Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Maximum point blank range load for 30-06 for small deer?

Assuming you are shooting small deer in Georgia, which I will be, Lord willing. What is the best, flattest shooting combination of factory load you would pick? The deer vital are 6 inches deep and the possibility of threading a bullet through the brush could be an issue. Go with a feather-weight bullet at the speed of light or a spear like bullet that has the ballistic coefficient of a knitting needle? Bullet construction is an issue as varmint bullets which are flat shooting would be too soft and otherwise suitable heavy bullets may needle through without enough damage.

130 TTSX

Factory load 150 gr soft point.

To thread a bullet through brush forget about point blank range BS. If you start zeroing so the bullet is 2+" high at 100 so it won't be more than 6" low at 300 you'll start hitting brush above the line of sight that you don't take into account.

Most any bullet you want in a 30-06 if zeroed at 100 yards will not be more than 1/2" above or below your line of sight from about 50 yards to about 130 yards. That is how you shoot through holes in brush. And the ranges you will do 99% of your shooting anywhere. I wouldn't zero at longer range than 100 yards unless I never expected to take a shot closer than 400 yards.

If you get that rare 300 yard shot you are still only 10"-11" low with a 100 yard zero. For anything between 200-300 yards just aim at the top edge of the back and you are in the kill zone.

Anything from the 130 TTSX up to 165 gr bullets will work. I'd use the one that was most accurate to thread through tiny openings.

Deer are not hard critters to kill. I'll go out on a limb and say any 30-06 factory load with a bullet in the normal factory offering bullet weight of 150-180gr will do what you want. The less bullet weight the flatter it will shoot for a while. At truly long distances, the heavier bullets will retain more energy and will close in trajectory to the lighter ones as they run out of steam. I'm talking seriously long range and much much farther than you'll probably be shooting anything at in GA. Depending on where you are hunting(assuming normal SE deer hunting ranges), pick the one which shoots best in your particular rifle, practice with that load to get familiar with it, and put it in the proper place when the right deer shows up and you'll be fine. I would bet that many more deer are lost each year due to bad shots than due to bullet construction. There are many good factory loads that are relatively inexpensive, have a proven track record of good accuracy out of a lot of different rifles, and kill deer not just dead, not just stone dead, but graveyard dead : ).

A couple of suggestions to try are federal blue box or federal fusions with bullets in the 150-165gr range, unless you already have something that shoots well in your rifle. There are literally hundreds of factory loads that will do the trick, but it's impossible for anyone to predict what your particular rifle will like

Good luck, bring a sharp knife and post pics when you have some

Craig

You could go with a 130 gr TTSX, or even 130 speer or 125 NBT, but a 150 is fine, and 90% of eastern deer I've killed with an'06, have been with a 150.

I often measure my scope centerline off the bore, and us that for my woods max point blank, and just run the #s for wherever it's no more above/below my scope offset....that's your 'thread ability' in thick stuff. After that, it's knowing drop. ...generally about a 160 yard zero, with around 1" high at 100, and 1.5 low at 200, for a 1.25" high scope centerline.

125 accubond at 3200-3300 fps and sighted in at 200.

You are on a fools errand. Threading a bullet through intervening brush is a short range proposition. It doesn't matter what weight you pick, the trajectory is all close enough at the ranges you will be shooting that there is no practical difference. At long ranges, you are not threading anything through holes in brush, so you should pick the bullet that is the most accurate.

I would look for accuracy first then everything else second. I have had a couple of 06's that don't shoot the lighter weight bullets all that well and 1 that would only shoot the 180 grain bullets. That will be a limiting factor. I have had great success with a 165 BTSP and sight it in to be dead on at 200 yards. This will be anywhere from 7-9 inches low (approximately) at 300 yards depending on barrel length, velocity, weather, ect.

Work up an accurate load first then practice with it out to the max range you believe you will use it.

I like the 165 btsp in the 30-06 as well. Every 30-06 that I've ever owned has liked that bullet. Excellent deer and elk bullet as well...

For small deer like blacktails (bucks run 120-150 lb average) I favor 150's and load them to around 2750-2800fps. I know you said you don't handload so I would pick any 150gr factory load that shoots well in your rifle and be set. Premiums are nice but any cup and core would work fine too.

BSA: are you speaking of any 165 btsp, or a particular one? Thx

BSA, Hard to go wrong with 165 BTSP! Not much I wouldn't shoot with that bullet out of a 06 and very accurate in the rifles I have tried it in. I had a 379.00 wally world special Remington ADL that would put 5 of them within an inch at a slow 2680fps. That load accounted for my largest deer a 9 point that had broken 1 of the points off. That deer made it 25 yards if that with a great blood trail on every one I have shot. I also shot out to 500 yards on steel with that load using a 3x9-40 scope when I was learning how to "shoot".

Southtex, we are speaking about Hornady 165 BTSP Interlokt bullet specifically. They also make a flat base version to try as well.

Ok, thx.

This thread is making me nervous. Shooting through brush is not the easiest proposition and even the smallest twig can divert your bullet enough to end up wounding the animal rather than immediately downing it. You really need to understand the trajectory to ensure a humane kill...asking about point blank range leads me to believe this may not fully understood.

If I were setting out into dense woods with a .30-06, the rifle would be setup for 220 grain Speer Hot-Cor or 200 grain Lapua Mega, with a ~100 yard zero, to try and minimize any brush deflection if I were to screw up my part.

I hunt dense woods in the pre-rut season. Prior to the season, I would suggest setting up some targets in the areas where you expect deer, then get in your stand and take some shots. At the very least, try shooting through brush at targets and see how much it deflects your trajectory (this will be an eye opening experience). Pointed bullets do not work well for this.

Also, a scope with a very wide FOV and low magnification will help you miss sticks. Too much magnification will blur out any twigs that are close.

A fella can spend a lot of time worrying about chit that aint gonna happen and doesn't matter anyway.

I like the 150 gr TTSX.

Eric

16 bore is right. I would also like someone to show me a bullet or cartridge for a 30-06 that wont kill a deer. ED K

150's are more than enough for any deer. 165s, or 180s aren't too much, and those three bullet weights are the best all-round weights for .30-06. Unless something else gives significantly better accuracy. Premiums are not needed for your use. Unless they give significantly better accuracy. Get the drift here?

I doubt (but haven't personally tested) that a heavy bullet will have any less deflect potential/path than a lightweight one. I don't know how one would go about checking that with any consistency, or repeatable results. I suppose one could run hundreds of shots thru brush screens closely approximating each other to get some sort of average, controlling for other factors which may or may not be present in the field.. the idea is to not hit anything sooner than the critter!

The lightweight bullet will have a slightly flatter trajectory at all reasonable ranges out to 300, so may be marginally easier to thread through a clear hole, but again, at more practical ranges under field conditions out to 200 yards there won't be a significant difference, with other variables possibly coming into play.

What WILL make a difference is where the brush is in relation to the rifle and deer. Hitting a twig a foot or two from the deer may well result in a dead deer as the bullet has not had time to deflect much. Brush farther away from the animal than that will likely deflect the bullet beyond acceptable. A matter of vector/time/distance.

Best not to hit brush at all... And keep in mind what you see thru the scope is NOT the bullet's path. I forgot this once, and instead of killing 2 caribou with one shot at about 70 yards, I exploded a fist size rock on this little peak about half way between, just out of sight at the bottom of the scope's view. Wasn't even rock enough left to mount as a trophy...

2-3 inches high at 100 is my standard for all my rifles under most conditions. I'm not real picky within this range as this gives roughly a 200-225 yard zero with most rifles using mid-range bullet weights (150-180 in the '06). That's "point blank" out to 250 or better for big game hunting, using "vital area" hold, and even for CNS shots under 100, as I'm not gonna be shooting flies off a prairie dog....

Up here on the open tundra I'm shooting caribou mostly at 300 to 500 yards, using a .30-06 with 27 inch heavy barrel and a 300 yard zero for the factory 150 Corelokts for which they claim 2910fps in a 26 inch barrel. These happen to be MOA (plus or minus) accurate in this rifle, depending on how I hold my mouth - haven't tried any other bullet weight yet, tho I usually use 165 or 180's for most hunting.

Interestingly enough, the 140's (2750 fps claimed) in my .260, which I also use here, have nearly the same trajectory, just less energy way out there. Still works.

Book and paper results closely agree that I'm ABOUT 15 inches high at 100, 8 inches high at 200, 10 inches low at 400, 20 inches low at 500.
And that's all I need to remember. If I get an unlikely close-in shot, I'm going to have to remember to hold below the brisket... For "out there" I have a range finder, which is key to proper bullet placement beyond 300 yards, especially with a 200 yard zero. A caribou's chest runs roughly 18 to 24 inches vertically, depending on individual size.

That's the long way around of telling you that if I were you, I'd use whatever 150 grain is most accurate in your rifle, zero it at 2 inches high at 100, use a 2.5 to 3 lb trigger pull, use a rest if at all possible, and try not to hit any brush...

There are trajectory charts available on line.

In your place, I'd use whatever 150 grain is most accurate in your rifle, zero it at 1-1.5 inches high at 100, use a 2.5 to 3 lb trigger pull, a rest if at all possible, and try not to hit any brush... Unless premiums are significantly more accurate than plain janes, they are a waste of money for your purpose. Different brands may shoot differently- probably will in fact.

Remember your scope picture differs from the actual bullet trajectory. Got me a trophy rock one time, instead of two caribou with a single shot as planned...

There are trajectory charts available on line. You can find advertised factory-load velocities, BC's, etc. here and there also.

I've been using factory 150 grain Express PSP Corelokts on caribou at 300-500 yards. They are MOA, a bit less or better (depending on how I hold my mouth, apparently) in my rifle, which is the primary consideration, along with terminal performance, which is pdg.

They have a BC of .314, and an advertised 2820 fps in a 26 inch barrel (mine is 27). I'm using a 300 yard zero for open tundra conditions.

My Corelokt paper results out to 400 yards and the Nosler ballistic chart agree quite closely. Any difference is likely mine, measured to centers of 3 shot groups. I also have a good range finder- when I remember to use it. That's a necessity - or at least extremely useful - for anything past an eyeball-estimated 200, no matter what your zero.

Nosler Reloading 5th edition shows 100 zero for this BC to be 2 inches low at 200 and 5 inches low at 300. Depending on expected ranges and cover, that's probably the sight in I would use in your place - up to a 1.5" high at 100.

Hornady Super Performance 150's, which I will be range testing today or tomorrow, are slightly flatter. BC is .415, fps is 3K+.

Zeroed at 100 the chart shows 1.5 low at 200, 3.8 L at 300.

That's about as point-blank to 300 yards as one can wish for in an '06 deer round. Just hold for hair.

Hope that gives you something to chew on.