Say you’ve got a 30-06, and you can pick one bullet to shoot from it to do everything from deer up to elk, with some black bear on the side, out to 600ish yards, what bullet are you choosing, taking into consideration long range ballistics (drop, drift, etc) and on game performance.

165 or 180 Accubond, whichever shoots best at 300sh.

200gr partition or 165/168 TTSX/TSX or 175 LRX, depending on how well your rifle likes said bullets..

180 gr Partition...

My area is very dense and pretty flat. So take my advice with a grain of salt:

@600 yards I'm probably getting a fatter case and putting a belt on that 30-06.

like 30-378 Weatherby with 180gr. Barnes TTSX running 3350+

still ~1800 fps at 600 yards with a hellluva stout copper solid bullet.

I'm a big fan of the Barnes bullets. I hunt with them exclusively. Unfortunately, they aren't expanding after 300 yards at 30-06 velocities, hence my recomendation to jack up the starting speed.

I’ve got a 300 ultra mag for that, running 200gr accubonds at 3200fps. The ‘06 will be mostly for deer, and a back up rifle for elk, should the need arise. Same with bear. I’ve got a 350 Rem mag that shoot 225gr partitions handy to 2700fps that usually gets the nod for that. Just seems simpler to work up one load that I can put into action whenever necessary.

The 175 gr Terminal Ascent from Federal will fit all your requirements, not too heavy for the '06 and better bc than most 200 gr hunting bullets


...

I can pick one bullet...! What bullet am I choosing... ? More important, how the heck do I even get them all to line up!



John

Don’t overthink this ......

Remington Core Lokt

The longest shot I would likely ever take now would be 300 yards. My go to bullet in the '06 is a 168 grain TSX at 2900 fps for deer, moose, or bears. Longest shot I ever made on a bear was 150 yards. Longest on a deer was about 250 yards. Longest on a moose was 400 yards, but only once. If you can call a moose, you can get them way closer.

165 or 180 Hornady BTSP.....whichever my firearm preferred.

165 grain Accubond.

My advice would be not to underthink it either.

208 eld-m

Nosler 165 or 180 grain Accubond...

It would be hard to beat the 168 ABLR. Light enough to get a bit of speed from the ol’ ‘06 but sleek enough to retain enough of it for a 600 yard shot. It should hold up at 10 yards and open up at 600.

At 300 yards a 30-06 is pushing a168 TTSX at ~2370fps. You don't think they will expand at that speed? Seriously?

200gr Partition or Accubond at 2700 fps, the partition load at 2700 fps is precisely the one i'll take for the 40 animal African cull hunt I'm looking at, tough Zebra and Wildebeest on down will all fall to that excellent load in the old '06.

The 165 grain Hornady Spire Point has worked for me.

I use either the 165 grain Accubond or Interbond since my rifle likes them the same. I have been leaning more to the Accubond due to availability of the Interbonds anymore.

Either the 180 grain Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame.

150 - 168 TTSX, not the TSX.

My bad, you are correct.

I was looking at the Energy column instead of the speed column on my chart. Maybe out to 400 yards before they drop below 2K. Like I said I hunt fairly close, killed way more animals inside of 30 yards than I have past 150.

My understanding is 2000 fps is about their lower limit for reliable expansion. I never get close to that speed range when hunting. I love the Barnes bullets, but I try to be aware of their limitations. They have been very consistent in my experience, but I know they have a max range for expansion.

168 TTSX or 175 LRX. Problem solved.

Your upstanding is incorrect, they expand to lower velocity, some as low as s 1400 FPS. Just call Barnes and ask because they aren't all the same.

I killed an antelop at 777 yards with a 180 grain TSX and the internals were mush

200 grain partition is my huckleberry for the 06'

This.

!65gr. Sierra Game King has worked well for me.

I’d think the 165 gr Accu-Bond would be right up there., provided it shot well in a particular rifle. The 150 ttsx would be next in line .

I was more than pleased with the performance of the 168 gr TSX I used in Namibia a few years ago. Of course, I am a big fan of Barnes bullets.

A 180 gr. NP at 2800 fps would get you there...




GR

Here's another vote for the 180 grain Partition.

What I use in my M1 rifle in the field.

Accurate and penetrates like a wood tick... just not reliable for expansion past ~ 250 yds.




GR

My go-to bullet for .30-06 is the Barnes 165 gr. TSX. Have used it on everything from a tiny Cape Grysbok in Africa to Rocky Mtn. elk and whitetail deer. Lay in a good supply of these bullets, a few pounds of IMR 4350 powder, some CCI Large Rifle primers, and some good brass, and you are good to go for many years on most game you can pursue on this planet. A classic load for the .30-06 is 57.0 gr. of IMR 4350 and a 165 gr. bullet.

Whatever’s good and on sale. Have a decided preference for Nosler blems, though these days they usually get squirted out of whatever .308 I happen to own, as .30/06s seem to keep wandering off.

600 yards is getting to be a long shot to me. I draw the line at whatever distance my bullet is still going 2000fps. The bullet would be a 180 grain Partition.

I’d run that one myself. Had excellent results with the 212 ELD at that speed myself. Pretty tough combo.

165 Speer Deep Curl works great for me...

I’d put this right behind me 165 Accubond. They are a cheaper bullet that shoots great in most rifles.

Double lunged a moose at 240 yards with a 7mm Mag at 3050 FPS complete pass thru. Using Trophy Bonded Tipped. Bullet gets the job done.

I've been using the 30/06 here in Colorado for the past 40+ years. Killed everything on your list plus moose, bighorn sheep & mtn goat. When I reloaded I used a 180 grain Hornady interlock spire point. Before I reloaded I used 180 grain factory-----Winchester, Remington & Federal. They all work. I didn't see much difference in the hand loads vs the factory. My reloads were more accurate-----but they both killed elk. I've now settled on Winchester 180 grain Power Points factory ammo. This time of year there is a $5 box rebate on them. I get several boxes every year. I've got about 10 boxes in the gun cabinet.

I shot all 3 factory loads into wet phonebooks just to see. The Power Point was a perfect mushroom with 120 grain weight. The other 2 Remington & Federal had @ 100 grain----and they were not mushrooms. I stopped reloading after I killed my bighorn-----used them again on the mtn goat and them finished up the batch on my WY moose. To be honest factory loads would have worked just as well.


I just killed a nice pronghorn buck @ 325 yards this past October with 180 grain factory. Don't over think it. The big 3 has the 30/06 all figured out & at $10 a box after the rebate---Why reload?

I guess it would depend on which 30-06 rifle I was shooting. Usually the 180 gr. Hornady over H4350 in a Remington M700 Classic. My custom Mauser has a barrel 24" in length but a slower than normal twist rate. Gun was built for running cast bullets originally thus the 1 in 12" twist. I never could get any decent accuracy from the gun with 180 gr. bullets and settled on the 165 gr. Accubond for that one, I'm giving thought to trying the 165 gr. Sierra HPBT and the Nosler Partition in that rifle as I seem to have a bunch of them on hand. I could try the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core as well but I'm saving them for a .308 rifle I have that won't shoot anything else.
I guess if I exclude that Mauser, probably the 180 gr. Hornady, or Nosler AB or PT would be what I would use for the 30-06. Hell! I used 180 gr. Sierras for years and they always worked just fine. Probably end up with whatever shot the best in a particular rifle.
Paul B.

165 Gr Partition

175 LRX. 168 TTSX. 165 accubonds or partitions

Precisely. Watch you tube video on 200 gr lrx expansion at 1600 fps. Very very impressed

A Barnes 150 TTSX a 165 TTSX or a 168 TTSX if your rifle has a fast enough twist-rate. My preference would be the 165/168 weights as a “do it all” bullet. Though, if the increased bullet length didn’t reduce case capacity too much, I’d seriously consider the 175 LRX.....if you can push it fast enough! memtb

In 2020 I can't fathom how this is a question. Seriously. The question should really be, "What Isn't A Do Everything 30-06 Bullet."

Well nobody mentioned Berger that's a good thing.

Hmmmm. I think I’ll start with 165 and 180 partitions and accubonds, and see what shoots best.

180gr AB is my general purpose .30-06 bullet, although I'm not running them out to 600 yds on meat. The 190gr ABLRs have a nice BC, shoot well and it's not hard to get them up to a similar speed, but I haven't put them through any animals yet.

The question wasn't good for nothing, it was "do everything"... Nuff said..

Check out all these Carlos Hathcocks killing elk at 600 yards with a 30-06. Compensating for those 8ft bullet drops & 3ft wind drifts like it ain’t no thing.

Light work, am I right fellas?

no question about it. IF ya rifle likes em. the 180 nosler partition in the ole '06 would be the best do all bullet made.you could prolly say ditto for a 180 grain accubond and get slightly better bc.
Big Ed

168 TTSX
165 Accubond

My dad killed everything, from coyote to moose, with 165 gr NP's from his 30-06. I don't have the will power to only use 1 rifle and 1 load for everything!

My first thoughts exactly. I would have trouble not picking one of the above but a 165 bonded or partition would come in second.

For me it is the 180 grain Swift Scirocco II.

165 Partition

Please come back and post the story not only of this hunt but of the performance of your load. Sounds like it would actually make a great magazine article.
I am working on finalizing my 30-06 200NPT load myself, though I don't have a great hunt like that on the horizon.

Thanks,
Rex

168 NBT

Tee hee hee.

You two are so clever.

My do-everything bullet in 30-06 to 600 yards is a 185 or 190 Berger. What are you going to do, tell me it doesn't work? Fuucking ridiculous.

Thanx bro😆

155 scenar

Bb

I’ve killed deer and elk with the 30-06 using 180gr Partitions and they all went down quick. I have a 150gr TTSX load that is real accurate that might become my next do-all load. The deer I shot with it went down hard. A friend used the same load on a cow elk and the damage was impressive.

I use the 180 Accubond out of 2 of my 30-06s for my do-everything load. Not much that that combo won’t handle.

TTSX either 150 or 168

I’m big 168 ttsx fan, but 600 yards, might have to go to 180 or 200 accubond.
To be honest, The new federal ammo looks to best of both worlds. Partition and and solids

165 Interbond

I really like the 168gr TTSX and they are supposed to have a lower expansion threshold. I won’t shoot much past 400 yards, and they perform well to that range.

I used the 165 interbond about 15-20 years ago. Its a hard hitting bullet that opens wide but holds together. It kills very well. During my 2008 Africa trip my back up rifle was loaded with 165 interbonds. I was comfortable using it on kudu, zebra, and gemsbok if needed but ended up using my other rifle for everything.

Bb

Sand fed whitetail here on the Georgia coast can't stand a Sierra 125 gr Gameking or even the reduced recoil Hornady 125 SST. My shoulder loves them too!

Actually, that's the biggest big game we hunt, unless to some feral hogs may be classified as big game.

I've read the same about the 168 ttsx. Anyone have an idea about the lowest velocity for expansion for 130 and 150 308 ttsx?

Played with the 150 TTSX this year and shot 3 deer with it. Impressive accuracy and absolutely hammered all 3 deer. Both shoulders weren't much of a test for it as it punched through easily but the furthest shot was only 200 yards. Not a huge sample but I am impressed with what I have seen so far. I think it is going to be my do all load for my 30-06 and would absolutely use it for bear or elk but I haven't shot at big game past 400 yards and likely won't. I will leave the 400-600 yardage answers to someone with more experience on game at those ranges.

I havent used the 30-06 only but a handful of times 30yrs ago so i jave no solid opinions. Since im introducing myself to the 30-06 again i plan on trying 200gr Partitions as my one load solution for game. I dont think i will be doing 600yd shooting on game but if presented 500yds with a good angle and conditions its possible but my intentions are to deliver a good deal of accuracy and penetrative power at moderate and close distances. The goal will be high percent success shots and when the Partitions become avaulable again i will try.

One thing i am going to work on besides just getting a rifle up and running with a load is bolt action familiarization of running the rifle properly and actually doing lots of practice manipulating and some shooting in the field and high angle field shooting. I live in an area where i have access to as much of this as i want. My goal is to just not be ready to take shots off of a rest position, prone, or seated, but i want to actually be quite proficient standing and hitting to 200yds in real field conditions and not static range. I really want to master this bolt action field rifle and it will be just a part of my one game load for everything. I feel this is perhaps more important than my particular load.

I'd pick the 180gr Swift Scirrocco II.

180 grain partition or accubonds take your pick ubder300 use partition over 300 use accubonds end of story.

168 TTSX all day.

Without question, make mine 165gr.

I am a 308 Win guy myself, but my best friend and hunting buddy for over 60 years always carried his Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 30-06 for everything. Mostly deer, elk, and bear. His bullet of choice was the 165 grain and 180 grain partitions depending on the game (180 for elk, 165 for deer).. They served him well. As a side note, most everyone in our elk/deer hunting camps used the Nosler PTs in a selection of calibers including 30-30, 30-06, 308 Win, 8x57 JS, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm Mag, and 300 Win Mag. At age 80, I can say with out any reservations, that that the Nosler Partition has stood "the test of time" in my humble opinion.
CJ

The 168 TTSX is THE bullet for 30-06. Have shot deer and moose at ranges out to 250 yards with excellent results. 57 grains of H414 powder at 2900 fps.

At 400 the TTSX has textbook performance, says my sample of one DRT blacktail. Thumb-sized exit.

Taken with a huge grain

Nonsense.

180AB

Pretty much this.
Stay 150gr or heavier in a jacketed bullet.
Avoid any built for 30-30, and you are ok.

Got a POS 760 in pos 30-06. Cheap.

Wanted to make it go bang.

Hmmm. Here's a partial box of 180gr Pro Hunters? WTF? Where did they come from?

Ughhh. Looks like a Lee dipper throws a decent charge of 4831 for it.


So, the 180's and dippers of 4831 it is.

Right around 1" (3 shot) groups.

Kills deer real dead.
Bet bear and elk wouldn't like it any better.

A Partition would be my Elk hunting choice.
But probably not really much more effective.

600 yards is out of my comfort range by a few hundred yards with any gun i've had in my hands. but the go-to in my 760 carbine is the remington 165 corelokt factory loads.

I think Brad said it best on page 3.
In 2020 I can't fathom how this is a question. Seriously. The question should really be, "What Isn't A Do Everything 30-06 Bullet."
For me, 180gr is the preferred weight and Nosler the preferred brand. Ballistic tip and Partition.
Have other rifles for lighter bullets.

I can't see any way around the 180 grain Nosler Partition.

This ^^^

Unfortunately, the best bullet is likely to be whatever you have on hand or can get. I've used Sierra pro hunters for most shooting and Nosler ab for moose. My shelf in the reloading room is looking petty bare.

Damned near anything if the nut behind the trigger isn't loose.

Which particular one is "best" depends on several things. I'm back to using plain janes for almost everything (yes- Corelokts work well!).

JJHack has been in on several thousand kills in NA and Africa, and claims the 165 is the best bullet weight. Who am I to argue - it doesn't contradict my experience, tho my preference is generally for 180.

I don't use NP anymore, but I don't think you can go wrong with it for a do-everything bullet, if your rifle shoots it well. My rifles(that I have tried it in) don't like the NP as well as some other cheaper C&C, but it still gives very acceptable accuracy. If that's all I wanted to/could shoot the rest of my life, I'd be perfectly happy with it.

It's a wise idea to settle on single-source of everything- bullet, case, primer/powder.

I've got components for all my rifles from many sources - it complicates things.....

any cup and core 150gr for deer and 180gr partitions for elk. has worked for me for over 48 years.

've been extremely happy with Barnes TTSX and LRX in various weights and cartridges and have worked up loads for Federal's new Terminal Ascent for my 280 Rem and 7mm RM.

I'd be happy with a 168g TTSX, 0r 175g LRX or Terminal Ascent,

Any quality 180gr bonded bullet that my rifle likes would do the trick. Also a fan of the copper solids. My M77 '06 loves 180 gr Accubonds and 168 ttsx's

If you are seriously comptemplating shooting at a game animal at 600 yards you should buy 500 of the bullets that shoot best in your rifle and use 480 of them practicing shooting from 50-600 yards.

End of thread.

150 gr. TTSX.

Bingo....

Damn well straight. If the practice doesn't improve their shooting it at least gives 'em a reality check on fatal hit probability using the real life shooting positions used in the field. A lot of Sportsmans Warehouse trained snipers out there with high expectations and damn little experience.

I’ve never been in a sportsman’s warehouse in my life. But thanks for the tip. I settled on the 180 partitions. 1st bullet I tried, and the gun shot them 1/2 at 100 yards. Fired 5 shots at deer during our 2 week rifle season, and killed 5 deer. Decent buck at just over 400 yards, and 4 doe between 207 and 378 yards.

]


I think that’s sound reasoning.

165gr Accubond shoots tiny little groups in my .06 at 100 yds. Using some of the newer powders will get you some decent speed out of that bullet. My gun likes RL-16 at 2,935 fps....pretty fast and flat out of the ole 30.06.

I like Barnes T-TSX as well but speed is the ticket with the Barnes for long range. You certainly don’t need anything bigger than 150gr and you should be able to get that moving at 3,000 fps with the right powder.

Leftybolt