Matt / PA

Ok I have the Ruger 77RFP All Weather .30-06 on the way ,now I need a place to start for a factory load for Eastern Whitetail hunting only . This is my first .30-06 and welcome your input on what has worked for you guys for deer most likely 150yards and under. I searched thru the archive of posts and could find plenty of good stuff for bigger game with this caliber, but not too much for deer.
Eventually I hope the rifle will see action on Elk, Muleys and most likely Caribou, but for right now.........deer and only deer. I imagine pretty much ANY bullet style will " work" for a 150 lb deer, but is their a better, or " Best" choice?
I' m primarily a Bow and muzzleloader hunter so I' m not very versed in the performance of centerfire bullets on game.
Thanks guys

halcon

With a 30-06 just about anything 150 gr and larger will work for deer .not everyone likes the same bullets but to be honest they will all do the job . Even a round nose will work out to 150 yards . Myself I load a 165gr Barnes X bullet for my 30-06 . I have used it on both deer and elk .

bigbulls

Matt, for deer only the regular plane jane bullets work beautifully.

Federal 150 grain hi shock
Remington 150 grain core lokt
Winchester 150 grain power point

If you really feel that you have to spend the extra money then feel free but there is no need to unless these just won' t shoot for you.

handloader1

Since you are shooting only out to 150 yds. I would go with Federal 180 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter Round Nose. Good luck.

Nomercy

A couple good rounds for the range you mentioned would be Winchester Supreme Power point, PP+, and Winchester Super-X Silvertips, all in 150grns. They' re all accurate hunting rounds (not target rounds, but great hunting guns), and are uniform expanding, and hold together very well. I took many deer with these rounds before becoming a reloader, and if I ever get lazy and should shoot a season without reloading, they get the show, the PP+' s usually getting the nod.

Don' t get Remington corelocts, they SUCK, they do ok for hunting, only because hunting ranges are short, and the cartridge is strong enough to do the deed with ANYTHING at that close of range (200 or less), they are terrible on inuniform expansion, and devious on fragmentation, bullet tumble in the wound tract is extreme with them as well, but not in a good manner.

loner

i agree with bigbulls,i have been killing deer for thirty years using the rem 150gr psp corlokt.

mauser06

im a hollowpoint or ballistic tip man myself....i like devistation...federal nosler balistic tips are the way to go for factory 06 rounds...we get them in 165gr...but they are " expensive" ..about 20$ a box..but i havent seen a deer take a single step after my dad shot them with a 3006 and balistic tips....i myself reload at my friends and loaded some hollow points for myself..same exzact holes and results...but they are right....jsut about any bullet will do...just gota hit them right....

Matt / PA

Ok........if I have this right,

165gr Barnes X,Federal 150 grain hi shock ,Remington 150 grain core lokt ,Winchester 150 grain power point ,Federal 180 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter Round Nose,Winchester Supreme Power point, PP+, Winchester Super-X Silvertips,165gr Federal nosler balistic tips and some sort of 165gr Hollow point. are all " Good" deer loads for the .30-06. The only bullet mentioned more than once was the Rem. Core Lokt and they managed a " Suck" rating somewhere in there!

Now that we narrowed it down. Honestly that' s about what I figured.....thanks for the suggestions. I' ll just take a blindfold with me to the gun shop, have my buddy spin me in front of the ammo shelf a few times and I' ll play pin the tail on the " 06" .

skeeter 7MM

I have buddies who use 150 gr Hornady Spire points and they work great for deer out 06(cost about the same as plain jane offerings mentioned).

Another popular deer choice in 06 is Federal Premium Seirra Boattails in 165 gr, they will handle a deer easily and due a nice job at your distances & beyond.

If you are interested in Premium more explosive bullet than I suggest either Nosler Ballistic tips (factory offering made by: Federal and Winchester in 150 or 165 gr version) or Hornady SST 150 grain. I personally have been using these style bullets for deer and antelope for years, in a variety of calibers. I have shot 150lbs does to 300 plus lbs bucks in a variety of ranges(yes under 100 yards, fellas), most have heaped up on the spot...in my opinion nothing puts the spins on a deer like Ballistic tip style bullet. Sure they may cost a bit more than standard offerings, but I love the accuracy and they have performed flawlessly, worth every penny.

Good luck

eldeguello

A 150 grain bullet of almost any design, at a muzzle velocity of 2900 FPS +, is best. The 165 is also good, and if using the 165, try a Light Magnum or Federal High Energy, if they shoot well out of your gun!!