Which factory 30-06 load for whitetail

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Wolfshead

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I have a brand new Remington 700 cdl in 30-06 caliber.
I know about shooting the round that your rifle likes best, "dead is dead", and all of that, but what I guess I am looking for is what factory round (or load) is best so as not to destroy a lot of meat on the animal?
I would like to understand more about how the bullet works, grain size and power behind it as well as accuracy and penetration.
I would like something with some knock down power but that also won't blow apart the whole shoulder or neck with a misplaced shot?
So is it that the lighter bullet expands quicker and that causes it to do more damage, and the heavier bullet gets through the deer before it expands too much?
I am currently considering 150 and/or 165 Remington core lokt (among others)
Thank you all in advance
 
I would shoot 150 easier to get in store then 165 . Use 180 for elk or bear . Any bullet from 30/06 will tear up little meat . I shoot a 300 Winn at deer using 180 :D I like using one bullet for all game .
 
I hunted for years with a Remington Woodsmaster Carbine Semi Auto in 30-06 and to be honest can not even remember all the deer I killed with that rifle. It liked the Remington Core Lock ammo. If I were going to hunt open fields then I used a 150 grain. If I were hunting edges where I might be in the woods also, then I used the 180 grain. And if in real thick brush I used a round nose 220 grain. I also used the 220 grain on black bear. Really lays the smack on them.

As for damage, if you can place behind the front shoulder none of them blow too much up. I never had one that did not get pass through, and never had to track them more then a few feet. Its when you hit shoulders that the mess comes to play. That was why at close ranges in thick woods we used to neck and head shoot them. My Remington liked Remington ammo. I purchased some Wolf Ammo that was on sale and I was shocked how poorly it shot that stuff. The group was so bad, I actually doubted the 3-9x40 Tasco World Class Scope it wears. It shot the Winchester Silver Tip ammo pretty good. And that stuff really smacks a deer down too.
 
One of my relatives has used the 30-06 for years and years, mostly deer but bear too. He always wants to shoot the 180 grain bullets, usually the common Remington core locks. I have been reloading for him the last 10+ years. I load up the simple 180 grain Game-king, or Hornady interlock.

Chances are one load or 2 will shoot better in your gun. With a correctly placed shot, any big game bullet 150-180 grains from a 30-06 is plenty. I prefer the 165 grn with my 308. If you want factory ammo the 165 grain is harder to find.

I do fine with a 95 grn partition out of a 243.

In your case I'd vote 165 grain, 2nd 180 grain. It's still mostly campfire conversation, the shot placement is where it's at.

To get to your informed opinion on what's best, try a few different types of ammo. I prefer made in the USA ammo though.
 
With my .270 I use Barnes 130gn ttsx but never use it, my 300wm with Barnes 180gn ttsx kill everything big and small. Granted I reload but you can buy them factory, albeit very expensively!
Really anything will do, on the cheap fedral powershoks do actually work well. If I was running factories though I'd just go remmy corelokts in 150gn


I prefer meat in its original packaging

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http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/3ahujype.jpg[/IMG
I shot this chital with my 270 and 150gn fedral powershoks a few years back. Ran 50yds and down.

[img]http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/02/hanepury.jpg
Shot this guy with my 270 and 130gn hornady sst's, not sure if they come in factory rounds though. This guy went down on the spot.

2a7asa4y.jpg

My 2012 sika, 270 with 130gn Winchester PowerPoints (not my setup), he was down on the spot.

Really any will do, some work better than others but at the end of the day the most important thing far above calibre or projectile is shot placement in my opinion. If you hit em right they put deer on the ground!


I prefer meat in its original packaging

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hyqyvybe.jpg

SST kill mentioned above


I prefer meat in its original packaging

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I shot this chital without 270 and fedral 130gn powershoks a few years ago, only went 50yds
e8yvuge4.jpg



I prefer meat in its original packaging

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I prefer the 165 Remington core lokts, never used the 150 but they should work well too. Longest track job I have had was roughly 50yds in heavy brush/cedar trees, heart shot that left a blood trail Ray Charles could follow! :yeah:
 
I shoot 130gr Core-Lokts in my 270. I like them at closer range. Not a lot of meat damage, and they drop the deer on the spot, though I generally shoot them through the spine. Out west, where ranges are longer, I use Hornady soft points. They seem to drill a larger hole, but do the job well at those ranges.
 
Remington 700 30-06 165 gr core lokt barrel twist 1:10.
Remington 700 300 win mag 180 gr core lokt barel twist 1:10.
This is what I use
sub moa at 100yrd.
 
I haven't used factory ammo for years, but if I was to select a bullet for Deer only I think I would look for a manufacture that was loading 150 gr Nosler Partitions.
Federal used to, don't know if they still do.
I've never seen or even heard of a bullet failure with Noslers, and I've shot a lot of them.
To show my belief in them, I currently have appx 2000 rounds of Noslers in various calibers on the shelf in my gun room.
 
The 165 grain Core Lokt's are a great bullet, and tend to shoot really well straight out of the box. Ballistics are great on these factory loads, and you should manage to hold some pretty tight groups. Out of all the factory loads for the .06, this is my personal favorite.

WIth that said, since the .06 is such a popular round, you're going to find that the factory loads are pretty dialed, and it will come down to personal preference and style of hunting as to which bullet you may prefer.

Happy hunting!
 
I have killed a lot of deer with good ole Remington Core Lokt's in 150 grain. I never had a problem finding the deer I shot. Most of the time, they drop in their tracks.
 
The 150 grain from a 30-06 will certainly do the job for deer. And it will kick a little less, which I personally appreciate more and more. For elk or bear, I'd go with the 165 grain. When I hunted with a 30-06, I used the 165 grain Interlock, Hornady factory ammo. Among other game, I took one mule deer that dressed out about 200lb, bang-flop, and a 6x6 elk, bang-slump. I say bang-slump because he was laying in his bed when I shot him, and he just never got up.
Brand-wise, any name brand should do the job, but I will always, always, always prefer Hornady for factory ammo. They've always just shot a little bit tighter groups in any gun I've put them through.
Concerning meat damage, I'd rely more on shot placement than bullet weight, or construction.
 
Doesn't really matter what you shoot out of it. 30.06 is an excellent caliber for deer especially the smaller whitetail. I hunt mule deer with mine and have killed several over the years, most shots are around 200 yards out here. I think I've only had a couple of follow up shots I've taken, most unnecessary. Last deer I shot was with 150 grain SST's (reloads) and it totally obliterated his lungs, at 347 yards, big chunks of them all over the ground. I've had my model 70 for 34 years and growing up, I always shot whatever was cheapest federal or super x, they always grouped well enough (1-1/2" at 100 yards) for me. I've never lost an animal with my 06.
 
When I shot factory Ammo all I shot was 150 gr bullets in mine. I loved the federal premium loaded with 150 gr Sierra btsp. I switched to the hornady 150 gr sst. Now that’s what I hand load. You will love the performance of the hornady sst. It’s a interlock bullet with a ballistic tip. Bullet expands great but also holds together in the shoulders.
 
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