My first bolt action centerfire was a 30-06 ruger tanger. Added a Browning Abolt hunter years later in 30-06. Both very accurate with factory ammo. Killed a lot of game with both. Still own both rifles but I moved on to 7mm08 and 270 rifles for whitetails. Sure are a lot of memories with the 30-06s. I never messed with different bullet weights. Always shot 165s coreloks out of both rifles. They worked so I used them.
Boarmaster123 or anyone who knows:
I have been told that 165 gr. is what the .30-06 was designed to shoot. Have you heard that as well, or is that a myth?
I have been shooting 180 gr. for over 20 years with my M1917, they are super accurate. I went to the heavier grain simply because I hunt moose with mine, and I figured more weight would be better.
Cheers ~
That probably came about because overall the 165's are so easy to make work. Will of course also shoot 150's and 180's very well but by and large the 165's go with the 30-06 like bread and butter. You run across some that prefer a 150 or a 180 over anything else, but the 165's are the easy button in a lot of them.
I think it was Jack O'Conner that said if a 30-06 wont shoot a 165 gr bullet with 57 gr's of IMR 4350, it doesn't need to go to a gunsmith, it needs an exorcist.
That said I shoot whatever I have on hand or want to shoot, because they all work and work well in that great old cartridge.
One is alone in a land so vast, there is only the mountains, the wind, and the eyes of God.
