Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa bullet weight for 30 cal ?

I agree with JJhack... 165 and 168 gr TTSX are the best thing going.

If Terry or JJ say "jump" when it comes to recommendations, my response (and yours) should be "how high"...

I guess I am old school. Nosler's Partition has always worked, and there is no reason that it shouldn't do so in the future. Having said that, I would use the 180 or 200 grain Partition. They shoot flat enough for any distance I would shoot and they will work.

After using the 168 TSX in a 308 Winchester for a while now I stopped trying anything else. It is phenomenal in my rifle

I'm "old fachion" and will stay on 180 or 200gr Lapua Mega in my 30-06 for moose and wild boar hunting. Also it works fine for roe...do not see need to change to TSX as it didn't run well in my Blaser. But for next Africa trip will load my 9,3x64 Brenneke with 270gr Lapua Naturalis what by finn's fairy-tales is even better than TXS...LOL.

...and they always will. NP's are my benchmark. That said, I prefer TSX's, and would personally go with 165's. However, you'll not be wrong to use 180 NP's.

ok, after reading every post here, and checking a few web sites, I will try to pick up PMP ammo in P.E., their "high end" round is loaded with Swift A-Frame bullets...so that 30-06 will be used by me,,,if I can find it at a local shop.
thanks for all the info.

Both of the bullets below have been to Africa, and served their purpose extremly well. Both are 168 TTSX fired from a 300 wsm (MV unknown, I did not chronograph it). Both knocked their pray flat on their ass, as did several others that are still going as far as I know.

Has anyone used the 150 TTSX? My new 300 wsm is shooting them at over 3400 fps and sub 1/2 moa.

Bb

Speaking from experience I have used the 168 TSX's since 2004 on elk and bear (throw in a pile of mule deer, white tail, and pronghorn too)with nothing but excellent results in my 300 wsm. I have the utmost confidence in this combo so Why would I use anything else? The 168 tsx's give up nothing to most other 180's.

Simple really.

If you stopped reading reloading manuals around 1972, and ignore the advances in bullet technology in the last 10 years OR...if you are just a cheap SOB and only want to use bulk C&C bullets, then yes, shoot the 180's and don't look back.

However, if you HAVE kept up on bullet technology, you understand that everything you ever knew about bullets is now thrown out the window and irrelevant. Hard for a lot of people to grasp, because humans as a species fear change in any tiny way, especially hunters/gun nuts for some reason.

Modern, what I consider "super premium" bullets, are NOTHING like the bullets of old. Using the heaviest available bullets in a caliber to insure deep penetration was a problem with crappy soft bullets from over 100 years ago. Period. End of discussion. Its like comparing a modern direct injection multi-stage cam lift engine vs the Model T's engine. They don't compare except the fact that they are in fact inside a car, and make it go vroom.

With these new super premiums, penetration is damn near guaranteed to exceed anything else, pending the animal doesn't have a 6" steel plate around its heart. Sure the old bullets killed just fine, still do. BUT, humans while fearing change, also crave advancement (we are a funny lot). Metals are better, machining and tools are better, powders are better, primers are more consistent, bullets naturally are in the same line. You simply do NOT NEED anything over the "medium" end of bullet weights in any given caliber for todays modern bullets. This has been proven through hundreds of posts on various forums, articles, testing, and lab work from bullet makers.

Want to use cup and core soft points on an elk in 30-06? Sure, use 180's, heck 200's are better. Using a multi-part bullets such as the Partition or A-Frame? 180's is cheap insurance but you're probably fine going lighter and 165's will do the job just fine, this goes for bonded core bullets too.

Now, if you are using monometal or non-conventional style bullets? 165's and under, and you'll have NO issue, damn near from any angle. I wish someone would do some penetration tests here so we could see, but I know over on AR guys have used the 130gr TTSX in 308 mags to kill elk just FINE. Most guys would scoff and say a 130gr will bounce off even the tinniest of elk!!! How dare you insult the game by using such a small bullet?! But they forget, Barnes bullets will almost always give full penetration, regardless of MANY factors.

They shoot flatter, meaning less hold over or trying to do math instead of concentrating on the target. They recoil less, which means you can shoot larger cartridges comfortably, or just practice a whole lot more. Might get rid of that flinch too....no one will admit it, but I bet there are more then a few people reading this now that developed some bad habits by sticking to old lore with shooting. Most won't also admit the 30-06 with 180's is just too much for them. But, I know they exist, I see them at the range, flinching at a shot with 8-9lbs 06. If they were shooting 150's I bet they'd do better. I know the 130's in my 300wby are cream puffs on the receiving end of the recoil.



SAYING ALL THAT....if a 165gr partition makes it through eland, then there is absolutely NO reason to "need" anything more. African game are not bullet proof, I think that perception became of physiological differences then what US hunters are used to. Whitetail hunters are used to the high shoulder shot...well, don't always work with every animal lol

What's a high shoulder shot? I shoot for the armpit, where the leg joins the body, on a whitetail, of maybe half way up, right behind the shoulder. Never, never, shoot one in the shoulder, all it does is waste a lot of meat IMO. But agree with you on the rest of it.

ghost I agree with the armpit location. Tight to the leg 1/3 of the way up. I have to admit to head shots whenever possible, but I am a meat hunter.

Go to my web page and read the article on the shoulder shot. This is such a poorly understood term/ concept

www.huntingadventures.net

MileHigh Shooter,
For the 30-06 with Swift A-Frames, would you go with the 180gr @ 2750fps or the 165gr @ 2900fps for all plains game?

If your desire is to collect beautifully mushroomed bullets then the Aframes are the best game in town

If you want two holes to leave blood and unmatched penetration the TSX is the best thing going. I lead with the TSX when discussing options for my arriving hunters. First choose what your barrel likes best, if all else is equal the TSX is your best option.

The PH I hunted with told me that if Americans would all show up with a 30-06 and 180 grain Partitions his life would be alot sweeter. When I asked about DG he jumped right to the .458 Winchester...

That.....

My .30-06 shoots 180s much better than other weights so I use them for everything. The type of bullet I choose depends on what I'm hunting.

How about when you are hunting African PG Swampy?

No golf carts over there, you know...