Rem 700 30-06 Springfield Bullet/Load for Mulies and Whitetails?

[BowhunterNJ]

Hey all, looking for recommendations on a bullet/load (off the shelf, I don't load my own yet) for eastern and western deer.

I've been looking at the Winchester Failsafe 165 grain, but from what I've read they recommend them for very large game such as elk and not so much for deer as they do not expand enough on smaller game.

I'll be sighting in a 30-06 that my father gave me sometime in the near future, and am looking for a few bullets/loads to try out.

Considering I may hunt out west where longer shots are present, as well a out east, I figure the best bet is something in the 165 grain size for flatter trajectory but something that both penetrates at short (higher KE) and longer (lower KE) distances.

Not sure if there is an all inclusive bullet that will perform well on both smaller size deer (some eastern whitetails) and larger size deer (western mulies and whitetails) at various ranges.

Better yet if I could get an all inclusive bullet for even larger game (such as elk), that would be great...but I doubt that is possible.

So, I'm thinking along the lines of maybe the Winchester Silver BTs in 168 grain for whitetails/mulies and maybe the Failsafes for larger game like elk.

I also have my eye on the Nosler Partitions and the Barnes X-bullet and Barnes Triple-X.

Worth noting too, my father says the Remington 165 grain Core-Lokt bullets shoot great out of this particular 30-06, but I am not sure how they will be on mulies at longer ranges, since he has only taken whitetails (eastern) usually under 100 yards with them.

What do you all think?

 

[Michael Eichele]

I know if I had a 30-06 and needed to use factory ammo, I would at least try the Federal Gold Medal Match 168 grain SMK ammo.

This will be good for long range deer. At least in my opinion.

 

[Mysticplayer]

I hunt with a '06 and Gibbs and have used the Hornady Interlocks, now SST for years. Their performance on deer is superb. Have not recovered a bullet yet.

For factory ammo, I would look at the Hornady ammo using this bullet. Also, the light magnum is great if it shoots in your rifle.

The premium stuff isn't needed in this vel range and will work worse at LR due to lower impact vel. Check out the many posts on that subject and you will see that conventional bullets work very well when impact vel is understood.

Good luck with your hunts.

Jerry

 

[Headhunter]

I agree with Jerry, for deer and such, you can not beat Hornady Interlocks out of a 06. I have harvested MANY animals with Hornady Interlocks out of Many different rifles and calibers. My favorite bullet for non - dangerous game.

Headhunter

 

[Brian Rybicky]

Stay away from the win/nosler/ silver tips the bullets are p.o.s. i shot 3 deer with my .308win last year with the 168gr, yes the deer died but the jacket/core sparated and none of the bullets made it to the opposite hide, the ranges were from 50-200 yards. I switched to the hornady interbond this year, they shot good but i didn't see anything to shoot at.
happy New Years,
Brian

 

[BowhunterNJ]

I shoot the 240 grain .45 caliber Hornady XTPs out of my .50 cal ML (using a .50 cal Knight sabot sleeve) and they are absolutely awesome.

Taken several whitetails with them over the years and they've performed great.

So, I definitely like the Hornady bullets...but that is simply based on my extremely limited experience with them per the above.

 

[BowhunterNJ]

Brian, were you using factory loads or your own? Can you give some info on the loads you used?

I've heard when using the silver tips under too much velocity, they essentially explode before they achieve good penetration.

Of course, the Fail Safes are a much harder bullet intended to maintain form and weight under higher velocities (and ranges) to ensure good penetration.

I was thinking of using the Fail Safes...but from what I've read they seem reserved for larger game and may be overkill for mulies and whitetails?

 

[Brian Rybicky]

Bow Hunter,

I think I was using 43gr reloader 12 out of my rem 7400 in .308win, they should have been around 2500-2700? never checked,If they break up at those speeds their useless with just about every 30cal gun ever made. I hand load for all my guns, im not sure if honady loads the interbond yet, and i haven't tried to find a super accurate load for that .308 yet because 99% of the shots taken with this gun are under 100 yards, but the interbonds shot good, around 1" for 5 shots.

good luck,
Brian Rybicky

[ 01-02-2004: Message edited by: Brian Rybicky ]

[ 01-02-2004: Message edited by: Brian Rybicky ]

 

[kraky]

IMHO--the sst, ballitstic tip and ballistic silver tip are awful fast openers. Even on Deer. I just bought some interbonds and hope they shoot good. In the brush we hunt deer in you can never count on being able to take the neck or behind the shoulder shot that would work with the fast openers. Plus our shots are almost always at close range. I'm slowly figuring out that premium bullets DO MAKE SENSE --at least for this guy when deer hunting.

 

[deergrunt]

Stress test different loads/bullets in wet phone books. Recover the bullets and see for yourself which ones would perform best for your type of hunting. I like the Hornady bullets. In my '06 I use the SST's. If your having a problem with the bullets coming
apart at close range, try slowing them down.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

The 150gr Failsafe's that you mentioned will work great. They will definately expand at 30-06 velocities.
For the last 3 years I have been loading the 150gr Failsafe in my buddies .308win which is a little slower than your 30-06. This guy has killed more deer, bear and hogs than you can imagine. I watched him shoot two smallish whitetail does. One was standing and the other was bedded. The standing deer dropped to the shot and the bedded deer literally rolled over dead. This year he shot a big buck in the neck and put him right down. Buck field dressed at 210lbs.
Bottom line: don't worry about the Failsafe bullet, it works well on large and small deer/bear size animals.

VH

 

[BowhunterNJ]

Awesome, thanks guys! Great advice. I'm probably going to try quite a few different bullets...but I have my eye on those Failsafes...they just look kicka$$!

Once I get my gun scoped, I'll get out to the range and let you guys know how she groups!

 

[rost495]

I'll go against the grain and suggest the X bullet. 1 weight lighter than the typical selection. IE if you choose the 165 jacketed then go with 150X(Failsafe is very similar). With Barnes X I've never had a failure or failure to penetrate. Most deer I've taken are anywhere from 80 to 200 pounds. And from about 40 yards out to about 500 yards. The bullets always open up enough to do plenty damage. In fact if close range bothers you, try 150x on 140 pound deer. Both culls shot within 50 yards. Both exits a lot larger than I care for, on the order of 3 inch exits. Try the expansion of average exits past 200 yards are on the order of 50cent to silver dollar sized. Plenty good, plus never have recovered a bullet from a deer kill.

My 2cents.

Jeff

 

[deergrunt]

Rost495,

I tried the Barnes X bullets in my .308 but could not get them to group the way I know the gun can shoot. What bullet/load combination did you use?

I saw H-bar hit a crow at just over 300 yards the other day. Outstanding display of marksmenship!!