Flatlander

I've hunted with the '06 and a .270 exclusively for over 20 years and have taken a lot of deer with both. Here are my thoughts, free and worth every penny:

1. Firstly,lighter bullets shoot faster, so the 150s will be faster than 165, 165s faster than 180s, etc.

2. Match the bullet weightto theexpected range. If your shotsare expected to becloser rather thanlonger gowith the 165s.Use150s ifa longer shotismorelikelythan a closer one.

3. The nice thingabout the '06 is that either bullet will work atany reasonable range. The 150swill work at shorter range just as well. Shot placement remains the most important factor in success.

4. You don't need super premium bullets (noslerpartitions,bearclaws, etc.) at 30-06 velocities. The standardfactory bullets workjust fine for deer. Whitetail deer aren't that big (compared to moose and elk). You onlyneedto penetrate 2 inches of skin/ribs to get into the lungs/heart.Using both the '06 and 270 through the years I have never, I repeat never, failed to get complete pass throughs on every deer I have taken.


Edit: Craig Bottington, a noted gun writer that I enjoy reading, loves the 30-06 and has written that, if he were restricted to using only one gun, it would be the 06. He feels that the a 165 gr boattail bullet provides the best compromise in trajectory and energy, particularily at longer ranges. This is what I am shooting now, Federal Fusion 165 gr.

I should also tell you that I lost a really good deer last year, partly because I was using the wrong bullet (180 gr). Most of my hunting has been woods and short range shots, so I was using the 180s. In late season I started hunting a large corn field and had a shot at a very large 10-pointer. I didn't have a rangefinder and guessed the range at 225-250 yards. I held a little high of center and let it fly. At the shot the deer jump-kicked but started running right at me. I watched him run about 100 yards, thinking he would go down, but he didn't. I pumped two more shots at him running but didn't touch him (scope was on 9 power). After a while we started tracking him on a good blood trail. We tracked him through rough stuff or 4 hours over 1.5 miles when the blood ran out. I recreated the shot and found that I had mis-estimated the range - it was closer to 275 and I think that I just creased him under the chest cavity without significantly damaging the lungs/heart. That miss still haunts me to this day. For this reason I have switched to 165 gr boattail bullets,which shoot flatter than the 180s, should the opportunity present itself again. I also bought a good rangefinder.

Good luck

Mouthcaller