# .30 06 ammo question



## UtahMountainMan (Jul 20, 2010)

Hey guys. I shoot a Weatherby Vanguard in .30 06. I have upgraded the cheap trigger to a pretty nice Timney. 

I bowhunt 90% of the time but I actually am going elk hunting this fall with my rifle. 

My question is, shooting for a spike elk, would you recommend a 150, 165, or 180 grain bullet? I know that elk are obviously bigger than deer but being classified as thin skinned big game I am looking to get the best performance bullet. What would you recommend?

I have not shot more than 2 boxes through my rifle this year during practice so I would say that any shot over 350 yards is out of my range and most likely I wont shoot past 250.

Hope to get some feedback.

Thanks


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## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

nosler 150 grain partition. Fast, hits hard, good penetration and energy transfer.

http://www.nosler.com/Ammunition/Trophy-Grade.aspx

any of these would be great.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I like the 165's a tad better, but the advice on using a Nosler partition is excellent.


-DallanC


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Of all the perfect match ups in this world, there are few more perfect than the 30-06 and the 165 grain bullet.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

BPturkeys said:


> Of all the perfect match ups in this world, there are few more perfect than the 30-06 and the 165 grain bullet.


Yep I agree, the 165 (or 168) is inherently a match for the 30-06, and the .308 for that matter.


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

165 or 180 grain Partition or Barnes TSX or TTSX - no more than 165 grain with this one due to its characteristics. There are other premium controlled expansion bullets that work well too.
You might be interested to know that the Nosler/Winchester AccuBond bonded-core bullet is a bit more streamlined than the Partition and was engineered by Nosler to give the same terminal ballistics as the Partition.
Really there are a lot of good premium bullets and it is hard to go wrong. Certainly I feel that you need less weight than was traditional with the standard cup-and-core bullets to do the job when you use a premium type. 165 gives an excellent mix of weight, penetration, and good ballistics. If you do decide to go with a cheaper common cup-and-core bullet - then I would suggest sticking with the proven 180-grain weight.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

+1 on the 165gr bullet being in the "sweet spot" for the 30-06. I shoot the Nosler Accubond. I have killed 2 elk with the load I currently use. A big old bull and a cow. I was able to recover the bullet from the cow and reported my results in this thread:

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=31447

Good luck on your upcoming hunt.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

I admire that you know your shooting limitations. Use the load you have sighted in and practiced with if you like it. Any properly placed big game bullet fired from a 30-06 will do the job.
But...if you’re inclined learn a new load then I agree with the previous posts.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Also - since you are buying your ammo, see what your rifle likes the best. I shoot a 30-06 out of an old mauser action. I tried and tried several different loads, both commercial and my own hand loads. I tried 150 grain, 165, and 180 grain, with several bullets and powder combinations. And wouldn't you know it? The most consistent shooting I could get comes from store bought Winchester Super X in 180 grain. These are the cheap rounds that go on sale for around $15/box every year around hunting season. Go figure. So that's all I put through my rifle anymore and I couldn't be happier. But it took lots of experimenting to get there. As was said, any of those bullet weights will take an elk. Just find what your rifle likes the best.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

I'll throw in another vote for the 165 gr. I'm partial to the Nosler Partition, it's what brought down my elk this year.


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## BadCompany (Oct 5, 2011)

I would say 165 if you go with a premium bullet like a barnes or partition or accubond or the hornady bonded bullets and 180 if you go for a cheap bullet or non bonded bullet.


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