Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Absolute best 30-06 Deer loads

The 180 gr. Fusion load shoots under a inch in my M70 '06, but I have also used handloads with 180 gr. BT and Nosler Solid base.

None have complained about the 165gr TSX I have been used. Dont know if they are the best but after last years performance I will stick with em. For awhile anyway

My 30-06 Ackly Improved Mauser likes 165 Gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets (hit like a ton of bricks)and about 60 grains 4350. I get somewhere aroud 2900 FPS.

My favorite load is a 165 grain Hornady SP Interlock over a 5% reduction off-max of H4895. In Winchester Model 70, it printed a .5 inch group at 100 yards this weekend. That same load also goes in my M1 Garand.

My pre-'64 Win. model 70 likes 58 grs. of H4350, 165 gr. Hornady Interbonds and Fed210Ms in Lapua brass. I get sub MOA 5 shot groups.........................and dead deer.

My 30-06 load of choice is 50gr of IMR4064 under a 165gr Sierra Gameking. I have always had good luck with this load on deer. My dad, brother and uncle have all used this load very successfully on elk as well. I keep thinking that one of these days I need to try some 4350 but I guess if it isn't broke it doesn't need fixing.
BP

Never did like the 30'06...until I owned one! 170 HDY 30gr 4198 for allaround fun and little deer, 125X and 748 death right now deer and Black bear, 165 BTs has killed two sheep and a few
Bou, no complaint there, but the universal fix all even in big bear country is a 220 and a case full of RL22 2600fps amazing accuracy and slap!

H4350 + 165 NBT = bang flop

Agree on the powder; 57gr+165 Hornady BTSP.

Remington 150 grain core's, PSP!!! EVERY animal I have pulled the trigger on dropped like they were hit by lighting!!!

+1 Never had a deer complain about getting hit with one of these.

Rather than anticipating a pie fight over the best load, how about folks jus submit the loads they've found that wored the best for them in several rifles, then we all load and compare them?

I'm STILL waiting for the leverevolution bullets to come out as components!

IMO, the 30-06 will handle anything on the North American continent (including the big bears) with appropriate bullets and loads. (Of course, I'd prefer having something larger and heavier if a big critter is wounded and angry!)

For deer, a 150-165 grainer at 2600 fps is sufficient.

150gr Ballistic Tip over 52gr IMR 4064 has produced excellent accuracy and many one shot drops on whitetails.

"Best" is such a hard idea to grasp when you're talking '06 and deer.

The standby through my rifle has been the Speer Hot Cor or Winchester Power Point over 52 grains of Reloader 15 in RP brass w/ CCI lrg rifle primers. That is now listed as a max load and likely produces "only" around 2800 fps (I've never chrono'd it) but when I started loading the max was listed at 53.6.

Another favorite of mine is a 180 gr RN Interlock over 54 grains of H-414 (same brass, same primers in all my loads). It doesn't produce max velocity, but I don't care cuz with a bullet like that you really can't go wrong at Michigan distances. I've killed a couple of deer so dead they couldn't complain about the lack of velocity and "oversized" projectile on that load .

I haven't tried it on deer yet but my Mauser Model 1996 Straight-Pull '06 LOVES 165 gr SSTs over 61 grains of Reloader 19. It produces 2850 fps and sub-minute groups every time.

I've loaned this rifle to a first-time hunter for the upcoming whitetail season. He is going to use the Remington "Reduced Recoil" loads with 125 gr soft points. Assuming he picks his shot I'm certain that'll be a wonderfully suited deer load as well.

59 grs. of rl-22 with a 180 gr. speer hot cor.

Best? Impossible question to answer.

What works great?

Well, for me for a about three decades now has been a 700LH BDL the last couple or so with 50 something grains of IMR 4064 topped with 150 PSP Core-lokt's for a boat load of deer, dozen or so elk and some antelope.
I don't change bullets for different game and the critters don't seem to mind.

Bought a 1000 of these bullets from Midway back when they had free shipping. The dang things work/shoot so well I have since bought more. They did two more deer Monday, one from my '06, one from Dad's 308 but the same bullet. Both shot through the lungs, both bullets exited, both nice clean kills with no meat damage.
Elk soon I hope.

I use the 165 grain Remington PSPCL in my 308 simply because it shoots so well in that rifle. It also seems to penetrate and expand in a proper fashion. My 30-06 holds it's zero year after year so I don't empty a lot of brass and at one time I filled 100 pieces of brass using the 165 grain PSPCL, the 165 grain Sierra BTHP, and the 180 grain Speer Mag Tip. I use it to take a deer or hog every year and I can't see a lot of difference in how these bullets kill deer other than to say all do it well.

Federal 165gr Barnes TSX have been doing it for me last couple seasons. No complaints. Electric shock on deer.