30-06 bullet
 

I just picked up a rifle I have wanted for awhile. Savage model 116 fcss in 30-06. Looking to see what t you guys are using for bullets. Gonna use this rifle on deer. Shots cld range from 40 to 200 yards. And yes I know there are a lot of bullets that will work with good shot placement. Just seeing what is working for you guys

Reloading or factory ammo?? I use Hornady Interbonds in .30-06 and 300 WSM as they are extremely accurate and work perfectly on deer, hogs and coyotes. You should be able to use the Interlocks and they are less expensive and will work well at your velocities.

The 30-06 is actually a bit too much for me in terms of recoil. Speer (#14 p.480) has a reduced velocity load using H4895 and a 150grn bullet. I have only had the chance to shoot this load once so far but I found it very manageable and for the first time really enjoyed shooting my 30-06.

I contacted Sierra they were OK with using their data just substituting for the H4895. So I will be trying Sierra bullets in the future.

Good luck. The 30-06 is very versatile in terms of reloading.

It is still undecided on reloading for it. I want to just don't have The brass and powder yet

I had good luck with 150 grain Remington Corelkots for factory loaded ammo, killed majority of my deer with this setup.Still experimenting with 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and H4350 for reloads.

I use Hornady SPs or BTSPs in all three calibers I reload for and go to their Interbonds for elk in my 30-06. For my 30-06 I use 150 grainers with 59.7 grains of IMR 4350 and it gives me under MOA accuracy and great performance on game at all ranges out to 300 that I limit myself to because of my eyes and not what the rifle or loads will do.

My Ruger 1 in '06 likes 165 gr Accubonds in front of a mid level dose of H4350. Only rifle ever that I couldn't get Sierras or Hornadys to shoot out of.

My first centerfire rifle (many years ago) was a .30-06. The bullet choices back then were only a fraction of what we have today. I used load 150 grain Hornady spire point bullets at about 3000 fps for deer and antelope, and 180 grain Sierra spitzers at about 2700 fps for elk. Those combinations kept my freezer full of venison for many years.

With proper bullet placement, deer are not that hard to kill. I would use a standard cup and core 150-165 grain spitzer bullet that was the most accurate in your rifle.

I only shoot handloads in all of my guns, and I just bought a box of .30 caliber Hornady 155 grain A-MAX bullets that look good and I'm looking forward to shooting.

Any cup and core bullet that your rifle shoots well is gonna kill a whitetail. I'd buy a box of Remington a box of Winchester and a box of Federal and have at it.
If you can post up your opinion on the rifle....I'm looking at the same rifle.

I reload using hornady 165 grain spirel tipped boat tails on my 06. works great for my rifle. rem 700 06

I keep finding myself coming back to this thread, but I was hesitant to post until now simply because I know that this is a "do as I say, not as I do" issue, or a "if you asked me for advice, I'd tell you to use X, but I use Y".

I'd recommend a few other bullets in front of it, but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

I've been using Winchester 150grn Ballistic Silvertips (or handloads with the same bullet - Nosler/Winchester "Combined Technology" BST) exclusively in one of my .30-06's for coming up on 20yrs, and have killed over a hundred deer with them. I've had ONE splash that I hit square in the near shoulder, a buddy shot her a half mile away. Field dressing is much like serving stew - their innards are liquefied. Meat damage isn't bad unless you hit the near shoulder, exit wounds are reasonable. Bullet weight retention is low - jacket almost always separates from core, but I've had less than a handful of them not produce an exit wound.

If a guy asked me, I'd recommend a 165 or 168grn bullet in the .30-06, and I'd probably recommend an A-max, Interbond, SST, or Partition. Or for factory loads, the Core-lokt, Win Silverips or Power Points, or ANY cup and core expander would do the job. I've loaded and killed deer with .30-06, 308, and 300WM with other bullets over the years, but I've just never been motivated to use anything in that rifle except for the Winchester 150grn BST, or handload of the same bullet.

165's will do it all for you. Hornady and Speer makes a great bullet.

When I had my 30-06 I used Hornady SST 150gr and the Hornady American Whitetail 150gr Interlock. Now I just use the Hornady American Whitetail 130gr Interlock for my .270. Haven't had a deer run over 40 yards. Only difference really between the two is one is a lead tip and the SST is plastic. Both turn the insides to liquid. Now you probably won't get a pass through shooting a deer close. The ones I have shot 50 yards and closer the bullet just dumps all its energy into the animal. Now the deer I shot at 120 yards last year had a pass through with a baseball size hole on the other side.

For deer and hogs and black bear its hard to beat a nice 180 grain bullet. But I would be willing to bet that a 165 would shoot better out of your Savage. The reason I say this is that I owned the same rifle and when I spoke to Savage they told me that they use a 168 gr. bullet for testing in the 30-06. Also, IMO, you really don't need a premium bullet for these critters. Not putting them down, just that they aren't needed. I used a Sierra Game King 180 gr bullet to take a decent bull moose this past fall. Other good non-premium bullets are the good old reliable Hornady Interlock bullets and Speer. Should you decide to go with a premium bullet the Nosler Accubond is an excellent choice as is the Barnes TSX.

30-06
 

I have a Husqvarna 1640 with a 23.5" barrel. It will shoot Winchester Super-X 165 gr. PSP's into (1) ragged hole at 100 yards. This factory load is rated at 2800 fps and over my chronograph average velocity is 2749 fps.

If you reload, I load the 150 gr. Sierra ProHunter to a little over 3000 fps with RL15 & it performs 1/2 MOA at 100 yards for 3 shot groups. Average velocity is 3016 fps.