I poasted this on another forum and didnt get much response..Whats a good deer and elk bullet that I can use in my 30.06 so I wont have to switch bullets and resight in?

In a 30 cal rifle I like the 165 grainers. Noslers, Trophy bonded, Barnes, Failsafe, A-Frame. I usually use the 140gr. Trophy bonded and the failsafe on mulies and elk out of my .270. Pass through on deer everytime and most of the time on elk. I was able to recover a TB. on the far side of an elk this year and it was one of the best looking mushrooms I have ever seen. It broke three ribs entering and went through the liver and lungs and broke two ribs on the other side and rested just under the skin.

Rochelle,
There seems to be a never ending quest for an "all around rifle" and an "all round bullet" for "all around hunting." If only we had "all around big game" that were all the same size, structure, and toughness, then it would be a worth pursuit. You may notice that even this web site doesn't put deer under the "big game" category so I'm afraid if you are looking for optimum combinations for your quarry, then you'll need to vary your bullets a bit.

Elk, go with the 180gr partitions at a minimum - you'll need it for penetration.

Deer, drop back on weight to 150gr or so it doesn't just shoot right thru.

Regarding repeated sight-ins for different bullet weights I would recommend against it unless your rifle performs substantially different with the different weights. Without checking the tables, I'm betting that out to 300 yards there is not a substantial difference between 150's and 180's and what little there is could be accounted for mentally.**

**Probably a "huge" difference for "on the bench" target shooters; probably no material difference at all for "in the field" hunters.

EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

pick up a copy of Bob Robbs Elk hunting book.....in there Col B retired, gives a great section on caliber and bullet weight selection and more importantly an accurate reason why!

If you go with a premium bullet such as a partition,failsafe or barnes x a 165gr bullet will penetrate more than enough for elk or moose.If you use a conventional bullet such as a powerpoint or core lokt I would step up to a 180gr.I have killed several elk with 140 gr partitions out of my 7mmstw and all but one bullet exited and that one was a raking shot that travelled through about three feet of elk before stopping under the hide in the neck.

Edited by - stubblejumper on 12/31/2002 18:28:26

Federal TROPHY BONDED...Took a 175 grain out of an Elk it still weighed 166 grains.............perfect mushroom

Everyone wants the "perfect" load for deer AND elk. Doesn't exist there will always be a tradeoff. Too heavy a bullet will pass thru on deer. Too light will break apart on elk. There is a compromise, go somewhere in the middle to do it. There will still be tradeoffs but if you're careful you can nuetralize them with your skill as a shooter. The perfect bullet would be a handload in this situation, a 165gr partition would do the job just right for both outta the 06. If you don't want to handload my suggestion is use 2 bullets and learn how to shoot em both without re-sighting. Set your heavier bullet to 200 yds and then find the zero for your lighter bullet and then in the field just remeber your elk bullet is zeroed at 200yds and your deer bullet is 250yds or whatever it ends up being.

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Rochelle,
180gr Nosler Partition would be ideal for your use.
The front part of the Partition is designed to expand rapidly and the base holds together for maximum penetration.
The 180 is better than the 165 on elk and it will do a good job on the deer.
Good luck!

Good feedback thanks///