hybridcx
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wondering what a good grain would be to use for deer in a 30-06? i was range shooting 180 grain my buddy said it was a pretty high grain? just currious what would be optimal thanks
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Tony1831
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165s work well for me
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jimh
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165s unless you are going for really small deer...then 150.
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Klicknative
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I think bullet type would make more difference than wieght. You could sight the rifle for the 180's and leave it alone unless it got bumped or whatever. Nice thing about an '06 is it seems like you can get about any bullet you want factory loaded.
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fishdoc
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can ya shoot a tight group...2" or less off a rest at 100yds? I think thats more important. All my grandpa ever used until it was deemed illegal was a .22...he just shot 'em in the head...phenomenal shot until the day he died.
Doc
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Dogfish
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I have always used 150's for my .30 cal rifles. They kill deer and elk very well, and as FishDoc said, it is the accuracy that counts. Bullet size doesn't really matter if you miss.
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southforkcowboy
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I'm with Tony on this one.Bullet placement is more important than bullet size, but, 180's in the rib cage of a Mule deer, can ruin a lot of meat if the shot is a little to high. My son shoots an '06, and I get him 150's for deer & 180's for elk. Best of luck 
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cupo
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They'll all kill deer but your rifle might be more accurate with one over the others.
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jimh
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I agree with the bullet design point, but that is part of my point. All else being equal and assuming the same caliber, heavier bullets are designed to expand more effectively with larger game and have thicker jackets. Lighter bullets are designed to expand with smaller game and have thinner jackets. Of course, there are some bullets that are fliers so to speak like Nosler partitions that try to be more flexible. That is, they expand really well and keep enough weight together to get good penetration.
Of course, you still have to hit what you are shooting at. If you don't care about maximum expansion, that's ok, it just means you'll probably follow longer blood trails. I'd prefer to shoot and watch the game go down on the spot if I'm going to use a rifle.  In that vein, I prefer the fastest bullet that will penetrate completely and that's how I came to recommend the 150 and 165 weights.
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Tony1831
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right on, you place a well taken shot in the boiler room, it's done
I have 180s but I like 165s
  - it's whats for dinner
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Dogfish
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I actually use 385's for deer (.54 cal). My bullet of choice is the Barnes X copper solid. I posted a pick of one I shot through a deer that my partner had shot first. He hit it once and it was going away, wounded, but the rifle jammed so he couldn't get a second shot. My shot was a Texas heart shot and the Barnes X was found on the front shoulder of the deer beneath the hide. The 150 grain bullet weighed 149.2 grains when we recovered it.
The big hunk of lead was a semi wadcutter hollow point Hornady Great Plains 385g bullet I shot into a 5x5 mule deer a few years ago. Knocked the deer off its feet at the shot, it got back up, took a few steps, and dropped. The bullet in the center was what the bullet on the left looked like before it was fired. The recovered bullet weighed 370 grains. The round entered between two ribs on the left of the deer and clipped a rib on the way out. It was found just under the hide on the opposite side.
Pick a good performing bullet, not the bargain rounds on sale, and find one that shoots well in you gun. It took me 5 brand of ammo before I found one the grouped accurately in my .300 Win Mag, then I bought 5 boxes so I had enough to last for a while. Bullet performance and shot placement are what counts.
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"Give me the anger, fish! Give me the anger!"
Be like Big Stick!
Edited by Dogfish (06/15/06 08:06 AM)
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