Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 30-06 Mule deer bullet?

Shzthn, I believe ya! Not experienced yet (working on it) with the 06, but nothing has worked any better in my 30-30's than Winchester PP's, and Rem CL' a distant 2nd! Best Ammo ever sold over any American counter! But ran out like a big dummy in 2020, so I went to Hawks in my 30-30.

I used 150 grain Speer Horcors for many years on Wyoming Mule deer never the slightest issue and recovered very few. Those I did recover looked perfectly expanded. Remington corlokts gave erratic performance as did the Winchester Silvertip (old style). The Winchester Power Points were good also. Nowadays I use the Partition almost exclusively either 150 or 180 grain bullets. Even the 180's shoot plenty flat enough for shooting out to 400 or so yards.

There is not a dang thing wrong with the 155 Scenars.


I have shot a pile of deer and elk with them and they do a great job. In a 30-06 there are more right choices than there are wrong really.

Accuracy and bullet placement are far more important than bulet brand, diameter, or weight. My bullet for Montana Mule deer for the past 45 years has been the 117 grain Sierra GamdKing from my .257 Ackley. Before that, I hunted Mule deer with 150 grain Sierra GameKing bullets from my .30-06.

Although I shoot premium bullets in several of my rifles, a standard cup and core 150 to 165 grain hunting bullet from your .30-06, if put in the right place, will kill a mule deer just as dead as any of the new premium bullets.

Choose the bullet that is the most accurate in YOUR rifle!

Your rifle will choose the difference, I can almost smell venison cooking...

If you have a "bunch" of 165 BTs and "plenty" of H4350 I would say you need to search no further. Check the books for a good minimum and work your way up from there.

I go with 130 TTSXs for my .308Win.

I'm sure they'd kill even deader out of an '06.

They sure accurate regardless of the load!

This only I use RE 15 in mine. Lighter recoil and will absolutely kill any mulie that walks the earth!

I've always gravitated to the 150-grain bullets in the .06 for deer, but there will be absolutely nothing wrong with the 165's and H4350, you should be able to get 2900+fps, a deer killing combo if there ever was one. Good luck.

I have killed dozens of deer with 165s and 150s. My 165s were mostly Sierra hpbt and the 150s NBTBRT. Not out of an o6 but .300.. Killed lots of elk with them too. They will work fine on mulies from an 06. They are just deer.

155 Scenar with H4350 is what I use at times. Works great.

Either one will work fine.

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I have been shooting Mule deer & elk for over 60 years and I found the 165's became my favorite after about 10 years using 150's which also worked very good. I killed a spike bull elk 2 years ago using Win. 150 factory Silver Tips at 350 yds --one shot!
I wouldn't be afraid to use any 06 bullet if your rifle is sighted in!
Have a good trip and hunt in God's Country

You guys are trying to make this way too hard. Deer are easy to kill. Just pick the bullet that's the most accurate in your rifle and go shoot you a deer. You most certainly don't need a premium bullet. A standard bullet like a Sierra Gameking or Speer Hotcore will easily kill any deer.

You have been given good advice by several. They one thing that you will need to cope with is the change in elevation between Mich. & Mt.

Getting in good condition is part of the issue but the elevation difference is real or it was on the non resident hunters I have guided.

You should spend more time worrying about being in shape and good health, practicing field shooting positions.both bullets are fine and good choices.. mb

Thank you, guys, for all the information, and giving me some great advice. When you look forward to doing something for so long, you tend to overthink things. I also have a friend here that is adamant that the BT is far superior to the Scenar and he had me second guessing that.

I can't wait until November. Just 2 of us are going to be in camp on this lease. Our guide takes very limited number of hunters, I guess.

I have already started dropping some weight and getting in shape. If it ever warms up here, I'm really going to get serious.

I will definitely be shooting a lot this summer, and getting used to this Mauser, It's a new rifle for me.

I honestly haven't left Michigan and Ohio in 10 years for hunting, so all I have been using is my TC Encore (I have 3 of them), which I am very proficient with and shoot hundreds of rounds annually. I actually just recently bought a 30-06 barrel for the Encore, and am seriously considering taking it, because I am so accustomed to the feel of the rifle.

What he said.