Ideas on 30.06 rounds?

[spike.t]

great recovery out of them hammer heads , mike , all four that the boys recovered were all over 205 grns when I got home
thanks for the memory stick , it arrived in the afternoon , just before I left for sea
ha ha ha ha need to ask when some of them photos and videoes were taken , bloke ........

@bluey thats good with the bullets. no probs glad it got to you ok, and taken when you werent looking!!

 

[Royal27]

also got the sako hammerheads in 180grn but didnt have any with at the time, so as bluey said the 220`s worked great. I think MR VD @Velo Dog would like those 220grn hammerheads as like him i like the heavier bullets that are available

Probably almost as good as a 180grn TTSX.....

 

[spike.t]

Probably almost as good as a 180grn TTSX.....

being politically correct i like to have some lead in my bullets and if you dont/arent allowed to reload then happy to use what is available that is good and works, and those 180 and 220grn hammerheads in the sako ammo work very well

 

[shaft55]

Another vote for the Barnes 180 gr TTSX. 10 pg kills in 10 shots, the farthest anything made it from the shot was 80 yards. Most ran less than 50 yards. Recovered 3 bullets all maintained better than 99% bullet weight. Now, these were fired out of a 300 WM, but the bullet is very deadly.

 

[Royal27]

being politically correct i like to have some lead in my bullets and if you dont/arent allowed to reload then happy to use what is available that is good and works, and those 180 and 220grn hammerheads in the sako ammo work very well

You know dang well I was just yanking your chain!!!! LOL

 

[Velo Dog]

The truth is that for a .30-06 you don't need some super premium bullet to hunt plains game, as long as you use the 180gr bullet.
Last year on my PG hunt to Limpopo, I loaded my '06 with 180gr Winchester Power Points. Even though this ammo sells for $20/box, it performed excellently!
I took both bull Oryx and Eland at close range. The recovered bullets all performed just as good as a premium bullet. Deep penetration and wide expansion. Retained weight was in the 75-80% range.
So even though the ammo makers might have you think you need a premium bonded bullet to take out an Impala, the truth is that standard bullets and normal velocities will easily take the largest PG.
(Magnum calibers is a different story - premiums required)

Hi Reaper,

I too like the original Winchester "Power Point" bullet (been around longer than I have, and I'm a geezer).
Unfortunately as far as I can tell, the projectile itself is no longer available to hand-loaders like myself plus, many thousands of others here and around the world.
If I am not mistaken, the 130 grain Power Point is the bullet that made the .270 Winchester cartridge famous via Jack O'Conner's excellent writings about it.

Here in Alaska, both the 180 grain and 220 grain Power Point in .30-06 used to be extremely popular for moose and bear (as was the Nosler Partition) but, lately the Swift A-Frame is sort of taking over.
Personally, I believe the A-Frame to be the very best premium bonded soft available but, at the end of the day, the old Power Point was very adequate for Alaska and evidently for much of Africa's game as well, in 180 to 220 grain, at .30-06 velocity.

I have used the Power Point in the .375 H&H (270 grain) and found it both accurate as well as reliable (mushroomed properly, held together/penetrated well) and I sorely wish it was still available as a projectile / component for hand-loaders.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Velo Dog]

being politically correct i like to have some lead in my bullets and if you dont/arent allowed to reload then happy to use what is available that is good and works, and those 180 and 220grn hammerheads in the sako ammo work very well

Hiho Mr. Spike.T,

As you have noticed, I too am fond of lead core bullets because the majority of my rifles are not chambered for especially high velocity cartridges.
Lead is soft and readily deforms at low velocity.
Copper, bronze, brass alloys are hard compared to lead.
Also, my life's experiences have taught me to distrust hollow point bullets in general (I have experienced failures to expand with them in both rifle calibers and handgun calibers as well).

Out to about 300 yards / meters, I prefer round nose or flat nose lead core bullets, furthermore heavy for caliber/high sectional density bullets are best for what I do.
These are already half mushroomed before you even fire them LOL.
For my way of thinking, the pointed bullets are best reserved for hunting in wide open desert, (springbok, etc., comes to mind) or shooting mule deer or sheep across wide / steep canyons, treeless grassland, treeless tundra and etc.
Otherwise, a heavy roundnose soft at low to moderate velocity is my thing, breaks through muscle and bone, tracks straight line after doing so, puts game in the salt quickly and does not wreck much edible meat.

Cheers,
Velo Disease.

 

[spike.t]

You know dang well I was just yanking your chain!!!! LOL

really....... never guessed

 

[jduckhunter]

The Speer Grand Slam 180 gr. has been my go to bullet in the 30-06 for bigger critters for a long time. They shoot well, expand well and retain a lot more of their weight then most other lead filled bullets.
For not so tough deer size animals I'm using Speer 165 gr. BTHP. They also are very accurate and put deer down like a lightening strike. They tend to shed their jackets at some point inside the critter but it hasn't mattered yet cause none of them have gotten very far from where they were shot.

 

[Buff-Buster]

The problem that I have with standard bullets is that they do not group as well as I like them to. I understand what you are trying to say and I've never had a problem hunting with standard ammo. However, the farm that I work on needs some animals to be culled and the best form of income from this is selling that meat to local butcheries. The problem that arises is that the butcheries will not accept an animal that has been dispatched with anything other than a headshot. Unfortunately the standard ammo does not quite qualify with accuracy when it comes to taking a 100m headshot. Thank you for your advice!

Hey Matt,
The original question that started this spirited discussion was a good one, but it needed to have this info to go along with it to be able to get accurate answers. My two cents: If you are taking head shots only, the "premium bullet" answers are really meaningless. What you need is the most accurate load that your rifle likes. Any bullet in that 150 - 180 grain range, that shoots sub MOA will do the job on a head shot. Expansion, weight retention, penetration really doesn't mean much when your only talking about reaching the brain on antelope sized animals. I would invest in the rifle itself to get it as accurate as possible (usually not too hard with a model 700) Trigger job or replacement, free float or glass bed the barrel, upgrade the scope, etc.... Find a brand, and bullet "weight" that your gun shoots well and go with it. (Take up reloading to take it to the next level) If your not culling animals and taking shots at vitals, then take all of the advice you received already and apply it. Good luck with the culling.....I gotta go and do that some day!

 

[lcq]

Hi Reaper,

I too like the original Winchester "Power Point" bullet (been around longer than I have, and I'm a geezer).
Unfortunately as far as I can tell, the projectile itself is no longer available to hand-loaders like myself plus, many thousands of others here and around the world.
If I am not mistaken, the 130 grain Power Point is the bullet that made the .270 Winchester cartridge famous via Jack O'Conner's excellent writings about it.

Here in Alaska, both the 180 grain and 220 grain Power Point in .30-06 used to be extremely popular for moose and bear (as was the Nosler Partition) but, lately the Swift A-Frame is sort of taking over.
Personally, I believe the A-Frame to be the very best premium bonded soft available but, at the end of the day, the old Power Point was very adequate for Alaska and evidently for much of Africa's game as well, in 180 to 220 grain, at .30-06 velocity.

I have used the Power Point in the .375 H&H (270 grain) and found it both accurate as well as reliable (mushroomed properly, held together/penetrated well) and I sorely wish it was still available as a projectile / component for hand-loaders.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

Power points are still available in Canada, 180 308 are $45 per 100.

 

[Velo Dog]

Power points are still available in Canada, 180 308 are $45 per 100.

Thanks lcq,

I have not seen them as a reloading component for sale in Alaska for about 20 years now.
But www.midwayUSA .com lists a very sparse caliber selection of them from .227 diameter through .308 diameter (not much in between either).
However, there is a sad note with each and every "Power Point" bullet listed there indicating: "Temporarily Unavailable".
It is a shame.

Same problem with another one of my favorite lines of PG type bullets - Hornady round nose soft point.
Evidently the anti gun people are winning (or else the super high velocity people are winning, lol).
I do not mind at all getting old.
What I do mind is my favorite, tried and true / old faithful bullets are not available much anymore.
That is what makes grumpy old men like me, grumpy.
At least the Nosler Partition is still around (another favorite bullet of mine, especially for longer range shots at non-dangerous game).

But, I have generally had slightly better accuracy from the Power Point and Hornady RNSP than the Partition in more than one hunting rifle.
Other rifles I have owned have shown excellent accuracy with the Nosler Partition, one in particular was a mauser in .300 H&H that shot 180 gr Partitions as well as it did Sierra 180 grain and that is saying something.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[enysse]

Power points are still available in Canada, 180 308 are $45 per 100.

I bought 10 boxes last year for $18 a box, brand new off the shelf....I must damn lucky.

On a side note: I do love the A-Frame bullets, they are pricey but get the job done. I have used Power Points, SST's and just about every other bullet mentioned. Accuracy usually wins most days, performance does help on solid bone shots, but I tend to avoid shooting at heavy bones, because bullets can change direction.

 

[lcq]

Thanks lcq,

I have not seen them as a reloading component for sale in Alaska for about 20 years now.
But www.midwayUSA .com lists a very sparse caliber selection of them from .227 diameter through .308 diameter (not much in between either).
However, there is a sad note with each and every "Power Point" bullet listed there indicating: "Temporarily Unavailable".
It is a shame.

Same problem with another one of my favorite lines of PG type bullets - Hornady round nose soft point.
Evidently the anti gun people are winning (or else the super high velocity people are winning, lol).
I do not mind at all getting old.
What I do mind is my favorite, tried and true / old faithful bullets are not available much anymore.
That is what makes grumpy old men like me, grumpy.
At least the Nosler Partition is still around (another favorite bullet of mine, especially for longer range shots at non-dangerous game).

But, I have generally had slightly better accuracy from the Power Point and Hornady RNSP than the Partition in more than one hunting rifle.
Other rifles I have owned have shown excellent accuracy with the Nosler Partition, one in particular was a mauser in .300 H&H that shot 180 gr Partitions as well as it did Sierra 180 grain and that is saying something.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

I have had better accuracy from flat base bullets as well. Some people here couldn't get core-lokt ultras to work in their guns but they fly like darts in mine. Still have to see which gun shoots better from sticks 300wsm Tikka or 7mm mag 783. If it is the 783 160gr CL ultras will be used. I'll give you a report on how they perform.

 

[lcq]

I bought 10 boxes last year for $18 a box, brand new off the shelf....I must damn lucky.

do those horseshoes hurt?

 

[enysse]

do those horseshoes hurt?

Somedays, I could have bought as much as I wanted.

 

[Lrntolive]

I've always been a Hornady man myself. I'm planning my first trip to Africa, also, but I'm taking my bow rather than my rifle. If you want bullets that will expand and not fragment, I do recommend going with the Hornady GMX or Barnes TSX, TTSX. I'm taking about bullets and not loaded rounds. I load my own ammunition and found the powder and bullet combination I use works best for my rifle. You may need to experiment to determine what works best for yours. Even the bullet weight can cause groups to change out of your rifle, so try many options and find what works best for you.

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

165 gr Nosler accubond my Tikka loves em!!!

 

[Velo Dog]

I have had better accuracy from flat base bullets as well. Some people here couldn't get core-lokt ultras to work in their guns but they fly like darts in mine. Still have to see which gun shoots better from sticks 300wsm Tikka or 7mm mag 783. If it is the 783 160gr CL ultras will be used. I'll give you a report on how they perform.

Hi lcq,

I have zero experience with "Core-Lokt Ultra" bullets, nor any of the WSM cartridges whatsoever, and do not even know anyone who has fired either that specific bullet or WSM cartridge, (no matter what bullet brand/model).
However, seems like I read somewhere that your .300 WSM is ballistically quite similar to the .300 H&H.
In which case, I do have quite a bit of hunting and plinking experience with the supremely excellent H&H version - lol.
With it I found the old 180 grain Winchester factory loaded "Silver Tip" bullet was a bit soft but dropped caribou like a stone (they are not very impact resistant and I know of a mature bull being swiftly slain by a wolverine no less, up at Prudhoe Bay Alaska).

"If you weigh over 300 pounds but are easily killed by a 20 pound weasel, you might be a caribou".

Also I have used the old 180 grain Reminton Core-Lokt bullet in the H&H with fine success (also had fine success with this same bullet in the .30-06 as well).
In Africa, I have used the excellent 180 grain Nosler Partition from the .300 H&H and it proved pretty much perfect for Namibian PG.

As for the 7mm Remington magnum, I have only used one bullet/load in that one but it proved very excellent on deer in both Idaho and Alaska as well, for me personally.
It was the old Remington 150 grain Core-Lokt spitzer.
Generally speaking I do not lean toward recent cartridge developments after about the 1930's but the 7mm Remington is an exception for me (as is the .458 Lott).
I like the 7mm Remington magnum for longer range shooting (I prefer the .300 H&H for that a bit more but, the 7mm Remington is my 2nd favorite at the moment).

That being said, I likely would not bring 7mm Magnum to Africa unless hunting medium sized and smaller PG in some wide open place like the SA Eastern Cape / The Karoo, most of Namibia or any similarly open geography/sparse foliage location.
Definitely not a cartridge I would choose for hunting anything in most of Africa (excessive velocity for most of the typical African hunting conditions, including the very likely odds of encountering large/heavy boned game animals at close range).

If however for some unknown reason I changed my philosophy and decided to bring a 7mm magnum to hunt in most of Africa's "normal bush conditions", I would pray that my rifle was acceptably accurate with 175 grain Swift A-Frame bullets.

Not sure how heavy of a projectile your .300 WSM will accept (I presume it has a short action / short magazine box).
But the heaviest .30 A-Frame that rifle will feed properly and shoot accurately, would be hard to beat for most of Africa's so called "Plains Game" hunting conditions.

I presume by the moniker "ultra", that the bullet you have had excellent accuracy with in your WSM is the premium bonded core type.
In which case, please ignore all of my above rant, as you will no doubt have perfect success with it in Africa - lol.

(Too much espresso this morning - sorry).

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[bluey]

Hi lcq,

I have zero experience with "Core-Lokt Ultra" bullets, nor any of the WSM cartridges whatsoever, and do not even know anyone who has fired either that specific bullet or WSM cartridge, (no matter what bullet brand/model).
However, seems like I read somewhere that your .300 WSM is ballistically quite similar to the .300 H&H.
In which case, I do have quite a bit of hunting and plinking experience with the supremely excellent H&H version - lol.
With it I found the old 180 grain Winchester factory loaded "Silver Tip" bullet was a bit soft but dropped caribou like a stone (they are not very impact resistant and I know of a mature bull being swiftly slain by a wolverine no less, up at Prudhoe Bay Alaska).

"If you weigh over 300 pounds but are easily killed by a 20 pound weasel, you might be a caribou".

Also I have used the old 180 grain Reminton Core-Lokt bullet in the H&H with fine success (also had fine success with this same bullet in the .30-06 as well).
In Africa, I have used the excellent 180 grain Nosler Partition from the .300 H&H and it proved pretty much perfect for Namibian PG.

As for the 7mm Remington magnum, I have only used one bullet/load in that one but it proved very excellent on deer in both Idaho and Alaska as well, for me personally.
It was the old Remington 150 grain Core-Lokt spitzer.
Generally speaking I do not lean toward recent cartridge developments after about the 1930's but the 7mm Remington is an exception for me (as is the .458 Lott).
I like the 7mm Remington magnum for longer range shooting (I prefer the .300 H&H for that a bit more but, the 7mm Remington is my 2nd favorite at the moment).

That being said, I likely would not bring 7mm Magnum to Africa unless hunting medium sized and smaller PG in some wide open place like the SA Eastern Cape / The Karoo, most of Namibia or any similarly open geography/sparse foliage location.
Definitely not a cartridge I would choose for hunting anything in most of Africa (excessive velocity for most of the typical African hunting conditions, including the very likely odds of encountering large/heavy boned game animals at close range).

If however for some unknown reason I changed my philosophy and decided to bring a 7mm magnum to hunt in most of Africa's "normal bush conditions", I would pray that my rifle was acceptably accurate with 175 grain Swift A-Frame bullets.

Not sure how heavy of a projectile your .300 WSM will accept (I presume it has a short action / short magazine box).
But the heaviest .30 A-Frame that rifle will feed properly and shoot accurately, would be hard to beat for most of Africa's so called "Plains Game" hunting conditions.

I presume by the moniker "ultra", that the bullet you have had excellent accuracy with in your WSM is the premium bonded core type.
In which case, please ignore all of my above rant, as you will no doubt have perfect success with it in Africa - lol.

(Too much espresso this morning - sorry).

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

ha ha ha how many ,bloody ,coffees , vd..............