What bullet should I try in my 30-06

Joefrazell said:

I have tried the Barnes 168 ttsx factory ammo. It shot ok. Some groups moa or just under and some groups up to 2". Very inconsistent accuracy but had accuracy at times. But they show the tsx as one of their test loads

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I like the Barnes 168 tsx but you have to weigh each bullet to get a bunch with similar weights, otherwise they can have over a 2 grain spread difference which can blow your groups apart. Another option would be the 166 gr. Sledge Hammer from Hammer Bullets. Great for under 500 yards and hit like a ton. Hammer Bullets are usually pretty easy to get to group well, too. (Sorry for not reading the other 7 pages of previous replies. Guess this has been covered a bit.)

I use 47.3 grains of 3031, 165gr Nosler Partitions. I get MOA accuracy at 200 yards and have dropped whitetails in their tracks at 350. I put loads together for my son's Savage 110 and found the same load was excellent but I had to seat the bullet .018 further out. It needed less freebore in the Savage.

Hammers are amazing. 17 shots and I had a .7 moa load in my 270 which shoots everything else in 1.5 moa groups!

Have you tried Hawk bullets?

Joefrazell said:

Hey guys I've got a bergera b14 Hunter in 30-06 that is super finicky with ammo. I've tried 165 gmx, 165 interlocks, 180 ballistic tips, 178 eldx. Tried them with imr 4350, h4350 and the heavy two with h-4831sc. Also tried rl16. Anyways the only bullet I've been a able to get to shoot was a 190 gr nosler custom competition with h4831sc. It shoots around .7 moa. It's not a hunting bullet but my wife shot her black bear and deer with it last year and it killed them both very well. Both shots were around 250 yards. Anyways its looking like I'm going to be borrowing her rifle for an up coming elk hunt I've got. I was really wanting to use a bullet I'd have more confidence. Are there any other bullets that you guys know of that I should try? Maybe something similar? Would an accubond be worth a shot? I was hoping the 180 ballistic tips would be build close to them but they didn't shoot well. All these other bullets are around 1.5-2" at 100 yards. Should I just go hunt elk with these target bullets?

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Joefrazell said:

Hey guys I've got a bergera b14 Hunter in 30-06 that is super finicky with ammo. I've tried 165 gmx, 165 interlocks, 180 ballistic tips, 178 eldx. Tried them with imr 4350, h4350 and the heavy two with h-4831sc. Also tried rl16. Anyways the only bullet I've been a able to get to shoot was a 190 gr nosler custom competition with h4831sc. It shoots around .7 moa. It's not a hunting bullet but my wife shot her black bear and deer with it last year and it killed them both very well. Both shots were around 250 yards. Anyways its looking like I'm going to be borrowing her rifle for an up coming elk hunt I've got. I was really wanting to use a bullet I'd have more confidence. Are there any other bullets that you guys know of that I should try? Maybe something similar? Would an accubond be worth a shot? I was hoping the 180 ballistic tips would be build close to them but they didn't shoot well. All these other bullets are around 1.5-2" at 100 yards. Should I just go hunt elk with these target bullets?

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Sierra has always been a very accurate bullet for me, check out the Game changer

Joefrazell said:

Hey guys I've got a bergera b14 Hunter in 30-06 that is super finicky with ammo.

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I have had fantastic results in my Ruger 30-06 with the following load:
53.5gr Varget powder
168gr Berger Classic Hunter
CCI #200 primers

I am in Wyoming and have shot elk for 30 years with this 30-06; the above load for 6 years. Shot a 384 bull last year at 462 yards and 35mph winds -- he took two steps and down. Shot antelope out to 720 yards, they don't go anyway -- just drop where they stand. Same for mule deer.

Prior to the Berger I was shooting Accubond bullets with H4350 powder -- also good results, but 200 yard groups where at 2 inches -- which wasn't too bad. With the suggested load I am at 0.8 inches on average at 200 yards. Also getting 10 out of 10 at 800 yards on cold bore shots.

Joefrazell said:

Well maybe I should try some hammers

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Before you spend $1.25 a bullet, try the Sierra 180 grain game kings or the 180 grain Speer Hotcor bullets. You're only out about $30.00 for a box($25.00 for the Speers) and if they work, you're in business. If they don't in your Bagara, they will in your other .308 caliber rifles. Also, I use IMR 4350 because it seems to be very stable over a wide range of temperatures, 55 grains fills the -06 casing to about 95%, and it gives me groups of 1" or less (5 shots) at 100 yards in three different 30-06's. Muzzle velocity in my -03A3 is 2770fps average with both bullets, and the Speer BTSP 180 grain, and both the Speers and the two Sierra bullets are tough enough and heavy enough to give good penetration at distance. I use the Remington 9 1/2 standard primer because it gives consistent ignition as tested on my Chrony Beta. I have about a 25fps spread from highest to lowest mv out of 15 rounds. (My Ruger 22 inch barrelled M77MKII last time I checked had a MV of 2670fps with this load)

Here's a couple of easy checks, never over look the importance primers can play, they can and do make a big difference, if anyone tells you otherwise they haven't shot enough guns, some guns it just does not make a difference, but others have a personality and make you work at it to find what it likes, but try this first, next time at the range shoot two groups of the same load, making sure all screws are tight, shot the first group, let the barrel cool, then loosen the rear guard screw or screws when there are 3, just barely snug so they are not loose, shoot another group, there can be something to learn here, never assume the rifle is bedded correctly, if nothing changes after the second group you know it's not the bedding, if the group moves more than a inch the bedding is incorrect, if luck is on your side you may find the second group has improved your accuracy, if this is the case the tightening of the rear guard is putting torq on the action and will need to be properly bedded.

l don't know if they still make them, my model 700 liked the Hornady 190gr. boat tail spire point pushed by 56grs. of
IMR 4350. But back to the finicky Bergara, I've heard a lot of good things about their rifles. I would check the bedding, barrel-stock clearance, headspace and bore. Check the bore for fouling and give it a good cleaning. Make sure that all copper fouling is removed. If they all check out okay, then I would try factory ammo in the weights you want to use off a good steady bench. If they don't group then I would send the rifle and targets back to Bergara and let them figure it out. I don't think they would want a "lemon" out. I had a similar problem with a Ruger M77 .338 WM years ago that fouled excessively and they sent it back to me and told me it met factory specs which were 2.5 inches at 25 yards. I unloaded at my first opportunity and have never bought another M77.
Good luck.

Try some IMR 4065 with those 165 hornadys. My son shoots them with very good results. Don't have the charge available at present.

150 Grain Hornady SST.

My Savage 110 likes the 168gr Speer Gold Dot set .010" off the lands over 58.2 of RL-17. Fed GM210M
.43" at 100' 3 shot group. 2910fps

Same except RL-16 at 58.6gr gave me .66" at 2850fps

Just worked up this bullet, haven't shot animal with it yet, but I'm pretty sure it's the same bullet federal loads in the fusion line, with a different colored coating.

I killed my first elk with a 180 Nosler Partition in a 30/06 and have killed many more with a 165 gr Nosler Partition.
I have found the 165 Partition killed as well as the 180 gr as long as bullet placement was good.
I have since started using the 180 gr Nosler Accubond and LOVE IT!
One of my 30-06's would not shoot good groups and as others mentioned the crown had a burr which is easy to fix.Go to youtube and type in lapp barrel crown and you will see how easy it is.
To see if you have a burr in the crown put a cotton ball in the crown and twist it and if pieces of cotton are left in the crown you have a burr.Polish it out.
Another 30-06 was SUPER sensitive to seating depth for any bullet.
To get the over all length to lands put a bullet into an empty case and force it battery and then remove the round and measure.It will work with that bullet.If you change from a tangent ogive bullet to a secant bullet or hybred ogive you will have to do the same test with each bullet.Unless there is a problem you can get most rifles to shoot well enough.
Just my 2 cents
Old Rooster

Joefrazell said:

Hey guys I've got a bergera b14 Hunter in 30-06 that is super finicky with ammo. I've tried 165 gmx, 165 interlocks, 180 ballistic tips, 178 eldx. Tried them with imr 4350, h4350 and the heavy two with h-4831sc. Also tried rl16. Anyways the only bullet I've been a able to get to shoot was a 190 gr nosler custom competition with h4831sc. It shoots around .7 moa. It's not a hunting bullet but my wife shot her black bear and deer with it last year and it killed them both very well. Both shots were around 250 yards. Anyways its looking like I'm going to be borrowing her rifle for an up coming elk hunt I've got. I was really wanting to use a bullet I'd have more confidence. Are there any other bullets that you guys know of that I should try? Maybe something similar? Would an accubond be worth a shot? I was hoping the 180 ballistic tips would be build close to them but they didn't shoot well. All these other bullets are around 1.5-2" at 100 yards. Should I just go hunt elk with these target bullets?

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I have a similarly finicky early model Browning x-Bolt with a 22" - 10" twist barrel. That will always shoot Sierra 200 gr. Game Kings into about 1 moa or better. My load is 54 grains of H4350 for 2650 fps that still has 2075 fps and 1912 ft lbs of energy at 400 yds. Shoots 200 gr Nosler Partitions equally well.