Morning all, hope your days going well.

My Q for the day is are there presently any factory loadings out there being offered with a 200 grain bullet? Seems to me I recall that once upon a time that Fed did the 200 Sierra or something like that.

As well, if a company marketed a 200 Noz or other good bullet at say 2650 fps or so how do you feel it'd sell?

Thx 4 your time

Dober

yes double tap loads a 200gr accubond

Lapua also loads their .200-grain Mega, a very good load.

But the lack of 200-grain loadings by major ammo companies (including Federal dropping theirs) doesn't indicate much demand by hunters.

Can't see it selling well.Seems lite lead is the new norm.

norma also does they load the 200gr orxy.

Speed and or lack of it right....arg (personally I really like the 200 Noz or Sierra in the 06, I think it's the most underrated combo going)

Dober

I like 200s in .300 H&H and up. I haven't shot anything with an '06, but unless hunting for big bears in Alaska, I'm not sure that a 200 will do anything that a 180 won't (and vice versa, of course).

Speaking of Partitions, of course.

Purely theoretical thoughts, of course. I'm willing to listen to people who have BTDT...

Dober,

Marketing can be a strange undertaking, especially considering hard core gun nuts like us. If you or I wanted a 200 gr. NPT in '06 at 2,650 fps, we'd just crank some out.

The ammo companies have to go with what Joe Sixpack and his good buds will buy. 200's would be a marketing call and I'm not sure how the masses would rally to the Wally World sales counter, carts full of 200 gr. 30-06 ammo.

Just saying.

DF

Yes Sir..I call it Super Bullet Syndrome or SBS for short.

My best friend uses a handloaded 200 gr. Nosler Partition for his elk load and thinks it does a most excellent job. I used 180s for elk but,I have a box loaded with the old Nosler semi-spitzer coaxed along at 2660 fps with IMR-4350 just in case I can make it to the mountains one more time.

Had trouble stabilizing 200gr bullets with a 1:11 twist bbl at '06 speeds. just sayin'

They stabilize fine in a 1-10 twist, which is what 99% of .30-06's have had for over a century now.

I've shot a pile of game with the 200 Partition in the '06, going back to the 70's when all that was available was the semi-spitzer (or semi-round-nose). It definitely penetrates deeper than the 180 Partition, and about as deeply as any other expanding bullet--except the 220 Nosler Partition.

Hod 4831 and the Nosler 200 gr Partition in the 06 and you are ready for just about anything

I shot the 200 Partition for a number of years in my 30-06 and while I had no complaints, I have since switched to 180's in mine and see no reason to change

I doubt it would sell as the majority of those who buy factory ammo want faster and prettier ammo with outrageous numbers printed on them to thump their collective chests to while sitting around the campfire. I have ran 200 grain partitions, mag tips and gamekings out of my '06's over the years and find that they are perhaps about ideal weight for an anything goes bullet. The 220 gr doesn't offer anything more besides nostalgic cool factor as I like RN bullets and think they just look better in my leather carrier on the butt stock of my No.1 RSI. With the newer powders(post 1990) the '06 can run the heavier (200+ grain) bullets at very acceptable and quite adequate speeds. The 4831's have served me well as has R22 behind the 200's. They have always been my go to load when I draw a black bear tag. I had a 200 gr Speer Mag Tip drop a 400+lb black bear in its tracks breaking both shoulders and continuing on to kill a 10 inch blue spruce going completely through. Didn't find the bullet but it filled my tag with ease. Commercial success doubtful but I will always have a box or two of 200 gr 30 cal something or other on hand.

Winchester used to offer 220 grain Silver Tips in '06. Used them on a few Canadian bruins years ago, they were a hammer!

Ive got a few boxes of 220 gr Rem Coreloks

Dober,
This is an old man's load. Nothing flash but effective.

If you have that itch, the scratch is called an 8x57 with Euro loadings. That is if you don't mind losing 4gr of bullet weight. A friend uses one effectively, and switches to US ammunition for youth loads for his nephew.
Cheers...
Con

Con,

Sounds like you're accusing Dober of being an old fart, or something similar...

I have a very light 30-06 HVA in which I shoot lighter wt. bullets so it won't beat me up. If I was going with 200+ bullets, I'd use my .338-284 or 9.3x62. Not that the '06 wouldn't do the trick, but just 'cause...

DF

I had very good luck with the 200gr sierra when I was shooting the 300 Win Mag alot. Very accurate bullet and it holds up pretty good at 300 win mag velocity levels.

If I hunted with a 30-06, I'd be happy to use a good 200gr bullet. Actually, I'd love to get a true Mauser design and do just that for hunting the OR coast.

A couple years ago I had trouble getting a good fast load dialed-in with my 300 Win Mag and 200gr NAB. I ran out of time before deer season so settled with Retumbo and 200gr NAB at 2650 fps (basically the '06 load proposed). Accuracy was great so I hunted with it. Shot a 4x4 mule deer at 50 yards. Very little bloodshot tissue with complete penetration.

I think the 200gr NAB at 2650 fps is a better load ballistically than most people realize, even for medium range. I hunt with the same bullet at 2900 fps from the Win Mag.

Well, if the shoe fits. The ballistics though are quite unimpressive in modern terms, but highly effective. More substance than show ... kind of like the type of lady an old man may pick when looking to settle down for the long haul. Or so I'm told.
Cheers...
Con

I guess our "needs" change as we "mature"...

The '06 is comfortable, like an old shoe. Not sexy, just gets the job done...

DF

I used the Federal Premium 30.06 200 gr. Sierra Gamekings for a couple seasons. Only animal (medium body whitetail buck) I ever lost was hammered 3 times at about 100 yds with these, hit the ground like a sack of cement every time...and then got up again, the last time going like a bat out of hell looking for the nearest far away place!

Have no idea how or why it happened, but concluded probably great bullet weight for elk and moose, too much for deer.

FWIW.

Seems like it was just too "hard" of a bullet for the whitetail. Maybe? Beats me.