Welcome to the fire. There’s a lot of good information here. I’ll add the following:
• It’s hard to find bad 30-06 ammo, but some of it is better than others. Test a bunch of loads for accuracy and velocity, then pick the one that gives you the best combination of the two.
• You’ll definitely want an accurate load, but remember that the vital zone of an elk is as big as a toilet seat.
• Chronographing is vital. Some loads WILL run slow in your rifle but you won’t know which ones until you clock them.
• Don’t ignore standard load like the Remington CoreLokt. There’s a reason that they’ve been around for decades.
• Shot placement matters. Some bullets need to go into a shoulder to do their best work.
• Barnes bullets penetrate deeply but they need velocity to expand. You can drop 1-2 weights (down to a 150 or 165 from the 180) in the 30-06 and still get plenty of penetration, plus you get more velocity. The 180 Barnes might be best in a 300 magnum.
• Knowing your drops beyond about 250 yards is important, but you also have to know how to read the wind.
• Whatever physical condition you’re in now, improve it.
• A 165- or 180-grain Nosler Partition is never wrong in the 30-06, but chronograph them first. Some factory loads run on the slow side.
• Once you choose a load, buy an entire case so you get the same lot number. Ammoseek.com finds the best ammo prices.
• Check out the elk on display at Cabelas and compare them to the deer you’ve killed. Nearly all of them are trophy animals, but they’re not as big as you may have been led to believe. Study them and get a feel for shot placement.
• If you’re really serious about shooting past 300 yards, get a rangefinder. When you look across canyons and mountains, things look different than they do when you look across farm fields and rolling hills covered with deciduous trees. 300 yards is a long poke, and you need to know the exact range.
• Get good at fast offhand shots inside of 100 yards. The only shot you get may be in the timber.
Again, welcome to the fire.
Keep us posted.
Okie John
