30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I am shooting a Rem. mod 700 30.06....with my new Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 :D and I' m trying to figure out if I can by with factory ammo, or if I should look into reloading. I am only hunting whitetails and would like to be able to shoot at distances at or around 200 and under with good trajectory, KE and speed. My buddy has all the reloading stuff, so I wouldn' t have to buy the equipment. But I was just wondering if you guys think that' s it' s worth the time in research or if I can get factory loads that will compare. And also what grain should I look into whether reloading or buying factory ammo. Thanks in advance for you help.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I would try several brands and styles of 150 grain loads over the counter. You just may find one that your gun loves. The weight is up to you but most 150 grain factory loads will do a fine job on whitetails. Especially at 200 yards or closer.
That said, you will probably be able to get your best accuracy loads from your own handloads.........but it will take a little time and effort to find the one best for your barrel.
If you are looking for very good accuracy you will probably be able to find it over the counter. Try several. If you are looking for remarkable accuracy you will probably find it from handloading......but not necessarilly.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

i like federal nosler balistice tips in 165 gr or when i can reload i find a hollowpoint boat tail...i used sierra gamekings this year...also in 165grs...but i like explosive devistating bullets...i hunt close range and the woods are crowded...i like as much damage to be done as possible to stop the deer as fast as i can so noone else shoots it and takes it....the nosler is supposed to have good trajectory and less drop than some bullets because of the design for long range but thats just what ive read.....boat tails are supposed to be good long range bullets too becuase of the boat tail.....

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

If you want to get into real accuracy, get into handloading. My handloads are so much better than factory loads it' s incomparable. I first started handloading for a hobbie and to save some money, but now I am in it for hobbie and accuracy. There is a certian pride when I find a load that produces tiny groups, or when you take an animal with your hand tailored loads. I have never seen a factory load which has shot better than my handloads. Good luck. [8D]

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Any factory 30-06 load will have enough energy for whitetail deer out to and a bit beyond 500 yards. As far a trajectory goes if zeroed in at 200 yards there will be less than one inch difference between a 125 grain and a 180 grain spitzer type bullet out to about 275 yards. My advice would be, atleast for the short term, try a few different factory loads and see if one will shoot in your rifle. Believe it or not the cheap regular old bullets will alot of times provide outstanding accuracy and are more than sufficent for deer size animals and bigger. You don' t need a " premium bullet" for deer unless you just find it shoots well in your rifle. My .270 will shoot 130 grain Remington core lokts inside 3/4" all day long and they only cost $10 a box.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

i would go with the factory ammo, like said before look at some of the plain vanilla ammo. My 06 loves 180 grain corelocks, not to say that you need 180 grain bullets but thats what my rifle likes, and thats what I use. good luck and happy hunting. DAKOTA NUT 5.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

i like premium bullets myself. i only use cheap rem core-lokt' s for target practice and breaking in gun.

depending on how far you are gonna shoot. i perfer the 165gr. seirra gameking BTSP. makes nice holes under close shots and stays together. shot a 5 point at 30yds with it this year.
if you are gonna use a cheap bullet like win power points or rem core-lokt' s go with the 180gr. for a better hold.
if your shots are up close and under high velocities go with a delayed expansion bullet like the win failsafe, nosler partition, swift-A-frame etc.

but if you have a buddy that reloads that sounds like a good way to get into it .

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I appreciate all of your help guys, but if I' m going to stick to factory ammo.....how do I try a bunch of different kinds of ammo without spending a bunch of $$ only to then have a bunch of extra ammo laying around the house that doesn' t shoot well out of my gun??? I do agree that I must try many different types of ammo.....no different than finding out what kind of turkey load gets a better pattern out of MY shotgun. But again, how do I go about it without spending all that $$ on ammo that I might never use again?? Thanks

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Stump,
Sounds like you don' t do a whole lot of off season shooting so buying factory ammo is the way to go. You do not need exceptional accuracy for 200 yard shots, 1 1/2 inch groups at 100yards is acceptable.
Start with bullets that are generally know to have good accuracy. You do not need controlled expansion bullets.
I would start with 165 grain Sierra HPBT. The chances are that load will give you the accuracy you will need and all the performance required as well.
If by some chance you are not satisfied with them try the 165 Nosler ballistic tip.
You might try the Hornady light magnums as well, Hornady makes a good accurate bullet and you will get a little more velocity with the light magnum, which you do not really need for 200yard deer hunting.
I would be very surprised if one of them does not give you acceptable accuracy in your rifle. Thats all you need, you are good to go.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

The most accurate bullets i found when i was shooting factory bullets were the Hornady 150grn Spire Point and the 150grn SST. They both shot very well from my Remington, just not as good as my handloads!:D

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I have been using a 30-06 for years and if you want the best accuracy you need to reload. Hornady has always been the most accurate factory loads for me and are capable of 1in or less groups at 100yds. I handload 165gr boatails in my 30 -06 now and they are very accurate , but i feel the 150gr pointed soft point hits harder. The 165 gr is better suited for accuracy but in my opinon the 150gr is better for hunting.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

noway..

as i have found and mauser06 will verify are you getting sierra gameking HPBT that are factory? only ones i see are from reloading.

on the other note. i have had awsome success with winchester 180gr. power points, sierra gameking SPBT 165gr. and rem core-lokt' s 180gr. out of my guns in the 30-06sprg.

without spending a ton of $$$ decide what grain size to use and the three or four top kinds of bullets you want to try. then from there you will have the best out of the bunch and use the rest as practice ammo.;)

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Quilly,
Oops on my part, I was referring to the Sierra Gamekings as well.
Just put in HPBT instead of SPBT.
The Gamekings have been the most consistently accurate bullet in several calibers for me. Excellent terminal performance on deer and antelope as well.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Noway....you are correct. I don' t do any off season shooting. In fact, this will only be my second deer hunt with a rifle. So therefore I really don' t know much about the ammo at all. That' s why I came to the experts. :D I mainly deer hunt with my bow, but I have an opportunity to go to Canada for free. So what the heck. I' m jumpin on the chance. I don' t feel the need to get ammo that will split a buck' s eyelash at 200 yards, but would like to make sure that I get an ammo that I feel confident in. I appreciate all of your help!! Thanks

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I just want to say the 30.06 is a terrific round. I have a 30.06 and .308 and both are similar. But 30.06 ammo is dirt cheap and you can get weights from 125 to 240 grains for it. It can work for almost everything and is a terrific deer round. I picked up some Hornady factory ammo in 165 grain for $14.00 per box. It shoots .5 inch at 50 yards. The same ammo in .308 is $2 more per box with 150 grains. 30.06 will be around as long as cartridge rifles are around.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Stump, 150 to 165 gr will be fine. Most of the guys I hunt with that have 06 buy factory ammo and 150gr Hornady' s are probably the most populat in spirepoints and the SST. I have 2 buddies who use Federal 165 Seirra Gamekings as well. I would suggest trying either the 165 Federal Seirra BT or 150SST Hornady' s in factory, my guess is both will perform well.

I personally shoot Ballistic Tips for deer here in Canada and never had a game issue with them. They have always out performed the seirra' s in my guns for accuracy, it really depends on you and your gun.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Just my opinion, but most guns are more accurate with 165s and it hits them a little harder anyway. Since either bullet will exit on whitetails you might as well go for the heavier more accurate one. Eiter weight will work ok though.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Really depends on how much you plan to shoot. As far as bullet selection goes what are your normal shooting conditions. Thick brush and woods goe 165-180 gr, for clearcuts and the powerlines 150 gr. I prefer Hornady Interloks for hunting many others would say Nosler. Pick a bullet and have your buddy work up a load. Accuracy will definitely be better compared to a factory load once you find what it likes. For the 06 just about any weight bullet between 150 and 180 would perform well.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

You don' t need varmint-rifle accuracy for what you plan to do. A number of factory rounds in the 150, 165, or 180-grain weight range should be fine. Test ' til you find one that groups well, and buy a case of the same lot number. Then you' ll be set for a long time!!

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Try Winchester Supreme 150gr Balistic Silvertips, they are premium ammo at a price barely more than " vanila" loads ($16 a box instead of $12). They shoot extremely well in every rifle I' ve shot them in, from rems to encores to Garands to rugers. My Ruger likes them so much I can get .25MOA out of them at 400yrds!! (1" groups at 400yrds).

Reloading isn' t for the guy that doesn' t shoot a lot, for what you need it, any ammo will do, even surplus U.S. 30cal, but for the best accuracy, I always turn to winchester (if not to the bench!!).

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I really like the Hornady SST' s they work great, in 165 and 180. I shoot them all of the time and they are wonderful. They' re not extremely expensive either.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Stump I to us a 30-06 for deer in eastern ky I only get to hunt down there onec every 2 yaers now that I live in ohio but I get my ammo at wal-marts winchester power ponts 150 gr for 10.97 a books and you can not bet it keep in mind that you shooting whit tells and not paper you shoud give thim a try good luck and good hunting

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

I appreciate all of your insight. Thanks again.

RE: 30.06 Ammo help needed.....
 

Hi Stump, I' ve been shooting a 30-06 for about 7 or 8 yrs now. Used to have a semi-auto, now a bolt action. I' m not a bad shot, but can' t get good groups like I read about and want. I can' t afford to spend a fortune trying every bullet style, weight, and maker out there, so I try a different one every time I run out. Have to resight the rifle, but that doesn' t take that many bullets anymore. I get' s evpensive at a buck a shot for premium ammo. The last few years I' ve gotten a couple of friends to reload for me. Little cheaper that way. First reloads were simple, and I still wasn' t happy. This last time we went match grade with everything. I have no excuses now. lol. I haven' t tried these on the range yet. I can still change things if I want to. I' ve always been able to shoot 200 yds, but want to go further with confidence. Hopefully these will help. For your needs, any of the bullets and weights mentioned will work, just test them in your gun and stay within your limits. I' m just saying that the perfect bullet, if you' re like me, may take some time to find, but you can get by just fine until then.