Just wondering what everyone’s favorite “non-premium” deer ammo was? Where I hunt in north Georgia, long shots are 100 yds, maybe 150 if you are on a power line. Don’t need super-strong bullets to take down a 130 lb buck with my ol’ 30-06. Just wondering what your thoughts were on ‘standard’ hunting bullets like Core-Lokt, Win Power Points, Hornady Interlocks, and maybe Fed blue box or Fusions if you want to get fancy?
Let the comments roll!

Mine is federal blue box and federal fusion.

Tough to beat Hornady American Whitetail with the Interlocks.

W-W Power Point

Federal Fusion

I'm shooting 165gr Winchester Super-X Power Points out of my 30-06 because they were around $28 / box. Similar hunting conditions at 150 yards or less for most shots.

Blue Box Federal

Favorites are Fusions and Interlocks (American Whitetail). Having said that, any Walmart-grade 30-06 cup/core is going to be great on deer.

American whitetail interlocks

I haven't really shot much factory deer ammo other than shotgun slugs since I was a kid just starting out. Back when I did, I usually had the best accuracy with either the Remington green box or Federal blue box stuff, depending on the rifle. I never had much luck with the White/Silver box Winchester stuff in any rifle.

For shotgun slugs, most of my slug guns have liked Remington or Hornady offerings, but the old Winchester rifled slugs have shot decent through all the smoothbores I've tried them in, and exceptionally well in a couple.

Norma Whitetail or Federal Blue Box for cup and core.
Federal Fusion for bonded.

All the ones mentioned are good, if your rifle likes them. That said, I've been very impressed with the Norma offerings and they distribute right out of your state of Georgia. I four different calibers, 308, 270, 3006 and 300 WM, they have outperformed all other brands accuracy wise.

Federal blue box or Remington Core lokt is pretty hard to beat.
Only really shot them in 243, 25-06, and 30-06

I stumbled across a great deal on some Norma 6.5x55 SE with 140gr Nosler Partitions for $22.45 / box. It was such a good deal, I was worried it might be a scam. But the case I ordered was delivered & they shoot great.

It's been so long since I've shot any game with a factory load that I hesitate to venture a guess. About the only time I shoot a factory load anymore is when I'm test firing another gun I bought whether new or second hand. Preference then was usually Winchester although Remington was a close second choice if Winchester didn't load that particular cartridge. The .35 Whelen came to mind when Remington first brought it out in 1988 IIRC. It was the only game in town for a while. I never much cared for Federal in anything for some reason and only used it when I couldn't find one of the preferred brands.
Probably the last time I shot anything with a factory load wad with a .70 I'd just bought back around1973 maybe 1974. Every thing since had been with my handloaded ammo.
PJ

I got 10 boxes of those as well. They also shoot very well in my M70 Classic 6.5 Swede.

Fusions.

Federal blue box

Federal Power-shok (blue box),Sellier and bellot have served me well. (Best accuracy and decent bullets)

I found Hornady factory loaded ammo to be less accurate on average.

Hard to argue with this......

That’s a great group for a factory load. What stock is that on your M77?

Its a laminate stock coated with camo. It was a run ruger did in collaboration with FTW. The come free floated from factory unlike some of the other stocks that have a pressure point.

That blue box stuff is hard to beat
Have shot it in 243 , 308 , 30-06 , and 45/70
Shot dam good in everything I put it in
Sometimes so good it made you wonder why you let yourself be troubled with handloading
But that was when you could get it for 8-9 bucks a box
Kenneth

Another vote for the Hornady American Whitetail, at least in the 117 Gr 25-06 load. They group around 1-1.25”. I don’t mind using those to make once fired brass!

I've killed deer with all of them, core lokts, power points, power shoks, American whitetails, Fusions. They all work.

Truth

Yep.

And I thank you for that back when. My Goens pre64 M70 likes it well enough.

I agree. Tried Norma Whitetail in my 308’s and they really like it. I rarely shoot commercial loads. But, the Norma will shoot to the same point of aim as my reloads. That’s nice insurance.

The Hornady Interlocks are very hard to beat.

Another vote for Blue Box Federal. 130gr loads work fine in .270's for KY WT's. That's what I use when the grand kids come around wanting to sight in their rifles...

Looks like a factory Hawkeye FTW.

Factory ammo 🤷‍♂️ ……I had to do a Google search to determine what it was! 😉 memtb

Me too, haven’t shot a factory load in 40 years

👍 😁 memtb

You better go back and get more of the same lot number...great shooting.

Been using Hornady American Whitetail 150s in my 308 for a while now with stellar results. My 30-06 likes the same brand with 180s and will be what goes with me to Colorado at the end of the month.

So another vote for Hornady.

I can only recall two deer I’ve shot with factory rifle ammo in the past 6 decades. One was with a Norma .222 round in 1967, the other was with a Federal blue box 150 or 165 grain .308 load about five years ago. Leading up to that, I shot up about a box of the .308’s in my 1B. They were accurate enough, holding just over an inch at a hundred. The deer was DRT with massive damage on the high shoulder impact site. Distance was only about 40 yards so the bullet was still moving pretty fast, but I’ve wondered if it might have hit a branch and impacted off balance and tumbled.

I bought a couple cases right at the start of covid for 19.99$ each, so i have plenty to last me. Found this ammo to shoot great in any 30-06 I've owned. Have a friend who was loading for a 30-06 and he couldn't get it to shoot very well. To confirm whether it was his ammo or rifle i tried a group with federal and it shot right around 1" mark. -clearly his rifle was capable but the reloads not so much.

Fed blue box has been good for me.

I have has the best luck with Federal blue box and Hornady American Whitetail over the widest range of rifles and chamberings. Sometimes I never get beyond this economy ammo it shoots so well. I have never had a whitetail run far when well hit with either brand cup and core bullet.

If not shootin handloads I shoot 165 or 180gr Fusion. In my TikkaT3sl. they are stupid accurate and stay together above their paygrade...Scotty.

If not shootin handloads I shoot 165 or 180gr Fusion. In my TikkaT3sl. they are stupid accurate and stay together above their paygrade...Scotty.

Federal Blue Box has shot under 1" in my .280 Rem and .243 Win and dropped many of deer.

Rem CoreLokt green box have always been a favorite of my Rem 700 in 7RM for over 2 decades. It NEVER liked Winchester ammo.

This.

"Walmart-grade" ammo is the result of millions of R&D dollars and decades of research getting it exactly right for killing deer under the exact conditions you describe. Getting a good zero is probably more important than the exact load you choose.


Okie John

Hornady American Whitetail

Back when I was one of you unwashed heathen I too enjoyed the green box.




P

The Hornady LVR 30-30 in my Marlin 336 is as accurate as my handloads....hard to beat.

7-08 American Whitetail 139 Interlocks

Ditto.

When I was a kid (late 70s), my older sister decided she wanted to try hunting. Watched her shoot her first goose, and her first duck. After high school, she went out into the world to find her way. Around the late 90's, she and her husband moved back into the region and I asked her if she wanted to go hunting. Thus far, she hadn't yet gotten a deer, so I was hinting in that direction. She told me that she didn't have a gun to use and I said I had plenty. She wound up borrowing my Ruger 77 in 260 Remington to shoot her first deer. The next deer she shot fell to my Ruger 77 in 280 Remington. I decided that was enough, and bought her a Ruger 77 in 270 Winchester ($300 out of the classifieds here), topped it with a Leupold 6x I had laying round and bought a box of Federal blue box 130grs to sight it in with. Damn thing will put 3 into an inch off the hood of my truck. Told her to go to Scheels and buy as much of that ammo as she could afford - she returned with 6 boxes. Every year she shoots 3 rounds to sight in. Still has a couple boxes left. Might last her the remainder of her days at this rate....