Grain Load for .30-06

[Bean Counter]

Does it matter? Doesn't the 150 destroy less meat on a deer?  Is the 150 enough for an elk?

[CP]

Doesn’t matter, use whatever your rifle shoots best.

[Houndhunter]

again dont worry bout what ruins meat or what guys tell you shoots best through there gun, your gun will be completly different. my last words on this are take a variety of shells and test them through your gun to see what shoots best then stick with that load

[MountainWalk]

I guess if your super worried about group size, then do lots of experiementing.. Myself, Ive never had an 06 that gave horrible results on paper with any load. Animals dont care about group size. 220's, while not the most super accurate in my gun,, sure have given the best on game performance that Ive seen.

[DeKuma]

For years, I used 180 for everything in both .06 and 308.  Then I started to use 150 for deer/Bear and 180 for elk.  I have not really seen any significant difference in either one.  The 150 seemed to shoot a little flatter/tighter, but not enough to justify multiple bullet weights.

[tmike]

I use 180 grain Nosler Partition hand loads for everything.

[chukarchaser]

165gr Nosler partition.  Shoots awesome.  Out groups the 165 BT which I wont use on big game.

[Curly]

I voted for the 165 gr but the 180gr could be a good choice too if we're talking tradition bullets........I do like heavier bullets if you're talking Nosler Partition, Core-lokt, or whatever.  Bonded bullets on the other hand, like the accubond I think 165gr would be great in the 30-06.

In my experience the 150gr is likely to destroy more meat than a 180gr bullet.  The 150 hits with higher velocity and is likely to open up faster than the 180, thus destroying more meat.

That said, I think a Barnes TSX (or the new Nosler copper bullet) are a good choice for deer/elk bullets.  They won't blow-up (like I've had lead 150 gr bullets do) at close ranges and they still open up at longer ranges.  You could use 150gr TSX or 165gr TSX (whichever shoots the best groups) for deer or elk.

[shorthair-on-point]

180 grain ballistic tip. One grain for everything. The BT round I shoot has a very flat trajectory. I have my gun really dialed in for this round and I don't want to change it in between seasons. I also don't want to spend the money for different grain bullets and the extra bullets I would need to shoot to sight it in. If I am expecting a close shot on a whitetail I have a .270 or a 30.30 I can use.

[shorthair-on-point]

Does it matter? Doesn't the 150 destroy less meat on a deer?  Is the 150 enough for an elk?

Yes 150 can be enough for Elk if it is placed well and you are shooting at short/medium ranges.

As for the meat....I agree with previous posts. I have done less damage with the 180gr than when I have used 150gr.

[Ray]

Nosler partition in 165 grains can make good exit holes but don't see any big deal about it for big game. They'll do the job. I prefer 150 grain bullets for large game in my .30-06. Enough weight and also velocity to get the job done on most game in Washington.

Monday I shot the bear with a 165 grain Nosler partition and it had a 2 inch exit hole. I wish I had the .25-06 (using 115 grain TSX in that gun) but the meat was not destroyed using the 165 grain bullets anyway. Had I placed the shot differently it might have been though. Getting close to ensure good placement can be helpful.

[Sagedawg]

I like the 165 NP for deer out of my 06 and 308.



   Sage

[JBabcock]

I've used the 180 grain Partition in a 30-06 and that's about as classic as you can get for a 30-06. Just works for everything, except maybe big Brown Bear. I'm sure it's killed them too. I wouldn't hesitate to use one on Grizzly if that's all I had.

Lately though I've been loading 150 gr TSX's in my 30-06's. Boy are those bullets accurate. Hope to whack a Whitetail with one this year.

[edmondshunter]

150 for deer.  220 elk, bear

[Gutpile]

I used to shoot 180s then 150s now im running 130 grn barnes tipped tsx. They give great groups and i cant wait to see performance on deer this year.