Picked up a 30-06 ruger skeleton today and am planning on it being my main rifle this season. I dont have time to reload this year so ill be useing factory ammo. The hard thing for me to figure out is whats a good starting spot on what to get. I know it depends on how the gun shoots with a given load and i will test out accuracy with a few diffrent loads.
It will have to cover a variety of diffrent ranges from 30yards in a swamp up to 325yards in a beanfield. What ammo should i try that will perform ok at those diffrent ranges? I was thinking about trying 168gr ballistic silvertips by winchester but i had a nosler BT Explode on a deer once at close range from a 708 so im kind of not sure about them.

150 federal blue box

If you want to go cheap, either Remmy 150 gr. Core Loct or blue box Federal. If you want to go a bit more money, Federal Fusions. If you want to spend the big bucks, Barnes Vortex or about any other "premium" load. My last deer was with the Vortex and I was impressed.

Fusions

Remington 165 gr core/loct. I haven't personally tried the Hornady Whitetail Classic loads, but have heard nothing but good reviews; and it's about as inexpensive as any factory load out there.

Find the flavor that groups the best, and then hunt away.

Any and all for deer.

The 168NBT is not a very explosive bullet. I've actually found that it is about 40-50% jacket. It's a killer.

As others have mentioned, Fusions are never a bad choice either.

I like the Fusions. Not too pricy, shoot good in anything I have tried them and not hard to find. I haven't found that white tails are all that picky about what you shoot them with as long as you put the bullet where it will do the most good.

150s or 165s. 180s and up are designed for bigger game and may not expand on deer as well as the lighter stuff. Find what your rifle likes and run with it.

I dont mind paying for quality but if i can get good 300yard performance with the cheaper loads ill do that as well. Ive thought about 165gr fusions but didnt know if they were a good choice for shooting over 200yards. Ive shot several deer with them in my rem 700 270 out to about 200 yards and they worked well at those distances

They will work just fine, as long as you do your job.

I've put several people onto Fusions with similar questions for several cartridges and the reports have been uniformly good.

I'm wondering what you think will happen past 200 yds? Will the bullet's bounce off?

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/11889

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/19867

The Winny PP is an excellent deer bullet and not too hard on the wallet.

The Fusions are not a bad choice either.....

Yeah, I like the Power Point the most for 'cheap' factory bullets.

Core-loss the least.

Same here......

It would be easier to list what won't work.
Anything FMJ.
Lighter (like 130gr) hollowpoints.
Probably throw tracers in there for good measure although that may depend on how you like your venison cooked.
Just about any other bullet (and probably the above but they are not first choice) would work fine.

Hornady Whitetail loaded with 150 Interlock.

http://www.hornady.com/store/30-06-Springfield-150-gr-InterLock-SP-AW/

Congrats on the skeleton Ruger. Had my .30-06 at the range last weekend and it was grouping 168g TTSX under an inch. I've used that bullet on mule deer (.30-06 and .300WM) and it worked well - as in end-to-end penetration with an exit at about 400 with the .300WM.

Used Core-Lokts and Fuzions. Either will do.

How much of a pita were the used core lots to reload

Corelokt has killed a many but I like the Fusions over the corelokt and they are about $18 a box.

The QC on the corelokt has been shoddy the past few years.
Ive bought boxes and found some with the worst looking tips on them. Lead with tip bent over and overage from the casting off of one side.

Never found any bad like that with Fusions or HAW.

I have a .30-06 in a Ruger UL boat paddle that really likes 165 grain Game Kings.

165gr. corelokts... Or 180gr. Winchester power points..

Federal Premium with 150 grain Sierra's.

Let your rifle make this choice for you

168 or 150 ballistic silver tips.

I've taken a handful of deer with the 180 TTSX. They never failed to have a complete pass through with extensive tissue damage. Most fell within 0-20 yards of where they were shot.

Thanks everybody. I got some 150gr winchester powermax bondeds and some nosler custom 165gr accubonds to try. Figured id try some from both price points

My 77 Hawkeye .30-06 groups the 165 Winchester power points right at an inch at 100. They're 19.97 a box at Wal-Mart and I'm sure they'll kill deer.

I'd suggest Federal Premium 165 grain Sierra GameKing. They'll most likely shoot well in your rifle and can attest to their effectiveness on deer.

I've dropped quite a few with a bone stock Winchester 670 and blue box Federal 150 grainers.

Pick a round, do your part, the round will do its part.
Deer ain't hard to kill.

Pick the one your rifle shoots best. For me, I prefer Power Points.

150 blue box Federals. At 500 out of a .308, a heart lung shot left a nickel size hole in and a half dollar going out. Not much difference at closer ranges.

Great advice.
Unless you can't afford the time and money to test several ammo brands and bullet weights I'd pick a 165gr or 180gr bullet weight. The heavier bullets seem to work better for me at close range than a 150gr (less meat damage) using cup and core bullets.
YMMV

Federal Fusion Ammunition 30-06 Springfield 150 Grain Spitzer Boat Tail $22 Midway USA

I would get a box of 150gr and a box of 165gr of Federal Fusions. Fire a few groups and hunt with the one that shoots the best, though I'd bet it's the 165's.

That's a chip shot for an 06.

I load 150 accubonds in my 06 and 300 win mag. Kills deer pigs right fast.

Deer, Are a pretty soft target for a 30-06 class cartridge. All of the major brands of 150 - 180 gr C&C loadings are used by millions every year with good results. I lean more to the 150 gr. and 165. Actually you got two good answers 1 pick the one your rifle likes best,and 2 your first response I'd start with the federal blue box as they are usually low cost and very good. If your rifle doesn't like them I'd move to power points and core locts.