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

hard to get the bolt closed, too...

180gr Nosler Accubond through the lungs always works well.

I'm pretty sure this won't work in a 30-06.

Haven't found a half pound bullet any where, when did Berger start making them, and in what caliber?

i've used 180 & 150 core lokt and haven't noticed much difference 'cept the lighter weight seems to put 'em down quicker. i do heart shots pretty much exclusively.

-ken

+1

Dang it, so I guess a 250 gr. nosler partition out of a 338 win mag won't work either?? Wonder how the 250 gr. barnes O 30 cal would work out of a good ol 30-06. I just bought some to try out

Always been a fan of 165gr Partitions in the 30-06.

It might be said that everything is a compromise or trade off.

Use a very powerful gun and fragmenting bullet and pick the exact shot placement and game position for the shot and while some meat might get shot up its not a likely that it will run off to have it become 100% wasted.

However a shot might be lost or not taken because the all perfect shot is not presented.

Its best, in my view, to have enough gun for all reasonable chances. To each his own.

One hunter wrote:
"Bad experience with Barnes Triple-Shok X Bullets
Got in some large-game hunting recently using Federal 7MM Rem. Mag 160-gr Barnes Triple-Shok X bullets. Shots were fired from 20-320 yards on light skinned large deer-like creatures with hits on bone, through lungs, heart, and muscle. Results, none of the bullets expanded beyond estimated 25% of diameter, with half exhibiting almost zero expansion. Highly ineffective, very disappointing.

Just thought I would pass this info on. I selected these rounds based on recommendations from various websites and wanted to warn folks away from them so they don't make the same mistakes. I don't know if the 160-gr bullet is too heavy for the 7 Mag in factory loadings or what, I just know that these things were garbage. After the hunt, I tossed the remaining rounds in the trash. Good riddance."

Here for instance is what one very experienced gun writer had to say about a bullet that might not 'waste' as much meat. He said that the meat is more likely to run off wasted!

Here is a report on TSX type bullets by John Barsness.

"To everybody who has shared their experiences with TSX's, thanks very much. Most of the time they will kill deer-sized game very well, especially in larger diameters like 7mm and .30. I was specificaly addressing my experience with the .25 caliber 100-grain TSX--which is considerable, both in the .257 Roberts and .257 Weatherby.

I have seen it do very well, in fact once saw it drop a 3x3 mule deer buck right now with a high lung shot at about 150 yards. But I have also seen some animals not drop so fast with similar shot placement.

The reason for our "disagreements" probably lies in the fact that I have seen a whole lot of game taken with TSX's. Most of the time they kill very well, but sometimes they do not, and when they don't the animal is likely to go a ways, in my experience further than with any other type of bullet.

I have been pacing off how far animals have gone after a solid double-lung hit for many years. Animals hit with Barnes X's (whether the old-style or TSX), Fail Safes, E-Tips or whatever "petal" type bullet have gone an average of just over 50 yards. Those hit with bullets that expand wider, or lose some weight, haven't gone as far.
The bullet that had dropped animals the quickest with lung shots has been the Berger VLD, at around 20 yards. Those averages include lung hits that drop animals instantly--and the highest percentage of instant drops also goes to the VLD, a bullet that normally comes completely apart, but only after penetrating a couple of inches.

I am primarily a meat hunter and do not deliberately aim for the shoulder/spine unless there is some real reason to drop it right there. But I have used that shot on a bunch of animals, and it doesn't take a TSX or other super-bullet to do the trick. I've done it with a bunch of bullets, including such "ordinary" bullets as the Hornady Interlock to the round-nosed Remington Core-Lokt.

All I am doing here is relate my experiences with various bullets. I've seen around 150 animals taken with TSX's, and my statements that it sometimes doesn't kill as quickly as wider-expanding lead cores are based on that experience.

If you are a TSX true believer, who's convinced that exit holes in the hide somehow kill quicker than massive destruction of the lungs, then you are also welcome to your opinion. You're also welcome to shoot shoulder-shoot all the deer you want. But I happen to disagree on both counts, and my disagreement is based on quite a bit of experience.
Please note that I NEVER said TSX's are bad bullets, anwyhere in this thread. They are very fine bullets, and paricularly good for certain jobs, especially on really big game. But I have not found them ideal on deer."
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If meat loss really bothers you....

A) Use a less powerful rifle such as a 30-30 or make your '06 one by downloading it or using factory "managed recoil" loads, if you can live with "only" a 200 yard effective range. Less frangible bullets are a huge help but any full house 30-06 load at close range is going to leave substantial damage.

B) Don't shoot the meat.

C) Learn to process your own deer so you have control of what gets thrown out. A lot of the bruising caused by gunshot wounds is superficial, just under the outer membrane that is so abundant on venison. People panic or are lazy and needlessly toss the whole shoulder when careful trimming or a soak in saltwater and vinegar can salvage a lot of meat that will be fine for burger. Carefully work you way through the meat watching out and feeling for bone and bullet fragments as you cut it into small pieces for the grinder. A commercial processor cannot do this for you and make any money so he is going to likely toss anything even slightly bruised. If you did not shoot up the heart, put it in the burger pile to help make up for the meat you had to toss.

I stay away from 150gr bullets in my 30-06. My bullet of choice is the 165gr SST because it is so accurate in my gun. It allows my to place my shots exactly where I want them [necks] and drops deer in their tracks. Hit them where you want to eat, and they do make you trim alittle more away.

If you handload, I'd suggest a 170gr Flat Point like you'd use in a 30-30. Load it to about 2500fps and you'll get good killing power without blowing holes thru your edibles. I load the same bullet in my 308 and get great results [180gr bullet penetration while still expanding] without turning things into a mess.

150 grain Power Points through the lungs don't destroy usable meat. Any round through the lungs won't destroy usable meat. Aim for the lungs.

Are you getting the point?

Sorry if I sound sarcastic in the above but trailing a lung shot deer may cause you to walk 60 yards with a clearly defined blood trail. That is a minor price to pay for not damaging meat.

Now, if I see the trophy rack of a lifetime I may well do a shoulder shot to stop him with a quick follow up and to heck with meat damage.

Drill shoulders with a Barnes, though I don't have much of a reason to use an 06 on deer any longer.

Meat loss is more of a shot placement issue imo....
With that said I use the hornady 165 gr btsp for its over all ballistic charachteristics...

I thought the same as you do until I started hunting North Carolina. Those deer don't have any fat on them and the ribs make for some mouth watering vittles.

My elk/mule deer hunting partner owns one rifle, an old Browning FN Safari in 30-06 with a fixed reticle B&L 2.5-8X in adjustable mounts using factory Remignton 180 gr CoreLokt's and has never missed a beat. All while I dial in the perfect load in my 338-06...

I have a tip. If you don't want to lose meat. Don't shoot meat. Just behind the shoulder through both lungs will leave you with two perfect front quarters. Amazing isn't it.

yes, works great if your trophy happens to pose broadside, and if you are hunting where tracking is not an issue