Equipment & Gear > Guns and Ammo
so 30-06, what grain bullet for deer and elk
coachcw:
hit a shoulder at close range out of an 06. my buddy hit a bull at 50 yards with a corelock and it retained maybe 50 percent wasted the front quarter. I've shoot deer with the .260 and 140 corelocks with good success but they would not be my choice in the 30-06.
Curly:
I can tell you from personal experience that 150 gr corelocks can come apart and fragment out of 30-06. 180 gr will probably be going slow enough to not blow up but 165's might be okay. ........
coachcw:
I've also seen partions blow right through deer at close range with very little damage , throphy bonded bearclaws , accubonds and sst's are my three favorite choices . how ever I shoot the berger vlds out of my 6.5x284 because they work at extended ranges and low velocitys .
RadSav:
--- Quote from: coachcw on May 03, 2014, 07:26:52 AM ---I've also seen partions blow right through deer at close range with very little damage
--- End quote ---
I can't tell you how many deer, elk and bear I have tracked for people because they shot them with Partitions at close range. I very rarely ever recommend the Partition. And you couldn't pay me enough to use the 130/.270 Partition. I;ve never seen a quick kill with that!
Halo:
I have shot a lot of blacktails and elk over the years and almost exclusively with 30-06 180's, mostly core-lokt's or Hornady Light Magnums or SST's. I have a Remington that likes the Hornady's and a Savage that likes the core-lokt's. I've never had anything but good results with those. The only bullets I have used or seen come apart were Federal. Saw a deer a buddy shot years ago with a single Federal 30-06 180 that no kidding had exit wounds in all 4 quarters. And I had a couple Federal, Premiums I believe, come apart. I shot a mule deer at 200 yards, broadside, not even a flinch, shot again and nothing, it just walked off. I went to look for blood and found the deer only 30 yards away. When I skinned it there were 2 bullet holes less than an inch apart just behind the shoulder, both hit a rib. The off side rib cage was not even scratched, I never even found a piece of either bullet but they got almost no penetration so they must have just disintegrated. The core-lokt's & Hornady's would have an exit wound in that situation almost every time. I did get a core-lokt that was a dud a few years back though. It's probably still sitting on a boulder in Wyoming.