I am really fussy about my hunting bullets. I want good accuracy and grat performance. My favorite bullet is barnse ttsx. In 30 caliber i use 165 or 168 gr, and in magnums the 180. Seat 50 to 100 thousands off the lands. I have had very good accuracy, and phenomenal terminal performance. I have also used 165 and 180 gr berger vld's with great accuracy but not as good terminal performance if the shot wasnt a classic broadside shot. But, never lost an animal either.
What bullet should I try in my 30-06
- Thread starter Joefrazell
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IllinoisBurt
Well-Known Member
30-06 isn't a speed demon. The classic 180 speer hotcor and sierra game king were the perennial favorites of the elk community for a long, long time. Either one seems to give good consistent results and neither is terribly expensive. Personally I've always found the speer bullets to be very consistent and accurate.
I totally agree
I know this wasn't directed at me but with my 30-06 and 166 HH I just put them to run mag length and made sure they were off the L&G, never touched them after that. It was the same with all the rifles I've loaded them in.
Same Hammer results here for me in several different cartridges. My son shooting them in the 152 grain Hammer in his 30-06 with H4350 at 59 grains....MAGNUM PRIMER..... and they going 3,050fps in Savage 22" barrel.
Johnny Huff
Active Member
Try the Federal Premium 30 Cal, 180 GR Trophy Bonded Tip loaded 71.0 grains of Reloader 23 and use WLRM primers. My friend took a 400 pound Cow at 400 yards.
30calyooper
Well-Known Member
For starters, I would take a look at Ramshot Hunter for a powder. Seems to work out for a combo of good accuracy and velocity with several different pills in multiple 30-06 rifles my friends and I load for. Oddly its a ball powder but the manufacturer always shows their load data using a Win Standard LR primer, vice using a magnum primer as one might lean toward with a ball powder. But whatever, if it ain't broke then don't fix it...and it does seem to work pretty well.
As for a bullet, definitely try the Accubond if you're looking for an elk load. Either the 180 or the 190 Long Range Accubond should perform in 30-06. While accuracy might take a couple of tweaks, my experience here is that is that it's worth it. BTW - a pet load - 55.0 of Win 760 powder seems to give pretty reasonable accuracy with every 180 I've tried in a 30-06...or at least a pretty good starting spot to tune a load for your rifle. Now before anyone says it...yes, you may get a shift of impact with large variations in temperature and/or altitude when using W760. That's why we check our zero before we hunt, right? Oh and for the record, that load seems to really work well with a 180 Ballistic Tip. I'll leave it to you to experiment with which brass and primer works best for you as you develop your load, but will say that Federal 215 Match primers are a good idea here. Not sure I'd really recommend the Ballistic Tip for elk though...dynamite on deer and antelope but if you had a tough angle shot on a big bull you might end up wishing you hadn't.
If you want a lighter bullet, I can tell you that the 168 Hornady Amax shoots quite well from multiple rifles, again with the Ramshot Hunter. I've read stories of how well it performs on deer, and heard rumors of people using it on elk. But with the results from Accubonds (and Partitions for that matter) on the big critters, I personally have not found the need to think about this pill for elk.
What is the twist rate of that Bergara? Also have you checked the bed-to-barrel fit? Might be a bedding issue...faster speeds with lighter bullets mean more harmonic vibration, and if something is askew...Kind of like the pressure point Weatherby always left in their wooden Mark V stocks. Every one of mine shot better after I sanded that little ridge out and floated the barrel completely.
Don A Parsons
Well-Known Member
My long time hunting partner has tumbled alot of Elk with the 150gr Nosler PT's from his 308 Winchester...
I'm planning on a run of them next year out of my 30/06.
I'm planning on a run of them next year out of my 30/06.
30calyooper
Well-Known Member
BTW, JOE - Agree completely with you on picking 30-06 over 25-06 or 6.5 Creed for elk. 30-06 has a good track record on elk...why take a smaller caliber. Both of these smaller calibers can kill elk, no problem, not knocking them at all...but I'd rather err on the side of caution. A good 180 or bigger carries smackdown power and reliable penetration out there a long ways. In a perfect world every shot is broadside at a standing target with no wind...let me know where you find that during elk season!
Karey Kimmel
Well-Known Member
I've just completed reading all of your post replies and it sounds like almost everything is recommended.... I can only share with you what my Browning Hunter A-bolt loves.... Took me a while to find it and then fine tune the load but the results are very good and I have used it to take elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope and a few ground hogs. Sierra Game Kings. 165 Gr SBT. Winchester std primers. Hornady brass fire formed (once fired) to my barrel then OA sized to .001 off the lans. 56.0 gr of IMR 4350. Had to tweak the powder up and down .5 gr before I found this load. Went through about 20 different powder loads. THEN I FOUND THE MAGIC POTION. My rifle is factory OTS and shoots sub moa @200 yards from a bench on sandbags. This IS my hunting rifle. The pic below is a 3 shot group @200 yards.
