200 grain partition for 30-06

[22250imp]

Hello all like everyone probably know nosler bullets are really hard to find and I've been looking for accubond and partition and all I have been able to find are 200 grain partition and the biggest caliber rifle I have as of right now is a 30-06 and I wanted to know has any one used the 200 grain bullets for 30-06 if so what are some good loads and what are the pros and cons and how was terminal performance and what would expected velocitys be also are they going to be a waist of time for white tails at 10 to 400 yards. Thanks in advance

I might have some partitions. I will check in the morning.

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

I might have some partitions. I will check in the morning.

Okay thanks

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

The op is asking about killing deer out to 400 not trying to kill elk at 5 or 6 hundred any hunting bullet from 130 to 165 will do this I would look at the 151 or 162 absolute hammer the velocity you would get and correct zero you could just hold hair to 400 no problem

I'm looking at ordering some hammers as well but not sure which to try first

 

[JMW67]

I'm looking at ordering some hammers as well but not sure which to try first

I will tell you this I have found the hammer hunters a little easier to tune not that the absolute hammer has been picky just has taken a little more effort both shoot great and kill even better as far as velocity I find the absolute to run 100 to 125 fps faster than the hunter in most rifles and the hunter to run 50 to 75 fps faster than most cup and core of equal weights

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

I will tell you this I have found the hammer hunters a little easier to tune not that the absolute hammer has been picky just has taken a little more effort both shoot great and kill even better as far as velocity I find the absolute to run 100 to 125 fps faster than the hunter in most rifles and the hunter to run 50 to 75 fps faster than most cup and core of equal weights

Okay thanks I was looki g at sledge hammers originally but I havnt heard to much about them

 

[JMW67]

call and talk to steve he will guide you in right direction their customer service is second to none

 

[BEEMAN]

I'm looking at ordering some hammers as well but not sure which to try first

I think the 162 Absolute hammer would be a really nice bullet in the 30-06. I believe guys are running them close to 3100 FPS if I remember right. I'm wanting to run this bullet in my 30-06AI build I'm working on now. The 151AH would be good as well. The 178 may be a bit heavy in the 06 but even that bullet is going fairly fast out of the 30-06. I agree on calling Steve for his advice. He's very helpful and won't steer you in the wrong direction. Also be certain to look at the recommended twist for hammer bullets.

 

[22250imp]

Okay thanks

Okay thanks

All I have are some 180s, 1 box of partition , 2 boxes of Sierra match kings , and 1 box of Hornady BTSP.

 

[xsn10s]

I sent a message with what I have. Here's a link for some Berger 185gr which be really good too. https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/30-cal-berger-185gr-vld-hunting.256756/

 

[greenejc]

Thanks for the info and your right it will have alot of drop that's as far as I can shoot in clear cut were I hunt and most of my shots were I see deer are around 250 to 300 but wanted to know what it would do just in case.i have two 308s that i usely use in that area just because I'm more confident in them as I've been shooting them longer

At sea level, the difference in drop between the Nosler 200 grain with a BC of about .55 and 2600fps and the 180 grain at a BC of about .5 and 2700 is only about 1.5 inches. The 200 grain bullets (Sierra or Speer) sight in about 3" higher at 100 yards, due to heavier recoil, but when sighted in for about a 200 yard zero, the round is about 25 inches low at 400 yards. The 180 grain is about 23.5 inches low. The difference at 400 yards between the higher BC 180's and the high BC 200's is negligible. They're actually within 3" of each other at 600 yards. If you're using a 22" tube, both bullet weights lose about 50 to 60 fps, and gain around 1" of drop at 400 yards, according to the JBM trajectory calculator. The Shooters Calculator has them at about the same trajectory, too. You should be able to get around 2575 to 2600 from a 22" barrel, and around 2630 to 2650fps from a 24" tube. IMR or H 4831, 4350 and IMR7828 will get you to about 2580 or so and StaBall 6.5 looks like it will get you up to around 2650 or so, in a 24" barrel. You might load and chronograph some rounds and then go shoot them at your clearcut at distance and see where it impacts. If you shoot at 100, 300 and 400, you can keep a notebook with drop figures and adjustments for those distances. I generally shoot at a KD range out to 600yds to determine actual drop.

 

[30calyooper]

I've shot the 180 partition for 30 years works great in the 30-06, killed dozen deer and over 30 elk

Yes...excellent choice! While I would never be the guy to brag a lot about the accuracy of Nosler Partitions, I will say that the 180/30-06 combo is the one that has done well for me. I've used it on black bear (works like a champ!) and deer both in the woods and on farm fields. An old mentor of mine used that same handload to take his last elk when the recoil of his trusty 338 got to be more than his aging shoulder could stand.

When this string started about using a 200 gr Partition in a 30-06 that was the first thing that crossed my mind - go trade them for a box of 180 Partitions and never look back! Don't have to get crazy loading it...easy to get 2700 FPS from any decent rifle and that'll carry both the energy and accuracy out as far as you need a 30-06 to go. Is it a true super duper long range combo? Maybe not...but if you can count on it to hold enough accuracy and handle critters like deer & elk out at 400...well, that's not a shot I'd be ashamed to talk about! If you actually plan on taking longer shots then you might want to start considering a bullet made to perform at that kind of distance, or perhaps another caliber altogether.

 

[30calyooper]

165 TTSX at 3k vs a 200 gr SGK at a leisurely 2685 ft/sec which I'm hitting from a 22 inch barrel. I'd rather shoot the 200 just looking at the numbers at 500. Less wind drift and a substantial advantage in retained energy. ~2 MOA more drop isn't really a big deal to me if I'm already dialing

You have a point, and not a bad notion at all! But Sierra GameKings are not built like a Partition, and I agree it's a better choice for deer if you're committed to using a 200-grain pill. I'll never say you're wrong if that load works the way you want it to!

I won't lie, I've had a couple of friends experience poor performance on bigger critters with the GameKings - accuracy is not an issue and seems like they do well on deer - but I'm told they just did not hold up on tougher critters. So I've never really spent a lot of time with 30-caliber sierras except in military-style competition with a 308. I think if the 30-06 deer hunter who started this thread got the 200 SGK vice the 200 partitions he probably would come out ahead...but then again if we start talking about other bullet choices for deer with a 30-06 we could fill volumes!

The Partitions were originally designed for tougher critters, and (if I may) - when you start talking about any bullet with SD over.300, my statement about not expanding on lighter animals might hold water at shorter distances, too. Certainly not knocking the SGK! But If I was specifically loading a 30-06 with that bullet for deer I think I'd look for a 150, 165 or a 180, more or less the weight classes that 30-06 seems to excel with. To be honest I use a 30-06 and a 180 here in Michigan and have never run into problems on crop damage control hunts where we routinely try different combinations on deer out to 500 yards. I believe the 200 does have less wind drift, but any good 180 with a good BC will hold its own.

Just curious - what powder/primer/brass are you using to get 2685 with that 200 SGK? Definitely a high-end load for a 30-06 with a 22" tube! How's the accuracy?

 

[rustyshackleford]

You have a point, and not a bad notion at all! But Sierra GameKings are not built like a Partition, and I agree it's a better choice for deer if you're committed to using a 200-grain pill. I'll never say you're wrong if that load works the way you want it to!

I won't lie, I've had a couple of friends experience poor performance on bigger critters with the GameKings - accuracy is not an issue and seems like they do well on deer - but I'm told they just did not hold up on tougher critters. So I've never really spent a lot of time with 30-caliber sierras except in military-style competition with a 308. I think if the 30-06 deer hunter who started this thread got the 200 SGK vice the 200 partitions he probably would come out ahead...but then again if we start talking about other bullet choices for deer with a 30-06 we could fill volumes!

The Partitions were originally designed for tougher critters, and (if I may) - when you start talking about any bullet with SD over.300, my statement about not expanding on lighter animals might hold water at shorter distances, too. Certainly not knocking the SGK! But If I was specifically loading a 30-06 with that bullet for deer I think I'd look for a 150, 165 or a 180, more or less the weight classes that 30-06 seems to excel with. To be honest I use a 30-06 and a 180 here in Michigan and have never run into problems on crop damage control hunts where we routinely try different combinations on deer out to 500 yards. I believe the 200 does have less wind drift, but any good 180 with a good BC will hold its own.

Just curious - what powder/primer/brass are you using to get 2685 with that 200 SGK? Definitely a high-end load for a 30-06 with a 22" tube! How's the accuracy?

Reloader 16, CCI 200's, and winchester brass. It seems to shoot pretty well but I need to shoot it more. I've only shot it on paper once but it was very consistent on steel out to 600.

If it were me and I were putting a 30-06 load together for whitetail deer I'd probably just shoot a 165 SGK. I too have heard the SGK's are on the soft side but with the added SD of the 200 gr and more importantly the mild velocities of the 30-06 I think they'd be about ideal for elk. Once you get up around 5k ASL that bullet is still going 2k ft/sec at 500. So basically from point blank to 500 you're in the Goldilocks velocity range for cup and core bullets. Initially I was eyeing the 165 and 180 SGK's until I noticed in Bryan Litz's book that the 175 7mm SGK and 200 gr 30 cal gameking had better form factors than the majority of the match kings and were significantly better than the 165 and 180. The 175 and 200 are just sleeker designs.

Every bad story I've heard from a cup and core bullet can usually be chalked up to poor marksmanship or light for caliber being pushed at warp speed. People shooting 150 SGK's in 30 cal magnums for instance are basically asking for a bad day

 

[HARPERC]

People shooting 150 SGK's in 30 cal magnums for instance are basically asking for a bad day

A bunch of truth there.