The farther west you go, the more you run into velocity freaks. I've hunted a lot in N.M. and if you aren't careful out there the shots can be mighty long in some areas. Speed and flat trajectory are a pretty big help in those situations.

But having said that, I firmly believe 90% of everything that has ever been killed has been killed in under 100 yards. Within that range, often times it's hard for a critter to move out of the way of an arrow. Stepping out of the way of an oncoming bullet...even a slow bullet...can be much more problematic.

To answer your question, don't make the mistake of many beginning reloaders and think the great god of reloading is velocity. This only leads to dangerous pressures and other reloading problems. Been there and done that. The older I get, the more I don't even try to push the velocity envelope. Just find a load your gun likes and will shoot accurately and forget the hype. At the ranges you are discussing, you won't find a load for your 30/06 that won't work plenty good. Any bullet from 150 gr up should be great. Personally I would recommend something like 165 or 180 grain weight. These work fine on elk and I suspect they will work fine on any deer you ever encounter. Remember as the weight of the bullet goes up, so does the recoil coming back at you.

A few months ago I posted some pictures ofan old Remington-Lee rifle that I inherited. The gun is chambered in 30-40 Krag. The original loading was 30-40-220 (30cal, 40 gr. smokeless powder, 220 gr. bullet). So I loaded 220gr. Sierra RN's on 40 gr. of H4350. Maybe 1800fps. Got a 75 yard shot at a deer. Deer took a couple of steps, fell over. When I was skinning, I was kind of surprised at how little damage there was. Hole going in, slightly bigger hole coming out. Oh yeah, a hole about the size of a nickle through the top of his heart. Compared to the damage I'm used to with a 100gr, 25cal moving 3100 fps it was quite a difference.

I like to stay at or above the 3000 fps mark.. Just because I like the gun I shoot to be pretty flat for hunting large fields or powerlines where you have the oppurtunity to go out to about 300 yards.

Have you ever heard the saying "Eat right up to the hole". That is something you hear a lot of 45-70 shooter's say. I agree with "ELD" about the 200 grainer not being necessary, but it sure does work. I also agree with him about the 200 grainNosler Partition. It is a good bullet. But I have tried them in my 30-06's and could not get the accuracy I got with the Sierra's, and I can not believe the price difference. Partition's are just too darn expensive, and IMO they give no better performance than the Sierra 200 grain pill, and I have been shooting and hunting the 200 grain Sierra for 25 years. We have shot several elk along with truck loads of deer with this bullet. It is truly a "KILLER".

I do respect "ELD's"(spelliing) opinion. I have read his posts and this guy knows what he is talking about. I have learned a lot reading his posts. I just disagree with him on this one. Tom.

I guess the reason we reload is to brew up the best ammo possible for the gun we are shooting. Accuracyis,at least to me, paramount. If you can't hit what you are aiming at, it just doesn't matter how fast the bullet is travelling. What I DO strive for however, is adequate accuracy with the highest speed I can obtain and still not be pushing the pressure button too hard.

Well, you ain't gonna do that with a 200-grain bullet from a .30/'06! Nor withanything heavier than 130 grains in an '06 either. Kinda puts you out of the running for along-range elk/moose load......

I believe it was Elmer Keith who first said "eat right up to the hole". At least, he's the first one to put it in WRITING>

Now about 200-grain bullets: I said they're NOT NECESSARY for lightly built game! I did NOT say that a 200-grain bullet will not kill deer very well, because it does! So we don't disagree on this point! When I was living in VA, I worked up a load for my .308 Win. using a 220-grain Hornady round-nose bullet. With 48 grains of Norma N205, this rifle gave me 2300 FPS with the big long bullet. I used it for deer hunting in the local swamps of VA, and gave some to a friend who hunted with me. Now those deer there are pretty small. But that 220 load dsropped them like lightning, and as you say, meat damage is nil. In addition, I now have a good 220-grain load for MY .30/40 Krag, a Ruger No. 3. The .30 cal., 220-grain bullet is quite satisfactory out to250 yards or a little more in the .30/40 or '06. It is eye-opening to see the figures which prove that you don't have to use pointed bullets for the longer ranges!

Well since I live in MS, that probably won't be an issue. But I have never heard a law that states you have to shoot a 200 Grain bulletor a 30/06. So I guess I am back in..

Sounds like the big & slow vs. small& fast debate continues to rage!My opinion (which, combined with 94 cents will buy a large coffee at Speedway!) is that whitetail deer don't take a lot of killing. Any decent bullet that goes through the middle of the front end will result in a short tracking project.