Anyone know what bullet Federal loads in the Blue Box 3006 180 gr? Looks suspiciously like Speer Hot Core to me.

Also anyone have experience with them on elk?

Thanks.

Yes
Shot a spike elk at 190 yards through lungs but no pass through. With same cartridge. Didn't go far.

It would be an unusually bad 180gr 30-06 load that didn’t do a decent job on anything in North America

Federal blue box is my “go to” inexpensive ammo for any centerfire rifle I shoot: 6.5 CM, .30-30, .308, .30-06. If a rifle won’t shoot these loads accurately, there is probably an issue with the rifle. Frankly, I could stop buying boutique factory ammo and hunt everything I hunt with a centerfire rifle, deer, pigs, elk, with Fed blue box and if I lost an animal I shot at, it would be my fault.

Expat

When I was a young man, in Texas, my first use of Federal was their "Red Box" 30-06 loaded with an advertised "Sierra 165 SBT". Awesome on deer/hogs. When they went to the Blue Box, I used them in the 150. I have used the Blue Box in 300WM with an advertised "Sierra 150PH" back in the '90s. Accurate and acted like a Partition! I have used Blue Box in 30-30, 243, 270, 7mm RM and 25-06 too. I also "suspected" they used the Speer Hot Cor, especially in the early days. I have used Federal Brass alot, but I still feel it is a bit "soft" for my use. I run everything pretty Hot though. Federal Premium ammo has always been a favorite me, always worth trying in a new rifle. Like anything else, some rifles are just fickle and stubborn, kind of like I remember my Red Headed girl cousins!

If all I had to hunt elk was a 30-06 and 180 gr blue box I’d be happy.




P

That's for sure. It'd take a heckuca lot less for me to not go elk hunting.

Very true^^

Federal 180 grain blue box shoots lights out in my 308

I think it's a "go to" for a lot of guys. Especially when testing a new rifle. It's a great choice for that. Grab a box and your new rifle, and off to the range. It generally shoots surprisingly well.

I think I recall some Federal cartridges actually had Hot Cor on the box end label. Perhaps some or all their cup and core bullets are made by Speer or other companies. Once upon a time Hornady made a bunch of heavier soft points for Remington that were not labeled as Core Lokts. I don’t think there is much difference between any of the standard SP cup and core non-bonded bullets. There could be differences in quality by leaving voids in the core thereby making the bullet a bit unbalanced and potentially unstable downrange. Personally, an elk hunt is an expensive proposition and not using the best ammo for the job is foolish economy.

The Hornady American Whitetail 180 grain is very accurate in my rifle. Have no complaints with results on deer or elk. Farthest shot 250ish yards.
My youngest boy used blue box 270 130 grain and dropped a nice bull at 330 yards.

Federal has used Speer bullets off and on for years. Federal also used Speer bullets in some of their Premium ammo. I remember buying several boxes of Blue Box ammo 15+ years ago in 7mm, 300win, 308win loaded with Speer bullets. Pretty sure I still have some in the stash.

Good stuff.

I have used 180 grain in .30-06, for 2 decades, they will kill every species in North America, quickly.

What does a Box of Blue cost? I have been shooting Winchester SuperX for $21.50 a box, super accurate and deadly.

I don't know off the top of my head, but the blue box Federal 270 win 150gr ammo is $25/box at Wally world. I'd think the 30-06 ammo is about the same price.

24.49 sticker last time I looked .mb

Just out of curiosity, do you gentlemen prefer a bullet that passes straight through the animal or one that stays within the animal's cavity and bounces around inside the cavity a bit?

Personally, I prefer one that stays in the cavity. When I shoot my .300 Win Mag with 190 gr, ABLR's I see pass-throughs, when I shoot my .30-06 with SuperX, I do not recall a pass through and the animals are typically anchored.

Cheers ~

since i am a old handloader i roll my own i plan on trying some Hammer Hunter 160 gr. in my 30-06 i wanna see if i can get a little tighter groups .

Easy on the Hashish pete53, some of the stuff is mind-blowing 🤣

my computer battery died its finished now

Like others have said, I have had good results with Federal Blue box. I've used it in 270, 300 Savage, 30/06, 308, 300 Win mag, 303 British, 8x57, and maybe a few others.

I recall seeing various Speer bullets listed, Hot Core, Mag-tip, and even Grand Slam in 30/06 and 300 mag. If I dug around enough I could probably dig up a box or two of these.

I usually like to see 2 holes. Complete pass throughs. I've had elk, for example, catch 180gr Nosler partitions from 300 magnums, where the 200gr Nosler partitions will pass thru, even when fired from a 30-06. If you hit them right, though, it usually doesn't matter much, whether it's a pass thru or if it's found on the off side of the hide.

I also prefer pass thru, I like a blood trail to follow up when they aren't drt. I killed a large cow a few years back with a 280ai, 160 partition at 400 yards ans some change. 1st bullet behond the shoulder, pass thru and about a quarter size exit. Second shot thru the shoulders, broadside, found against off side hide. Pretty typical of partition performance. I shoot the Federal blue box because it has same poi as my partitions. Good all around bullet, but Im more comfortable with Noslers.

Not in an ‘06, but killed elk with blue box in 308

I had old redbox 180 round nose 3006 eject the core on a whitetail at 40 yards and quit using federal for many years. I think the blue box stiff is better after my 7mm08 experiments.

Isn't Federal partnered with speer somehow?

A side question: Blue boxfederal from walmart has a special catalog number just for Walmart so I wonder whats different than other stores product.

A long time back I was cruising a sporting goods section that had some ammo discounted. I found an old box (gold & white) of federal premiums 30-06 with 180 npt's . I used 3 to check zero and went to fill some doe tags over 4 days I shot 4 does. What I noted was that those 180's at 2700 killed cleanly with good wound channel and exits with very little meat loss. Didn't shoot over 200 yds on any of them and all dbl lung ribcage shot. You get right down to it the same bullet at 300 mag velocities does just about the same performance. I like trying different loads all the time but if I didn't load my own buying 180 fed blue box by the case would be damn smart if they shot well in my gun...mb

It just goes to show you that inexpensive ammo is just as good as the high-end stuff hey Magnum_Bob?

As mentioned SuperX has cost me $21.50 for many years and I have killed more deer with it than I can remember and quite a few moose, most drop on the spot a few made it a few yards and expired, and never had to track a single one. A box of ABLR's for my .300 Win Mag costs me $111.17 a box, but I only use them when I elk hunt because the typical shots are farther out.

At 1.00 a cartridge over a $5.55 cartridge, I sure like the deadly cheap ammo. I will have to try a Blue Box sometime because the price for SuperX has risen dramatically.

What is the best ammo depends a lot on who your talking to!

I'm just glad that a century of R&D for the 30-06 in finally starting to pay off.


Okie John

The Winchester Super X bullet was developed in 1922, the Super X PowerPoint hit the market over 40 years ago, it is my go-to bullet, simply lethal on everything.

Winchester Super X has killed more deer than any other bullet, so it's been paying off for decades.

From my personal experience, if your barrel loves them, there is no need to buy new fancy, high-priced bullets, for the average hunter. Dead is dead, and the less you pay for ammo the better.

With that said I am a big believer in testing many brands of bullets to find the one your rifle likes best, the barrel will let you know what it likes, so feed it what it likes, after all, it's all about shot placement in the end IMO.

Well kb my point is expensive isn't allways necessary to get it done. Use what works and get as much of it from the same lot as possible. Continuity will save.money too.¹

I agree 100%!

I wish my Nosler Trophy Grade ABLR's were $21.50 a box! Before I selected them I shot 5 different brands through the barrel, I had to go with the one the barrel loved.

I agree that Federal's blue box rifle ammo is excellent stuff. However, if I had to pick the best cup and core bullet it would be the Winchester PowerPoint.

I agree.A very good bullet I don't find in ammovery often.

The Winchester PowerPoint isn’t very aerodynamic, but it is an underrated terminal performer. For game inside 300ish yards, the .30-06 180 @ 2700 loading is probably the sweet spot for that bullet.

Agreed, and with most big game shots being <200 yards, it makes for an amazing round especially for the price point.

I did drop a big bull moose in its tracks @ 500 yards with the Winchester Super X 180 gr. Power Point, however with the radical drop off at distance, I would not recommend taking that shot if you are an average shooter using a standard scope without a True Drop Compensation Dial-In Turret.

Yes!

My M1917 does the exact same thing with them Power Points @ 200 yards, how many yards out was that ~

And all it takes is 1 Power Point to drop anything in its tracks.

GREAT SHOOTING Young man! 👍👍

Thanks buddy. That was at 100 yards. That old rifle is a keeper. One of my 1956 model 70's..

That power point bullet is one of my favorites. I'd closely compare it to what Federal uses in their blue box stuff. That load is a proven load in other 30-06 rifles too. A rifle I bought last year, loves it. A lot of times I don't even have to work up loads in 30-06 rifles I get because that one just works.

H&R 340 30-06:


Same load:


But, since the thread is about blue box Federal ammo, here's another 1956 model 70, but it's a 270 featherweight:

Love that old rifle.

I recently asked my buddy if he had any more of that Federal blue box stuff that he can spare, since I know he has a stockpile of it. And it's likely the same lot number as the stuff he gave me last year:

Those old round nosed bullets do surprisingly well. Even out to 400 yards:





Checking and testing new rifle, scope, and ammo. As per usual...

What an AMAZING Shooting setup! I wish I had something like that! I typically shoot off of the hood of my truck with a backpack.

Seems like the Power Points out preform the Blue Box.

Beautiful rifle, love the checkering

Boy that is a nice looking rifle! As for set ups. You could make a rest from a 6x6 and old pair of jeans. I used just a couple bags from jeans for a long time years ago, off the hood of my PU! It does work. These days I have a block I made that I put my bag on. Also have a tripod but do prefer shooting off the home made block.

Killed a moose at 500yds and a caribou at 200yds with the 180 in 300 win mag. Worked excellent!