Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

In your opinion what would you say is the best factory .30-06 load for whitetail.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I've always liked federal. nosler ballistic tips. I shoot nbt with a 150 gr for whitetail. I like federal premium vital shock in sierra game king too.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Everybody is going to have their own preferences. In any cartridge I like a bonded bullet, preferably a Hornady BTSP. As long as you put it in the right spot, any of them will handily kill a deer.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Jd, I always used 150gr Rem Core-Lokt

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

pretty much any 06 round will do the job. what i used this last season was the remington 125 grain psp. it worked quite well. of course i shot it in the neck so it broke its necki and killed it instantly. that generally works pretty well. i think i may switch to the rem. 150 accutip or something like that. its a btsp with a polymer tip for controled expansion and better accuracy. but i have yet to try them.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

As do I

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Last year I was using the 30-06 Federal Premium with the 180 gr Nosler Partitions. Both deer I shot with them pretty well went down in their tracks.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I've taken over 25 deer with my -06 and without question shot placement comes first. Aside from that I've taken them with 180 gr. psp from remington, Winchester Supreme's in 150 and 165 ballistic tips, federal's, Hornady's and a multitude of handloads (Nosler partitions, Speer, Sierra etc). If I only had 1 factory purchased round to shoot it would be the Winchester Supremes w/165 Gr. Nosler BT's. I shoot a Ruger M-77 Bolt w/a 3-9 vari-X 3, and I have never had a deer move more than 10 feet after nailing them with one of these rounds. The only downside to Ballsitic tips IMHO is that if the deer is too close (like 25 yards) the internal damage caused by these rounds is too overwhelming. I have had a deers inerds literally explode (including the stomach [:'(]). It was a nasty gut job and I lost some meat - again if the shot placement was better I wouldn't of had the problem (ie if I waited for a broadside shot instead of the oncoming quartering shot that I took). Take the time to find what shoots best in your gun, then have the confidence to put it where it belongs - that is the key

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

zoomer you're exactly right. it's all about placement.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I like the Federal Blue box ammo in 30-06. They are loaded with Speer 150 grain Grand Slams. The chronograph at 2915 from the 22 inch barrel of my 7600 Rem Pump. They shoot under 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Yea James B I bought some of the Federal Blue Box 180 Grand Slams after I found out I wasn't supposed to use the Premiums in my Rem. 742 (the new boxes are marked, not the old boxes like I had). I'm looking forward to seeing how they shoot.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Grizzly, why?

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Why what?

I think what you are asking me is why I can't shoot the Premiums in a semi-auto. On the new boxes, its says not to shoot them in a semi-auto. My old boxes, which I used up last year, weren't marked that way. But, it may explain why the primer came out of a couple of casings when I was at the range getting prepared for last deer season. I guess they are loading them a little hot like the Hornady Light Magnums.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Premiums in 742?
See your answer! 10-4! Thanks!

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I shoot 165 grain Core-Lokts through my 30-06. Like others have already said, it's all about placement, but I've read that 150's expand a little more than they should on deer, while 180's don't get full expansion on medium-sized game.

Again, placement has more to do with it than the size of the bullet with a 30-06... They'll all kill deer.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I think the reason that the boxes are marked like that is because semi-autos have a lower tolerance for longer ammo (longer overall case length = jambs in semis and in fact some pumps). The ratcheting action of a bolt action can actually seat the bullet farther into the throat of the gun, closer to the lands and grooves with a resultant increase in accuracy. Any benchrest shooter can explain this, I dont have the time to go into secant ogives on bullets and headspace/pressure issues. Suffice to say ammo marked like those should not be shot in a semi. In fact most "regular" factory ammo is designed to fit into virtually all guns of that specific chamber semis, pumps, levers, bolts. singles, etc. It might not be the most accurate ammo in the store but in reality a 1/2 inch at 100yds is meaningless when the shot is placed into bambi's boiler room.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Actually I think it's more in the pressure the load produces, higher pressure means more recoil which affects both gas and recoil operated feed systems. The bullets are seated to SAAMI spec so there should be no problem with the cartridge chanbering. All factory ammo is crimped so there should be no bullet movement from either recoil or being chambered.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Very good point.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

my 2 cents on this subject....this year i went out and purchased the new managed-recoil round from remington. it has a 125 grain core-lokt psp bullet. plenty of grains for whitetail. it basically is a very good round out to 200 yards.

i bought the ammo so my 83 year uncle could shoot a deer this year with my 30-06. he killed 2 bucks and 1 javelina with it and recoil was NOT an issue.

look at remington's website and see the video about it. they advise that the managed-recoil .30-06 round has the recoil of a .243 round. i would have to agree with this. just something to think about.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

The Blus box Federals worked good through the 7600 Pump. The meat damage was not bad at all. 2900+ is a fairly stiff load with the 150 grain. I chronographed the at about 2940. Most of my upper hand loads were just over 2800 fps.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I think Federal just makes a good round period. I've shot and used their 180 premiums in my 300 WBY for years and they are very accurate and do a job on a deer. In fact, I've shot the Federal 180s and the Weatherby (Norma) 165s on the range before and they hit the same hole at 100yds.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I have to stick with what my Remington 7400 30.06 prefers....core-lokt 180 grainers. Always one shot, one kill and they drop where they were standing. They have worked for the past 18 years anyway. :)

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I like to use the 180gr Remington Core-Lokts for practice and conserve my Federals for hunting. I can get the Core-Lokts for around $11.00 per box at Academy when they run them on sale. Regular price is about $1.00 more.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

i use winchester silvertips 180gr for moose hunting and have had excellent results, i will continue to use them and this fall will be trying my luck at deer again, and will also use the silvertips without blinking an eye.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Woow 180 gr for deer? I use 130.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

To my surprise I have only once in my years of hunting seen a large exit wound from 180 grainers, but then they have not been far shots either.....perhaps 100-150 yds and some less. I sight in at 100....and it has worked like a charm. The one time was at a side angle and the bullet obviously hit bone. Thankfully it was still one shot on the spot, however, ... I was still a humbled by the exit nuff said....

Oh, forgot to say that I have tried 130's and 150 grainers and my rifle hates them. Got to shoot what she likes...if she ain't happy, then mama ain't happy and that makes for a no meat in the freezer hunt.... ;):)

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

Yeah, Christine B that is my situation. I let the rifle tell me what it likes and it likes the 180gr in Remington and Federal. Side bonus is that I haven't had a deer go over three steps before dropping dead in the last nine years since using those loads in my 30-06.

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I like rem core lockt pointed soft point in 165 gr

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I've shot the old naught six for 25 years and I've tried a bunch of different loads. The factory round that works best for me is the Winchester Supreme 168gr Ballistic Silver Tip. My rifle puts 'em into around 3/4" at 100 yds, and they've killed every deer I've ever shot with 'em with just one round fired. I've shot 'em as close as 12 yds and as far as 347 yds (measured with a laser rangefinder by the way). I'll never shoot anything else.;)

RE: Best .30-06 round for deer ?
 

I have always used core-lokt 150 grain.