Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Your favorite 30/06 elk bullet?

180gr partitions with imr4350 has worked for me for alot of years. i ain't changing anything!

168 tsx worked good for me.

Another tip for the 168 TSX, and 180 Partition, and 165 anything, and most 150s. In fact, I vote for most! Killed most of my elk with Partitions. They always work!!

I'm with Flinch and Ingwe on the cup n cores. Others I've used and liked are the 165 Sierra HPBT (about my all time fav, though it has the bc of a apple..). And the 200 Sierra Bt is one heck of a bullet if a fella wants to toss some weight around. If I wanted to shoot factory ammo in an 06 the old Fed load with the 200 Sierra would be a good one.

The 150 Horn, 165 Horn and the 165/168 NBT's are rock stars as well. And one other goody is the 190 Horn.

Tons of good bullets, one needs to shoot tons and hunt tons more.

Life is short, hunt hard!

Dober

Blah blah blah blah blah...Premium, solid copper, bonded, etc.

Simply put, a 30-06 is not a long range gun so the need for BC and lots of other terms is just foolish. A 30-06 with a Hornady 165 grain spire point has taken over 40 elk for me. Nothing fancy, just plain simple reliable performance.

Last falls volunteer taken at a bit over 400 yds with the 165 Horn Bt's. I double tapped him behind the front left, he danced around for a bit longer than I am used to (with my Mashburn) but he did tip over and offer to be table fare for the year...grin

Dober

Probably c-ya Sat morn over at the fair grounds Shrap.

Dober

Dober,

I spent a lot of time with George Cobb this past few days, we should talk about it. I believe you could be real help...

See you at the show, we will have the nicest display of historic rifles seen this side of the Cody Museum.

180 or 200 gr Partition.......everything else is just messing around.......

Although the 200 gr Sierra is another good one........

I use 165-NP or NAB for coyotes to elk. No complaints yet although all my elk have died by arrow. The deer and antelope have dropped well though.

I would go 165's...cause that is what I have and have used....

I've used the 30-06 with 180 Partitions with good results. Ditto the 168 TSX.

As pointed out, there is a nearly unlimited variety of fantastic bullets for the 30-06.

No lack of good bullets for the 30/06....

180 Partition.

Jayco

The .30-06 is just so easy on bullets. No harsh velocity to worry about breaking a bullet up on impact. No copper fouling, just easy to shoot and hunt with. Premium bullets aren't needed, no matter what the game, but they still work.

It is a long range performer as well. I have made several 500-600 bang flop shots. That isn't extreme range, but further than most care to shoot. I still get exit holes and dead critters. Me likey the cartridge a lot. Flinch

I'll stay out of the bullets question, other than to say that when I've hunted elk with a 30-06 it was loaded with 180-gn Partitions, but I'm with Flinch and Dober; 30-06 is quite capable of "intermediate" range hunting/killing and I would (politely) contest that bullet BC is not relevant. It may be completely irrelevant for some or most '06 users, but not because the cartridge won't do it.

To that end if I were hunting elk tomorrow with my '06 it'd be sporting a 180-gn Accubond this time. I have killed a deer with that load, through the shoulder at a hard angle quartering-towards. Bullet did great. I'd poke an elk with one plus, it will give the /06 near rock-star ballistic performance <g>.

180NP's, although I have used 165NP's also with no ill effects, except to the elk...

200 grain nosler partition,the old style.The ones that were made on screw machines.
Lots of lead exposed,absolutly devestating on every elk I've ever shot!
Fortunately I have a large stash!!

+1. I haven't caught the high velocity bug (... yet). My cartridges of choice push cup & cores at deadly speeds, but not so fast as to break 'em up. Last week, I found a box of 165 grain CoreLokts I'd forgotten about, & took 'em with me to the range. 5 shots in 1 ragged hole made me wonder why the hell I bother handloading for that rifle.


FC

I like 180 grain Trophy's in the '06 I have that shoots them well.

I use 180 grain Nosler Partitions in the other one.

They will both work as will several others.