Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game ...And One Bullet to Kill Them All

Rather than alternating between a .25-06 for deer and antelope and a .30-06 with a really strong bullet for elk this year; I'd prefer, for the sake of both keeping things simple and doing a little experimenting, to just use one round out of one rifle for all three. That means finding a bullet that wil hold up and penetrate on an elk but isn't too tough and will provide proper expansion for antelope and deer (last year I used my elk cartridge, a bonded 180 grain .30-06 which is marketed for its weight retention, to bring down a very nice mule deer buck, and let me just say I was not impressed. Maybe I'm just talking out my ass here, but it just seemed like the bullet was too strong to provide the appropriate expansion and resulting terminal damage on the body of a lighter-than-elk big game animal). The bullet I'm considering using this fall is the 150 grain Nosler Accubond. The Accubond has a good reputation, and as I understand was designed to act around the same principles as the legendary Nosler Partion. Personally, I'm not worried that a 150 grain 06 won't be enough for elk. I know for certain that elk can be killed quite handily with 270s; in fact I know people who do just that, and some that even use smaller 6.5s. Plus, the lighter weight will help ensure better expansion on lighter game.

Does anybody else have an 06 cartridge they use for multiple game species? And what do you think of the 150 grain Accubond for the task I want performend?

You might want to try the 168gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.I've only shot deer with them,but other people have used them on elk with great success.

I hear nosler partitions were formed in the fires of mount doom. Their soft lead tips expand well and the steel shanks penetrates deep. Perfect bullet if and that is the question if your rifle shoots them well. They are precious to me.

308 and you can never go wrong

I use a Lapua 155 gr Scenar. I shoot it in a 308 but an 06 would work as well.

A lot of folks on here use it on elk and I know it works well on deer and antelope.

Best of all, it seems to shoot well in every gun I've tried.

Try a box, you'll like them.

I use factory loads out of my 30/06. Winchester Super X 180 power points. I've used them on elk, deer, antelope and black bear---all in Colorado. Never a problem.

I have used a 180 grain NPT handload from my '06 for all those species. A 165 would work well too. IMHO a 150 Accubond might be a bit light.

I am not sure which bonded bullets you are referring to. I find they are the least prone to give a lot of bloodshot meat but can be slow to open. The Trophy Bondeds I have used on from my '06 on deer worked fine. The 225 Trophy from my Whelen and Swift A-frames have been a little slow to open at times.

2010 elk hunt, .30-06 and 150g AccuBond.
The cow was on the ground before I recovered from the recoil.



I also use AccuBonds in my .257 Roberts (110g) and .338WM (225g). in my .308 Win I use Ballistic Tips only because I haven't checked out my BT load with AccuBonds yet.

180 gr Nosler Partition in the .30/06

What makes you think a 165 gr bullet isn't adequate on Griz/Brown Bear? Especially with the shutzen-boomer you are using? But yeah, if your bullet is exploding a few inches in, I'd consider one higher up on the tough side.

Still, mass counts. If I was ever tohave to (not want to) shoot a brown/griz, I'd definitely want one toward the heavy end of the spectrum available in whatever caliber in use. So far tho, our pact is holding- if they don't try to put big ugly holes in me, I won't try to put big ugly holes in them. Been working for 49 years so far....

I am using factory Hornady Superperformace SST 150's in my '06 for caribou, at an advertise MV of 3080, as range is generally beyond 300 yards. They print 6 inches higher and 3 inches right of 150 gr. factory Corelocts, at 300 yards, with just marginally tighter groups. Extremely accurate in that rifle, with 3 shot groups hovering around an inch at 300 yards. If I behave.

The Hornady GMX bullet of the same weight is a mono, and is advertised to shoot to the same POI as the SST. I haven't tried it, but if it lives up to the hype, should be what you are asking for in whatever weight you choose. I'm getting the urge to try them out myself, just for grins. Certainly don't "need" them.

Use the SST on light stuff, the GMX on heavy stuff, or maybe just the GMX on everything if it proves workable on the light stuff as well.

I have yet to recover an SST, even beyond 400 yards, so penetration is not a problem, and expansion is certainly adequate! Belay that - I did recover one. From a moose I shot in the head at 30 yards. Nice mushroom of the last third or so.

Partition is the best!

165 grain accubond or partition. And the 165 Hornady interlock has worked for me also. But then as I age I realize it's me, the shooter that counts.

10 years ago I'd have said trophy bonded bearclaw and still would but I have never had a TSX/TTSX fail me yet. There are so many good bullets these days that you'd be hard pressed to find a hunting bullet that wouldn't serve all your purposes.

I'm mainly an elk hunter these days but still hunt some deer. I now only shoot two bullets on everything and they have never failed me. The older Trophy Bonded Bear Claws and the Barnes TSX/TTSX

7-08 120 Barnes TTSX
280 Rem 140 or 160 TBBC
30-06 165 TBBC
300 WSM 165 TSX/TTSX
300 WIN 165 TTSX
338 Win 225 TSX

I've taken multiple elk with every one of these loads and deer with the 7-08,280,300 WSM,300 WIN

I'd try the 165 Accubond and 165 Partition, use whichever shoots better for you. My brother has been using exclusively 165 Accubonds in his .30-06 for the last few years as his do-anything load, and has never complained.

150 or 165 Accubonds.. you have the best of both worlds. Never shot either out of an 06, but have killed lots of elk w/ the out of my .300 & some. deer. May try my o6 this fall on elk, that is the bullet I will load.

I here with this advice for a do all bullet for the game you describe. I'd try the 165 Partition first.

I always us one rifle/one load in the fall, antelope to elk. In the 30-06 a 165/68 or 180 Ballistic Tip, Partition or Accubond would be my choice.

In the 25-06, I'd use a 110 Accubond, 115 Ballistic Tip or Partition or 120 Partition.

Pick something that shoots well and kill stuff.

Very happy with the 100g TTSX in my .257 Roberts and 168g in various .30 cals. Have not yet tried it in my ..3387WM but believe it would work very well.

As mentioned above, ABs work well in all as well.