Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Best 30-06 bullet for the least amount of meat damage?

What bullet do you use to keep from destroying a lot of meat.
Or pick another caliber.

TSX or TTSX. Not hitting large bone also helps avoid meat damage.

FMJ or solid, or head-shot.

I was thinking of trying out some cast GCFP in 180gr-200gr.

Go to heavier bullet and slow it down.

165 Sierra hpbt. Go for lungs, not busting shoulders. You should be g2g.

Trophy Bonded Bear Claws's have given me the least "blood shot" meat and fewest lead and jacket particles in the meat. I would stay away from bone though. Then all bets are off.

Frankly I shoot 180 grain CoreLokts or Interlocks most of the time. If not, I usually use a Partition. A 180 out of an '06 generally hasn't torn up deer like lighter bullets.

Maybe the worst offender was the 150 grain Bronze Point.

180 gr. speer hotcor.

Lung shots with 165 grain partitions in 30-06 work great for me at various ranges with minimal meat loss. I am sure other less stout bullets would do as well if similarly placed. Sierra's or Speers work great in my .270 for minimal meat loss.

I've never really had a problem with the '06 tearing up meat. Meat damage is usually a product of (1) less than ideal shot placement, (2) fragmentation or (3) very rapid expansion, which is in turn a product of high velocity. In addition, hitting bone (as Scotts said) will contribute to fragmentation of both the bullet and the impacted bone.

With that being said, a move to a heavier bullet should reduce meat damage (180, 200 or 220 gr. in the '06). Moreover, a bullet with more controlled expansion will do the same (Barnes TSX, Swift A-Frame, Northfork). Head shots and FMJs are not viable alternatives for me---what is worse, ruining a little meat or wounding a deer and letting the entire carcass spoil?

Agree with S_T...

Put a 200 or 220 grainer in there at about 2400 and eat up to the hole. It's just that simple. No fancy shots or fancy bullets required...

Yeah back in the Upper Midwest, I would use a good old 220 gr RN in my 06...never let me down...always passed thru, and always tore up the organs going thru... but didn't do any meat damage..

220 RN is my first choice in an 06 at under 250 yds..

I haven't used CoreLokts in my 30-06 for several years but the 165gr and 180gr bullets didn't tear up meat. As some have posted "you can eat right up to the hole".

Reminds me of the farmer who liked pork chops so much that, whenever he butchered a hog, the first chop had a hole in it and the last one had a tooth in it.

220 cast at about 2K should do nice.

Hide behind a tree. When the deer walks by.......club it between the eyes with the barrel.

No meat damage.

try a 150 gr at about 2700 fps.they worked damn good for me,but then Im not a shoulder shooter either.

I've killed a pile of them with 165 Core Lokt's, and have never really experienced extensive meat damage.

7MM mag with 139 Gr Hornady intelock neck shot you lose a half pound of berger .

Pretty dangerous in a .30-06.