I know most elk hunters, if given a 30-06 and their choice of ammunition, would pick up a box with 180 gr premium bullets and go hunt.
My 30-06 shoots 150 gr bullets very, very well. And I tend to load them a little under max velocity because with less kick I can shoot that rifle a little closer to its potential accuracy.
So figure a 150 gr .308 cal bullet at about 2750-2800 fps. Such a combination has worked well with the 7x57 using 140 gr and 160 gr bullets for all kinds of game and it's nearly as fast as a factory 270 Win with 150 gr bullets.
Of course, compared to the .277 or .284 diameter bullet, it's giving up sectional density, that property that in part, determines penetration depth of any given projectile.
Now, I like to hunt elk. Up to now I've been putting up with the greater kick and reduced accuracy of 180 gr loads when I pursue the great wapiti. But is there a particular bullet that would compensate for the lighter weight and lower sectional density of the 150 gr .308 bullet at a slightly lower than factory velocity?
