, and have only used the Sierra Gameking 165 gr. as of yet. I have tried 2 different powders and will be using a third on my next reloading cycle because I haven' t been happy with the accuracy.

My final objective will be to have a load that will handle all game that I have a chance to hunt with a rifle. This will include antelope, deer, sheep(hopefully), Mt. Goat (yeah right), Mt. Lion (maybe, want to get another gun for that), and elk here in Nevada. Is there a bullet that would not be overkill for antelope, but would be good for taking elk. Big holes in the chest (that' s the only shot I take) don' t bother me, it just makes for an easier tracking job.

I have looked into the Nosler Patitions, Swift A-Frame and Scir., Speer GS, and Sierra GK. Not sure what to do here. My grandpa still uses those loads for antlope, but I don' t know of anybody that uses a .30-06 for elk and what bullet they use.

Kinda stuck here guys, any help would be great!

[Vapodog]

Most of the bullets you mentioned in 180 grains will serve you well.....The .30-06 is a fine gun and will take down anything from rabbits to Cape Buffalo with any of the premium bullets.

I happen to prefer Swift A-Frames but the others will work as well.

Spend enough time at the range to insure you get a bullet that your guns shoots well and have at it.

[James B]

Good advice. The 180 will often do less meat damage on deer and antelope size game. The 165 Sierra you have been working with should work also.

[Colorado Bob]

My 30/06 really likes 56 grains of IMR 4350, 180 grain Hornady spire point, Winchester primer. I' ve used it on elk, deer, bighorn sheep & mtn goat ----here in Colorado. It does everything I ask of it----No reason to change. I plan on using it this January on an Oryx hunt on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

[stubblejumper]

Bullet construction is more important than bullet weight.A 165gr partition or 165gr failsafe will work just as good or better than most 180gr bullets.

[handloader1]

I would go with a 180 gr. Barnes XBT, Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, or Win Fail Safe. Use anyone of these bullets that groups best for you, and that could be your all around load if you wish. Good luck.

[bigbulls]

If you want a bullet to work on everything from antelope to elk then the 165 grain Barnes X or failsafe would be just about perfect.

Antelope not being hard to put down at all, these two bullets would be great and not cause too much damage to the meat on their way through and out. A small animal doesn' t need a very large wound chanel.

On the other side of the spectrum the elk require a bullet that will retain enough weight to reach the other side of the vitals before using up all of its energy. These two bullets shine in this area. They will punch through a shoulder and still make it to the other side with energy to spare.

You could go with a 180 grain but with these types of bullets it is not necessary at all as they retain a high percentage of their weight if not all of it. You will also get a little better trajectory for the long shots on antelope with the 165' s over the 180' s.

[charlie brown]

Thanks guys. I think I will try some Barnes x' s in the near future. I have just heard that a lot of rifles don' t like them, but I' ll give it a shot.