.30-06 Factory Ammo for Mule Deer

[Phantom Gobbler]

I'm looking for your recommendations on .30-06 factory ammo for High Country Mule Deer Hunting.  I have been leaning toward 165 Gr. bullets.  Has anyone tried the Hornady SuperFormance loads. Cabelas was sold out over Memorial Day Weekend.  What about Nosler Customs?

[jackelope]

I always used 165 Barnes TSX federal premiums out of my A-Bolt. You really just got to try a couple and pick what groups best...
I usually bought 3 different good quality bullets and picked one that shot best,  but there really was not too much difference between them either.
 

[carpsniperg2]

nosler customs would be a fine choice i like the 165 out of all my 30-06's and either the paritions "my fave" or the accubond and it will be lights out. fedreal has some very nice offerings as well and loads some noslers as well

[sako223]

nothing wrong with premium bullets but we have killed a pile of deer & elk with Remington CoreLokt my whole life. Same story for generations of hunters all over.

[bobcat]

I think 165 grain is the perfect choice for a deer bullet out of the 30-06. I don't know about the Nosler Customs but I looked it up on midwayusa and they want $56 a box.     I sure don't think you should have to spend that much for 30-06 cartridges. The Hornady's are only $28 for the 165 grain SST. I think I'd try those first. The main thing is to find one that your rifle likes and shoots tight groups with.

[lokidog]

165 has been the best performing bullet out of three 30-06's that I have tried them in.  The type of bullet (ballistic tip, speer, 168 gr hp) did not seem to matter too much.  I have not had a chance to shoot the barnes x bullets but they should do well also.

[jackelope]

I do not personally like Ballistic Tips because they really come apart when they hit something. Just my preference and it probably doesn't matter too much with a deer sized animal, but I want all the weight I can keep hitting my deer.

[Bob33]

Phantom, you're going to get lots of opinions about the "best" bullet or ammunition.  I wouldn't discredit anyone's opinion, but the following points are important to remember:
(1) All bullets work best when they hit where they were intended to hit.  An animal gut shot will die a slow death regardless of what bullet it was shot with.  Accuracy matters.
(2) Guns have different tastes in what they do and don't like.  Just because someone else has good accuracy or poor accuracy with a certain bullet doesn't mean your gun will.  This is where you'll get a lot of "this bullet is great" or "that bullet is terrible" type opinions.  I have seen very few rifles that will shoot every type of ammunition well.  They are extremely rare. My guns tell me what they like, and that's what I feed them.  
(3) You don't need to use premium bullets to kill deer sized animals.  Lots and lots of animals have been killed with inexpensive bullets.  Again, look at points 1 and 2.  If premium bullets shoot well in your rifle, go with them if you like.  If they don't, then feed your rifle what it likes.  
(4) Bullet weight is less significant than other factors.  If your gun shoots a 150 grain bullet real well, then use it.  Ditto 180 grain.  Point 2: feed your rifle what it likes.
(5) No bullet is perfect.  If you shoot enough animals with any bullet ever made, you'll eventually experience "bullet failure".  Someone else also has, and you'll read about it on forums like this.  "Bullet x is terrible.  I shot a deer and it ran off and I never found it..."  Don't base your decision on someone else's bad experience.

I’m not at all trying to brag but I’ve killed over 100 head of big game with at least 16 different bullets.  I can’t recall a single instance of obvious “bullet failure”.   Perhaps some animal that I shot at and never recovered would have been recovered if I had just used the “right” bullet; that I can’t say.

In 30-06 a 165 grain bullet is just about ideal.  But again, only if your gun smiles when you feed it that ammunition.

[JackOfAllTrades]

You really don't need to spend premium money on factory loaded cartridges.  Shoot some Remington 165 or 180 CoreLokt's and see how they shoot through your rifle. I've never seen one of those bullets fail, and in many cases, they're near as accurate as many good hand loader's concoctions.  If I forgot, or lost my hand loads, those are the one's I'd reach for on the store shelf for any of my rifles.

-Steve

[lokidog]

I used to shoot Federal 165's and had good luck with them until I started reloading.  Have also had rems perform well.  Just have to "bite the bullet" and try a couple of different ones out.  By a box, if you are happy with it use it, if not try again.  Part of the fun is just getting out and shooting.

[GEARHEAD]

go with those hornady bullets your looking at, try the SST, you will not be disappointed with the price or super accuracy, its all i shoot, 14 deer 1 shot drops, out to 456 yards with my 7mm-08, and a 30-06 i wish i still had. sure wish hornady would get going on a 300 short mag, that deal with ruger has got to be costing them.

[MDGrand]

Well.. this is an endless debate... 30-06 bullet combos.. that can go on forever..

Ballistic tip bullets.. they will drop a good size deer with a proper shot.. they will run farther if not shot well though

Bonded bullets.. do better than ballistic tips if you happen to shoot a little off.. but not that much better

... If I had to suggest one right now.. I guess it would be the Berger VLD 168 grain.. its the only bullet I have seen that actually will penetrate 2-3 inches THEN expand and rupture like a ballistic tip thus giving a massive wound channel.. Properly hit they will litterally drop in their tracks.. many bullet makers say this.. Bergers when placed well I think drop animals more often.

That being said... ANY bullet placed well will drop your mulie.. so find a round your gun likes the best and practice.. not on the bench but sitting, standing, kneeling, on shooting sticks.. and you wont go wrong. OH.. and since its an '06... know what your gun will do at 3-400 yards.. mulies are usually a bit farther out.

GOOD LUCK!

[Bofire]

I like the cheap Federal blue box in 150 grain for deer in my 06.
Carl

[rasbo]

125 core lokt remington,took all my mulies with that

[predatorpro]

30-06 normally have a 1/10 twist or close to it which makes them normally like longer bullets like the 165gr or 180gr, i use 165 gr bullets for mule deer, i have use corelokts (will tear a deer up) last few years i have been using sierra game kings and have had good luck but was not that impressed, they definately killed my deer but did not seem to do alot of internal damage, never had a through and through so this year im going to try the barnes 168 ttsx 50gr of rl15

[jackelope]

125 core lokt remington,took all my mulies with that

I started a thread a few years ago regarding lightweight 30-06 bullets. After reading the posts on there, I have been concerned with bullet stability of those little guys in a -06...can't say I have any experience one way or the other...just what I read.

[bobcat]

Stability wouldn't be my biggest concern with 125 grain 30 caliber bullets. I mean, the first priority is acceptable accuracy, and if a bullet doesn't meet that requirement in your rifle, then you're not going to use it. But even if accuracy is good, a 125 grain bullet in 30 caliber is going to have a very low ballistic coefficient, and will not retain velocity as well as a longer, heavier bullet. The 125 grain bullet may drop slightly less at long range than a heavier bullet, but wind will push it much more than a bullet with a higher B.C. For shooting at long distances, less wind drift is more important than less drop. Rangefinders solve the drop problem, but compensating for wind is much more difficult. There is really only one benefit to going as light as 125 grains in a 30-06 bullet, and that is reduced recoil. If you're not doing it for that reason, then for best performance you're way better off by using at least a 150 grain bullet.

[rasbo]

thats the only bullet I used ay all.It was the same round as yotes also..I shot everyone of the mulies in the neck and it was game over.every yote was shot in the head...Now that being said I was able to keep my shots on mulies under 70yrds and as little as ten feet..PS I just remembered a yote I shot in the head at 300 yrds with that round..he was just sitting at a water trough..I was an inch high holding 6inches above the middle of his eyes.sighted in at 100yrds

[ELKBURGER]

I'd like to see what the yote looked like after that

[rasbo]

I'd like to see what the yote looked like after that

they buzz right through,quarter size hole out the back,this cat was shot through his eyeball

[GoldTip]

When I hunted with nothing but a 30-06, mine saw nothing but 180gr core lokts.  Bears, bulls and bucks, everything died plenty good.  None of my magnums or my premium bullets seem to make anything any more dead.  But they do look pretty.

[Phantom Gobbler]

All, I really appreciate the great dialog and advise so far.   

I shared the following experience on a previous thread:  I sighted in my new Tikka T3 lite .30-06 with 150 grain Rem Core Lokts last summer and they performed above my normal capability to shoot tight groups. I like the Tikka so far and it is a joy to carry up the mountain vs. my Rem Model 700 .300 Win Mag.  The recoil in the Tikka is very manageable!

I did harvest a small whitetail buck in NE WA last fall, but as I previously posted, the bullet fragmented and I had quite a mess on my hands and lost one of the quarters.  The good thing is that I did not have to do any tracking!  Maybe too much bullet for the size game and distance (80 yards) that I was shooting at?  So this has started me thinking that I need to try a more stable bullet or go to a heavier one.  Also this fall I will be chasing Mulies in the high country vs. brush hunting the NE corner of the state.

[bobcat]

I did harvest a small whitetail buck in NE WA last fall, but as I previously posted, the bullet fragmented and I had quite a mess on my hands and lost one of the quarters.  The good thing is that I did not have to do any tracking!  Maybe too much bullet for the size game and distance (80 yards) that I was shooting at?

Not really "too much bullet," but too much speed is what I would say. So either a heavier, slower bullet would help, or more of a controlled expansion type (a bullet that won't come apart.) I think staying with the 150 grain bullets would be a good idea in a light rifle like your Tikka, just to keep the recoil at a minimum. You might try any of the bonded bullets (Accubond, Interbond, etc) or a Barnes bullet, or Nosler Partition.

[Dansk]

I always used 165 Barnes TSX federal premiums out of my A-Bolt. You really just got to try a couple and pick what groups best...
I usually bought 3 different good quality bullets and picked one that shot best,  but there really was not too much difference between them either.
 

   I like the lead free bonus, plus the 100% weight retention in the Barnes.

[bobcat]

I'm a fan of Barnes bullets too. That's what I would recommend you go with if they shoot well in your rifle. Nosler and Hornady also have 100% copper bullets now as well, and they would be worth a try. With any of these bullets I would go with 150 instead of 165 grain, in a 30-06. They will lose only 10% of their weight, at the most, so the 165 isn't needed. Also you will have less recoil and more velocity with the lighter bullet. I think high velocity is important with all copper bullets because it will help to provide more reliable expansion.

[carpsniperg2]

yeah i just bought the new etip in 30 cal 180 grain to try in my 300 should be a great bullet