130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Are Hornady 130gr. SP bullets in 30/06 a good choice for deer?

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

At the least I would go with a 150 gr. I like 165 gr. better. Good luck.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Years ago, I loaded a couple of boxes of 130 gr Hornadysfor my son when he just started. I did this because the recoil was noticibly less. They shot well out of his Rem 700 and he took a nice buck with this bullet with me along side coaching him and telling him where to place the shot. To recommend them as a 'deer' bullet for any hunting circumstance - definately not. As a minimum, I would use 150s.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

I reloaded some 130 gr. for my cousin because of recoil issues. He was very happy with the accuracy but never had the opportunity to take an animal with the 130 gr. I’m not sure how good they are for deer but maybe my cousin can tell me next year.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Some 130 grain bullets will not stablize very good in the 30/06. I tried some a few years ago and they just didn't group very good. Go with a 150 and you won't go wrong. Not saying they won't work in some rifles, but in a lot they don't preform well. But the old 30/06 will just about shoot anything. One of the best bullets I shot in it was the 110 grain. A man I know deer hunts with them in his Savage .308 26"bull barrel and does real well.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Exactly. Regards, Rick.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Ditto.I use 130gr NP in .270, but a minimum of 150gr in .30-06!

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Interesting. A 130 grain bullet wont stabilize, but a 150 and a 110 will? If anything, a 130 grain bullet will be over stabilized.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Not a great choice,but will work. Load to about 7.62x39 ballistics, and I would be confident in themout to about 150 yards. Don't push them too hard.
If you are looking at reduced recoil, try some 150 grain FN bullets at .30/30 velocities.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

130grn will work great for deer. I dont have a 30-06 but thats what my bud uses and like them. He also used the 125grn BT on deer with good results. 130grn is not a varmit load its fine for deer prob need more for bigger animal though.

A 270 with 130grn bullets is argued in most gun/hunting mags as the best deer hunting combo you can use. I dont think .031 of an inch to a 30caliber gun changes that much. The speeds are about the same and the densityarent much different.

Ive never seen/heard of a 130grn bullet not stabiling out of a 30-06. I cant see how this is even possible with factory non screwed up reloads. I would be very interested in what gun and what ammo you had this prob with.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

The 130 gr will take deer but I beleive the accuracy is better with a 150gr or 165gr. If recoil is a concern you can play around with the load to match the shooter.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

I have loaded Speer 130 grain HP in an '06 for deer but I had to limit shot placement to head and neckshots because at almost 3000 fps (measured) the tend to blow up on impact and penetration is only about one body width through SOFT tissue - if you hit even one rib you have a wounded animal. I got sub-MOA accuracy and had no problems other than having to wait for a deer to give me a good shot. It was an experiment that my brother talked me into and it worked under the conditions it was loaded for but I went back to my 165 grain BT because there are no limitations on that bullet other than range and if it is too far for that bullet it is out of my shooting skills to shoot at. (ok, maybe not but I don't shoot past 200 yards anyway - point of aim from the muzzle to impact +/- 1 inch is my person choice of limitation.
The Spire point driven at high velocity will kill but it is just light enough to stop when it hits a bone or fragment into pieces too small to kill. If you don't mind being limited in your shots then try it out. If limits bother you then step up to a heavier bullet - 150 to 165 are the best you can ask for when the target is medium sized and easy to kill. Bigger animals will need bigger bullets and bigger bullets are limited by the powder capacity of the '06. There is a big drop in velocity from 165's to the 180 grain bullets and that means that trajectory is steeper. It is one of those trade-offs that we all enjoy playing with.
PaulS

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Many years ago, I experimented with Sierra 125gr, and Hornady 130gr in a .30-06. I even shot a few deer with the 125. They are both designed as varmint bullets, and thus are very fragile. On rib shots, theyseemed to workfine, although none exited.But, on a shot that hits solid bone, one had better be ready to shoot again.
Incidentally, although they start out faster than a 150gr, the sectional density of the lighter bullets is so poor, that at longer ranges, the trajectory was much higher--ie: they dropped more.
Because the negatives (and potential negatives) far outweigh the positives, I see absolutely nouse for a .30-06 bullet of less than 150 grains for deer.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Man you guys must really mistrust your shooting abilities. If you need that heavy of a bullet.
I guess I just dont get it, why you would want all that extra recoil and more of a rainbow affect for long shots with the heavier bullets. To each their own but he will be fine using the 130grn spire pts on deer.

https://www.hornady.com/shop/

Here's a link to Hornady's site. Click on the 130grn Spire points info and notice they are hunting not varmit bullets(110's are varmit). IF you dont believe Im correct, then argue with Hornady because they are fine to them.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Manufacturers can say whatever they want.

I am curious, though. How many deer have YOU shot using 130 grain Hornadys?

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Maybe not the BEST choice, but they'll work. When I was living in Las Vegas New Mexico, the San Miguel county game warden used a .308 with 130-grain bullets, and he killed some pretty big deer with that bullet.

As with ANY bullet, the most important thing is shot placement.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

K-Hunter I dont have a 30-06 but my bud does and 130's and 125 BT is what he uses. He shoot 4-5 deer a year with the gun and never has a prob. He does along with myself hunt out of a stand mostly so maybe hunting like that gives us a better chance for good bullet placement. He usually aims for shoulder or right behind. On the shoulder shots it usually breaks through closest shoulder and the bullet go to many pieces doesnt exit the other shoulder. The rib shots just about all leave somewhat of an exit hole, usually the exit side rib cage is completely purple and most of the engine room turns to mush.
Ive seen enough deer killed with that combo to say he can use it with confidence. I dont see how anyone can assume that the heavier rounds would be more accurate, that is impossible to assume.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

Maybe bullet companies should design 130gr. bullets, for deer size game, for the 30/06. They would shoot flater & would help in the recoil department. A Hornady Interbond or SST, or a Nosler Partition, for example, would be a welcome addition to the choices out there now. If the 130gr. bullet is a good choice for the .270, why couldn't a bullet of this weight be made for the '06?

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

I loaded 125 gr.SP for my father years ago after he said the recoil of the 150's was bothering him in his 30-06. (Win. Mod. 70). He was pleased with the results. They gave excellent accuracy and he killed deer with that load up until he had to qiit hunting. He never lost a deer, and shot serveral of them at 200+ yds. Probably not your ideal pick, but it worked for him.

RE: 130gr. 30/06 bullets for deer?
 

I did not mean for a minute to imply that the 125 or 130 .30 caliber bullets will not kill deer. They certainly will. It is just that,in my opinion, there are better bullets for the job. Heck, when I farmed, I had a neighbor who protected his orchards, to the tune of 12 to 15 deer a year with a .222 loaded with 55 grain Hornady spires. I know this because I loaded his ammo.

But, anyone who hunts a lot knows that it is not always possible to get a nice clean broadside shot-especially with the deer of a lifetime. In my case it was a 167 10 point. It was a matter of taking a long, difficult angle shot or let him pass. I made a clean kill, but I doubt that the outcome would be the same with a 125 or 130.