At 50 yards, just about everything you throw at the deer is going to be lethal. Probably the 170 grain FP is going to be as well. However, if you did have a problem with bullet failure, you would be finding out about it at the wrong time. I would stick with the stuff that was built for '06 velocities, knock about 8% off the MAX and let it go at that.
I've done the bulk of my shooting under these conditions, and a good deal of it has been with 165 grain Hornady SP. I have yet to recover a single bullet. I had similar luck for years with a 180 grain Rem Corelokt. In my 308 Win I push the 165 grainer to about 2600fps. In the 30-06 it goes about 2700 fps at the muzzle.
I would agree with Kenner that 30-06 on a whitetail inside 50 yards is overkill, but overkill can be a good thing. At that distance, with a shot taking off the top of the heart and both lungs, there is very little variance in the outcome. The deer either goes down in its tracks or runs no more than 50 yards. The exit hole varies between .75" to 4" depending on what it encounters on the way through.
With those kinds of results with a tried-and-true bullet, I cannot endorse experimenting with a flat-point bullet that is built for much lower velocities. My suggestion is that if you want to experiment with a light-shooting '06 load for close-in work and you don't want to try my idea of taking 8% off a max 150 to 165 grain load, I'd go look at the youth loads on the Hodgdon site. They're all based around H4895 and use lower bullet weights in the 120-135 grain range.
I did a little digging in an older Speer manual and did notice the load data for H4895. start loads look to be around 2400 + a smidge for a 150 grainer. I will heed your advice with respect to the 170 grianer as the 150's are probably a better bet preforming properly at a wider range of velocities. Thanks again for everyones advice. It's easier to ask those who have tried then try myself and fail with great frustration.
