HuntingNet.com Forums

HuntingNet.com Forums (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/)

- Whitetail Deer Hunting (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting-4/)

- - 30-06 (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting/33723-30-06-a.html)

how far can a 30-06 shoot and be deadly to a deer

Probobly further than most can consistently shoot accurately.

Best answer Ive heard in a while:)

Depends on the load but lets take a 150gr Boat-tail loaded by Federal. My majic formula is about 1000 ft-lbs to cleanly take a deer, at 500 yds the boat-tail has 1180 ft-lbs so I' d say 550 yds is about the average range. That is further than 95% of hunters out there can shoot accurately.

Yeah, I can easily hit deer out to 550 yards with my 30.06

Oh wait, I' m thinking of the side of a barn, sorry

A long Long ways! Futher than you could see with your naked eye, clearly.

Never take high risk shots that one is not capable of shooting!

Well I know a 30-06 will shoot over a 1000 yards and still be deadly if it hits something . That is to answer your question . How far each individual could be accurate with it is another question .:DTry us again tomorrow .;)

i have been using the 30-06 since 1970 and have always used the 150 gr.corlokt.i would say that the key to taking an animal beyond 300 yds depends on the shooter knowing the ditance and drop of the bullet.i am not sure about the knockdown power needed at extremes out to 500 yds.i have never taken many shots over 300 yds.

I like Uncle matt' s response.

For me, I' d be willing to take a shot with MY .30-06 at 600yrds, I' ve actually made a 400yrd shot, it never took another step. My take on it is that you use long range bullets for long range hunting, I used a 150gr Winchester Supreme Balistic Silvertip (up close-under 100yrds-this is best left to varminting, but it opens up nicely at low velocities produced from LONG ranges, btw, this was before I handloaded, but I' m tickled to death with the new CT bullets!!), and I knew where it struck for every 10yrds for 1200yrds, I put it exactly where I wanted it, and the deer dropped straight down. I' m sure that the cartridge is capable of killing game well beyond 1000yrds, probably could with the right bullet at 2000 even, but good luck getting it to hit anything out that far!! The real limitation of the .30-06 is its accuracy, not its power, it' ll do the job if you get it there, but when you get past 500-600yrds, getting there isn' t very easy. I get an average of 46" groups at 1200yrds with my flat stock Ruger M-77 .30-06, I' m still getting better than 1.5MOA at 600yrds (8-9" groups), I could hit a deer' s vitals with utmost confidence at 600, at 1000yrds, I couldn' t, plain and simple, I might get lucky, I' ve put shots through the X-ring at ranges from 800-1200yrds, but one lucky shot in a 40" 5-shot group doesn' t mean much when there is hair in the hairs.