30-06 ammo

[jay83196]

Looking for a good round to use for big whitetail wondering what people suggest for good expansion and penetration. Read good things about federal nosler partition, and fusion and wInchester xp3 supreme. ANy thoughts or other suggestion. As far as accuracy I know all rifles have their bullets they shoot more accurately I'm just speaking on how it performs on the Deer here.

THanks

[bogwalker]

Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain. Core-Lokt has shot very well in all calibers I have used.

[Code-Man]

I had been shooting Remington CoreLocks untill a few years back when they changed the loads and I switched to the Federal Fusion. I enjoy the quality work that i have seen. Dropped 2 of 3 deer I shot with them instantly. I have now switched over to hand loads and I tried Nosler's but I couldn't get them to group to save my life. So I finally found a good load with Barnes TTSX 30-06 in 150 grains bullets. Great load and does a great work on deer.

[nonteepical]

any bullet version in 30-06 will blow through any whitetail. remington cor-lokt are about as inexpensive as you'll find but i've had some with bad primers.

[bogwalker]

I have used Core-Lokt ammo in 30-30 up to .338 Win. Mag. Never had a misfire or any other problem. I gave up on Federal with the exception of Federal Premium in .338 Win. Mag. I bought a reloading outfit but have not set it up yet. Looking forward to reloading my own ammo.

[Boar]

Hornady inter bond 150 grain, reat expansion an little disintergration. Boar

[Double D]

One more vote for the Remington corelokt. I use 180's but in the old style round nose bullet, not the pointed soft point. A little harder to find, but it's my personal preference.

DD

[Crow Hunter]

I also use Hornady interbond 150 grain, very good accuracy with my rifle and good performance on game.

[LightningBG]

Personally, I use Federal 180 grain.

like nonteepical said. Any 30.06 round is going to be plenty for a whitetail. I get whatever is cheapest at the time, stock up with a few boxes and use those for the next 5-6 years. I normally only use about 5-6 rounds a year. 3 to sight in. 1-3 for Bambi(s).

[Bowfin]

The standard Federal 180 grain softpoints is all I have been using for years for deer and black bear. They are inexpensive and I usually get an exit hole on deer which I want for a better blood trail if they don't drop in their tracks.

I tried Remingtom cor-lokt years ago but rarely had an exit would with them

[Kyle]

180grain in my opinion is way overkill. You definitely dont need anything more that 150grain. Some guys say they use a heavier bullet to shoot through brush, in my opinion if you dont think a 150grain or smallers bullet will push through then you probably shouldn't be shooting at the deer. But I dont know everything there is to know about anything, and ammunition is definitely on the list. is no different.

I've been shooting winchester and hate it, so I am also looking for a better load. It groups fine, but I shoot 150g softpoints and it absolutely explodes. The exit wounds are rediculous and it wastes alot of meat.

[nonteepical]

The exit wounds are rediculous and it wastes alot of meat.

on the other hand if you don't like shoulder roast and like to grind hamburger...

[pulleye16]

150 grain federal fusion here. not too expensive and good results, though haven't had any problems with the last three brands either...

[tonkapat]

I've cut up a few deer shot with core lokt and have found fragments of the bullets in the meat. I'll stick with the nosler partitioners from now on. Doesn't matter the grain of the bullet all are more than enough if not too much.

[Kyle]

HAHA! True!

[harvey lee]

Another Hornady user here. I use these bullets for both my 7mm and 300 mag.

Awesome bullets.

[Bran32]

Core Lokt for me as well!!

[Bowfin]

180grain in my opinion is way overkill. You definitely dont need anything more that 150grain.....The exit wounds are rediculous and it wastes alot of meat.

180 grain is a good choice if you use the same gun for deer and bear. Don't agree with you that exit wounds are rediculous. I like a a blood trail if they don't drop on the spot. Not too much meat is wasted unless you hit a front shoulder.

[bogwalker]

180grain in my opinion is way overkill. You definitely dont need anything more that 150grain. Some guys say they use a heavier bullet to shoot through brush, in my opinion if you dont think a 150grain or smallers bullet will push through then you probably shouldn't be shooting at the deer. But I dont know everything there is to know about anything, and ammunition is definitely on the list. is no different.

I've been shooting winchester and hate it, so I am also looking for a better load. It groups fine, but I shoot 150g softpoints and it absolutely explodes. The exit wounds are rediculous and it wastes alot of meat.

Kyle, 180 Grain bullets will solve your problem.

[LightningBG]

180grain in my opinion is way overkill.

I haven't had any problems with overkill or loss of meat at all. I'm also not aiming for the shoulder though. I'm aiming much lower. That 180 moves through the chest cavity and turns the heart/lungs into gelatin. Down they go. No meat loss, unless your planning on eating the ribs.

[Musky Buck]

Hey code man when or what did they change about the remington core-lokt's ? I've been shooting the 180 grain, core-lokts since 1983 and bought a box the other day and at least in appearance they look exact to 1983 ? I shoot the rounded nosed core-lokts and not the pointed core-lokts. Just curious. 25 deer down, 0 lost deer. Best story was when I was like 15 I accidentally shot through about a 2" poplar and into a good buck, buck went down immediately, dad came to drag and with 1 finger pushed that poplar and down it went, I didn't see it in my scope, this was close 20 yard range on 5power. I was just learning how quietly a big buck can slip through the woods and realized how important it is to remain still as possible.

[walleye365]

the nosler partition is one of the best bulluts out there,and its all i shoot. If i owned a 30-06 180 grain is what id shoot.

[leech~~]

If you can afford them, it's hard to beat the 165g boat tail. Flat & fast! Never lost a deer with one of them.

[Walleye Guy]

Winchester bullets for me. 168 gr. Ballistic Silvertip to be exact. They shoot incredibly accurately in my rifle. That is the main reason I use them. They do leave a decent sized exit hole. However every animal I have shot with them has dropped within 20 yards.

[Black Bear]

Excellent post. Before I chim in, I like to express that after shooting 25+ deer and bear with a bow, any 30-06 round in my BAR feels like I'm cheating. That said, I religiously used Federal Preminum 180 Nosler Partitions for years. Shot dozens and dozens of deer (and 10 or so bear) with them and never had an issue. Excellent bullet weight retention etc...to this day my favorite all time bullet until last year when I went to the big box stores to purchase a couple more boxes. To make a long story short----I simply could not justify $45 (it may have been higher than that) a box when the Remington CoreLoks were right next to them at 15.99 with a $2.00 rebate. Shot 4 deer last year with CoreLoks and nary a problem but a previous poster is 100% right-----the CoreLoks will fragment so I painstaking avoid the shoulder when pulling the hammer. Remington does make a very affordable CoreLok bonded bullet which I have not tried yet.