Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 30-06 bullet choice for plains game

Yeah, I've been using that basic load for over 40 years now in several .30-06's. The first was a sporterized 1903 Springfield, back when the 200 Partition was a "semi-spitzer," as Nosler called it, one of the screw-machine models. Within 2-3 years, however, they introduced the impact-extrusion spitzer, and I switched. Since then have shot a bunch of big game with it, including pronghorns, whitetails, mule deer, black bear and elk. Haven't used it in a few years, due to "field-testing" other bullets, but it's always worked--and as noted earlier, I've never recovered one, though a 200 from a .300 Weatherby did stay inside a Colorado bull elk on a rear-end shot, made after the bull was still standing up after a slightly low broadside shot. Looked but never found it.

Hello Folks,

Interesting follow up on this topic. I had a similar conversation this weekend with a Japanese Hunter. He has hunted the whole wold and taken hundreds of big game. One of the most frequent and successful big game hunters I've ever met.

He hunts with a 300 weatherby mostly. He has also used the factory 300 weatherby ammo most of his very long successful hunting Career. During the majority of his hunting using Hornady plain old Cup and core bullets that were used in the 300 weatherby cartridge. That is if I recall correctly anyway.

So during my conversation yesterday, He said that many of the animals he shot with that combination just folded in their tracks, and many ran with very large wounds and poor penetration. He and I both understand this is from excessive velocity and close range where the bullets explode on impact. Not really any big news story today for experienced big game hunters.

I told him that in my opinion a 30/06 with a 165TSX shot at the same distance under 200 yards as a 300 mag of any make in 1965 through 1985 with a cup and core bullet would be more lethal. He was quiet and thoughtful about this. Then exclaimed..... Well of course it would because the bullet is so far superior at the shorter range. He then added that it would still be better to 300 yards not just my suggestion of 200 yards. However beyond 300yards they stay well matched in killing power until you get to the further distances of 500 or more yards. That is where the additional velocity of the bigger Weatherby cartridge makes the difference.

To make this more clear, this is a fella that loves the 300 weatherby magnum and has killed many of the worlds greatest trophies with that rifle. Yet in his own words he thinks that the old 30/06 with a TSX is likely a better killer under 300 with this bullet, and maybe equal lethal power out to 400! Now of course if you were to load a 180TSX into the 300 weatherby that is the clearly more lethal combination. However if we think about this 165TSX from a 30/06 being equal to the 300 win mag of 1958 or so through 1990ish this is quite an achievement for this old cartridge.

Remember that the 300 mags were thought to be the king of the hill back then, and yet they could not equal the 30/06 today with a 24" barrel modern available powders and TSX bullets! The TSX today is almost like converting a 30/06 into a magnum cartridge of the 60's 70's and 80's era. At least under 400 yards. Which for 99% of the population should be further than they should be shooting anyway!

Wow, Thanks for the great insight!

I'll keep this experience from disrupting the masses here! No need for any combination of smoke and ass to complicate things for "most of you"

And John nosler got pissed when he lost a big bull moose while using that type of c&C bullet. He knew hunters needed better/stronger bullets way back then. At the time, he was also using a 300 magnum (H&H). While you guys vaunt the mono metal as being "the best", there's a bullet that all else have been compared to (since 1947). That bullet is not the tsx. The hunter in your story would have been extremely well equipped with a nosler partition in the 165-220gr range. We ALL know c&c's are severely lacking in a magnum at close range. Hell, I knew that when I was 12 years old. You are trying to paint a picture for us saying there's nothing better, but to me it looks more like a smoke cloud. You can take that smoke and blow it up someone else's arse. Because most of us aren't buying it

Several of us used a braked (Mod 700 Classic) 300WM/180xbt from Impala, Springbok, Blesbok, Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Kudu and zebra. Pure poison.

Using a muzzle brake in the presence of your professional hunter is as thoughtless as blowing your second hand cigarette smoke in the face of your newborn child.

Increase the weight of your rifle or get a cartridge you can manage.

Using a muzzle brake in the presence of your professional hunter is as thoughtless as blowing your second hand cigarette smoke in the face of your newborn child.

Increase the weight of your rifle or get a cartridge you can manage.

Using a muzzle brake in the presence of your professional hunter is as thoughtless as blowing your second hand cigarette smoke in the face of your newborn child.

Increase the weight of your rifle or get a cartridge you can manage.