Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Help with .30-06 ammo question

I use factory ammo and would like to hunt with the Federal 165 TBBC, but my rifle will not shoot them well. It shoots the 150 Winchester Partition Gold's well, but I shot 2 deer with it last year at about 40yds. and the bullet did not exit. Searching for a bullet that would exit and still open up good I tried the Federal 180gr. Partitions and they shoot well, but haven't shot a deer yet. Do yall think the 180 NP's will open up on whitetails down here in Louisiana? Also, do you think maybe the High Energy 165 TBBC will shoot better than the standard Federal Premium loading? Will my gun ever get "broken into" the 165's or am I just out of luck? Everyone's imput will be appreciated and thanks for the time............GH

The 180 Nosler Partitions have the same expansion range/characteristics as the 150 gr. Partitions. So said the Nosler rep when I discussed this with him. They claim their Partitions will open at 2000 fps. I've had them open with less, quite well. I also saw some tests Gun Tests magazine did with the 180 gr. Nosler Partiton out of the .308 Win. With a muzzle velocity of only 2500 fps., it open satisfactorly when passing through a slab of bacon at 250 yds.
<br> If your rifle won't shoot TB's, it won't ever unless you change something. I've got a .308 like that. It won't shoot the Hi Energy ammo either. When I say won't shoot, I mean 2 MOA, plus. Which for anything under 300 yds. on deer is really OK. Just not what I like.
<br> How about the Swift-A-Frame, or the Fail Safe ammo ?
<br> I'm surprised your 150 gr. Partitions wouldn't exit. I've had the 95-100 gr. 6 mm bullets shoot through deer diagonally and exit from a .240 Weatherby. Had a 95 gr. bullet - impacting at about 3300 fps. - exit with a caliber sized hole. Must have blown the whole front off the bullet. The inside of the deer looked like it. E

I agree with E that the same TBBC's are probably out of the picture unless you alter the rifle somehow (like bed it). You might try standard partitions or try a different brand or version with the TBBC's. I shot factory Federal in a 300Wby that did slightly better with partitions than bear claws (both in the 1 - 1.5" range), but the high energy stuff gave me 6-7 inch groups at 100 yards. Go figure!
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<br>I don't think you can go too wrong with the deer you are shooting. Keep in mind that most ammunition in .30 cal was created for .30-06 velocities. "Cheap" stuff might just be the ticket for you. You may not always get an exit, but you'll slam them just the same.
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<br>If you are determined to get an exit, try federal with nosler partitions. The exits aren't typically very big, but you usually get one.

E and Muley
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<br>Thanks for the response. The answers were what I expected. Just my luck the bullet I want to work won't. E, I remember you are a TBBC fan from previous post, do they open up well on whitetails? Some that I hunt with rode me a little saying they were too tough for deer. My m700 will shoot the TBBC in about 2.5" at 100 where as the 150 NP and 180 NP shoot 1" and 1.25" respectively.
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<br>Also, like you I've had my .243 with 100gr. NP shoot through every deer previous to getting my .30/06. One of the deer was a 190lb. 8pt that I got mounted. Shot him 1/4 away the bullet went in behind the last rib and lodged at the point to the offside shoulder by the neck. I guess that angle could have played a role in the bullet not exiting. Anyways, thanks for the input.............GH

Try the 180 grain TBBC and YES it will open up on whitetails. It opens nicely on coyotes and antelope, which are considerably lighter framed. I personally can't keep a partition inside ANY deer or elk when shot out of a .30-06, BUT the exit holes are TINY. Another great option is the Barnes X bullets in PMC ammo. This load has performed well in .30-06 in 165 and 180 grain bullets. I would have NO problem using 150's and 130's. Flinch

I use Remington 150gr Cor-Lokts out of my 30-06. My old M77 shoots 3 shots to MOA and the bullets always go through, leaving a wound trail 1" or so in diameter. At $9.00 a box at the local store, I don't even reload for it. Just a thought.

I discussed this with Talus last season. He, too, was concerned about how "tough" the TB bullets are. They aren't. The ones I used opened very quickly. Gun Tests had no trouble getting them open on a slab of bacon at 250 yds. They tested them in the .308, the 30'06, and the 7 mm Mag. All worked beautifully in all their tests. Only the Swift-A-Frame can match them. They did not have any ammo with the Barnes X to test.
<br> BTW, Talus went ahead and killed a nice Whitetail with a TB bullet out of his .270. Worked perfectly.
<br> They also destroy very little meat. One of my bullets went through a buck's hindquaters. I could eat right up to the bullet hole. E

GreenHead.
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<br>When you say your rifle won`t shoot the TBB well, what do you mean by well? Remember that 2 inches at 100 yards is more than enough to take a deer.
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<br>Super bullets like Swift A-frame and Trophy Bonded is known as hard to get good presicion with. However they usually get under 2 inches, wich is more than enough at medium range.
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<br>I think the nosler will work out great for you, even if you go for a 200 grs or heavier bullet. Nosler partitons are known to open in low velocities. The front chamber in the bullet is designed to expand easily. The second part will hold together and very often go right trough the game. I have not yet found one single Nosler Partition in moose. The calibers me and my friend use are mainly 308 win, 30-06 and 300 wby mag. I am planning to purchase a 9,3x62 for this fall, and I will probably try out nosler in this rifle. The low velocities in this caliber requires a bullet with soft lead in the tip.

GreenHead, I've shot two nice bucks with TBBCs. One exited on a broadside shot, the other did not on a straight-on shot. The recovered bullet mushroomed perfectly. It struck the deer at about 60 yards just under the white patch. I recovered it past the gut. The buck fell on top of his own front feet, which I like.
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<br>Bullets were 140 grainers. I had always used CorLokts before, factory 130s. They always expanded, but came apart (with devastating results for Mr. Whitetail) at close range. No exits at close range. That got me thinking when choosing a bullet for bear hunting ...
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<br>I'm lucky that my rifle shoots cheap remmie PSP CorLokts well, with a few sub MOA groups from the truck hood. I can't hold well enough in the field to see any difference in POI with the Fed. Premiums/TBBCs.
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<br>I have confidence in the Remmie 130 or the TBBC 140 for deer. I haven't shot a deer with the TBBC at less than 60 yards yet, but I think it held together better at 60 than the CorLokt would have.
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<br>Have you tried CorLokt 150s?
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<br>Good Luck, Jeff

Jeff,
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<br>I've tried both the 150 and 180s in the Core-Lokt and both shoot 1.5 or a little less at 100 which is fine for me. Down here in Louisiana you don't get many shots further than 150, 200 if you stretch it. The only time a longer shot will happen is if you hunt pipelines, etc.. What you said about the Core-Lokts coming apart is what concerned me about them b/c most of my shots are close and impact at high velocity. I knew the TBBC would withstand that, but as luck has it they don't shoot well. Do you have any experience with the 150 Fail Safe by Winchester. They seem like they should withstand the abuse of a close shot. I've been considering picking up a box and giving them a try. Let me know if you've heard anything more about the Fail Safes................GH
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<br>Chad

Guys, yall know this is starting to look like an excuse to buy another rifle, in another caliber so that I can shoot those wonderful TBBC! HE HE..........GH

Now you are paying attention GreenHead (wink). Flinch