Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30-06 200gr load

The Speer 200 in a 30 caliber is a great example of matching your bullet to what you want to do with it. I like to break at least one shoulder if possible. Thus I like a heavy bullet that holds together well at 2500-2650 FPS at the muzzle in the '06. The Ribs don't provide much resistance to bullets thus not much expansion opportunity unless one has either a fast / soft combo or like the terrific Nosler partition; the best of both worlds in one bullet.
I mentioned big NY buck with the 8x57; I shot one at 50 yards coming up the trail straight at me. Bullet hits the chest bone, took out the arteries over the heart, stopped where it broke the hip socket on one side. Buck gave a giant "bawl" and hit the ground. I was well satisfied with that performance.
KS buck with the 30 caliber 200 Speer, shot him offhand at 200'ish yards broadside aiming at the vertical line of the offside leg. Clipped the shoulder blade on the onside, collapsed the lungs, broke the offside shoulder blade and exited. The buck with maybe 40 yards downhill and collapsed. Good blood trail from two holes and bleeding from the mouth.
I would expect that it would do the same on an elk at the same yardage.

That's pretty much what I've been thinking, and why the old 30-06 has remained a 30-06 to this day.

Other than being a fun project, I'm not sure I'd see any real benefit from turning it into a 9.3x62. I probably ought to just hunt more!

Regards, Guy

While I love the 9.3x62, especially with 286gr bullets, I was disappointed with my first one (rebarreled Mod 70) on an elk hunt. Where I was hunting it was rare to get under a 250 plus yard shot, over 300yds wasn't that rare. I was zeroed +2" at 100 but I felt handicapped. I would have just held up if the shot had been offered, everything I saw was 400 and over ( running the ridge tops) In my old sporterized Enfield (24") I shot both the Sierra 200BT and Speer 200HC out to 600yds in practice with just a +2 inch zero. I learned my reticle subtension on exact drop shots, then shot at an 8" steel gong from 200 to 600 yds. It was a homemade range down a straight road on edge of a private rice field in Texas. I had a ball! Unfortunately I did not get to shoot that particular 9.3 past 200 before the hunt. I then gave the rifle to a young guy with a young family, he hunted in closer shot territory. From then on, I just used a 9.3x62 where I knew my shots would be 250 and under.

Funny story, but when I got my 9.3x62 I used 60 grains of RL15 with the 250 Accubond. It would bug hole them at 100 yards. I had a 6x36 with dot in it. Well, long story short I roughly got it zeroed on the main crosshair at 200 and took it 300, using the 1st dot, hit right on point, 400 with the 2nd dot and it was spot on, I shot steel all Summer with that load. Never chrono'ed it until the fall. Well, once I did, to my surprise it was only 2400 FPS AVG..

If I never knew I would have guess 2600 but it worked out fine to at least 400 yards for me. I have since bumped it up some to 2650, but I'd bet those AB's would still work fine at a measly start of 2400 since it already carries some decent frontal area before expansion..

Yep, especially since you have a .375.

I eventually sold both my 338 Winchester Magnum and my "other" .375 H&H (the one other than you have!) after realizing I hadn't hunted with either one for years after getting enough experience with the 9.3x62 to prefer it in that "medium bore" slot.

But have also never been afraid of selling rifles, especially to go on a hunt somewhere!

Regarding the jackets on the Speer hot cor's. It appears this was an optical conclusion. The 180 grain I had sectioned some years ago and it had been in with my collection and darkened with age. A couple of strokes with a file brightened up the gilding metal and now it looks thicker too. It looks like most of the Speer and Hornady bullets have jackets of the same thickness. Even the .308 220 gr Hdy is no heavier than the 150gr RN that is used in the 30-30. That 220gr is recommended for Dangerous Game!

Did the same 13 years ago in 2009, when I returned from my 3rd and final Iraq war deployment. I had bought a 375 ruger to compare against my cz 550 carbine in 9.3x62. The 375 was sold, and the 9.3x62 stayed.

It was lighter, held more rounds, and launched the same 300 grainers. The velocity difference mattered little and heres why:

I saw first-hand the effectivness of those 300 grainers blistering accross the tundra at 400 yards into a caribou.

Another instant, a 500 yard shot on a 42" antlered bull moose.

Both 300 grain bullets expanded sufficiently at 400-500 yds.

Many thousands of lbs of moose n caribou with the 9.3x62, a heavier .375 rifle that holds less rounds, wouldve done nothing better.

VernAK now owns my ole cz tack-driver. He too has hammered a monster moose at the 400 yd mark. Even his barnes-x handloads expanded well at that range, from the stubby carbine barrel

In a 5 caribou per-day hunt limit, the five-down CZ actually held the advantage.......

Great recount Mainer

Not really. The 1922 oberndorf mauser type b sporter recounts the ole nine three better than I ever will:

The balance is perfect. The weight is lighter than any model 70 featherweight, before the model 70 existed.

Where my 375 ruger suffered from a stuck case from factory ammo (extractor slipped right off the rim)


The oberndorf sporter from 1922, never fails.

100yrs ago, the original dangerous game bolt action from the oberndorf plant, has reminded me, that we havent improved that much......

The extraction on those old Mausers was simple and tough, no doubt.

I forgot you have the old 1922 9.3 now.

I have a M146 in 9.3x57…. That sucker is a tank as well. I need to give it some daylight. Slick bolt gun for being made in 1938.

Sounds like they need more velocity that what a short bbl 30-06 has to offer.

I recall good reviews from moose hunters in the Yukon.

Bumping a great thread back up.


Okie John

Perfect timing on resurrecting this thread, getting ready to load 200gr 06 loads for this year's season. Have 300 Norma oryx, 100 Norma Vulcan and 100 Nosler accubond. loading for 5 Winchester mod 70's, been using Federal trophy bonded 200gr but haven't seen any on the shelf in years. We hunt moose and deer in brown bear country so prefer the heavier bonded core bullets. Great loads listed but only have IMR 4350 think it will do fine at 52 to 53 grains. Very interesting read!