A good .30-06 Hunting load?

30-06 is a GREAT round and your options are many. Are you looking for a recomendation for factory ammo?

Or would you like some data to roll yer own?

Looking for a Do-it-all load or deer-loads-in-the-rifle-and bear-loads-in-yer-pocket situation?

A deer load will tend to be a lighter bullet traveling faster, flatter trajectory, less "knockdown power" & penetration.

A bear load will be heavier bullet, slower. Hit harder but not as flat shooting, range estimation becomes more critical.

Nothing wrong with putting a bear load to a deer, except that you will be a little more limited in your range. Deer loads on bear are fine also...from a 30-06, as long as you are using a high quality bullet that will hold together and penetrate well.

Heffy Hornady has some factory loads that that increase velocity while decreasing case pressure called superformance New Products - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc
What it does is using fast burn powder layered with an inhibitor to create a complete burn as the the bullet leaves the barrel instead of having 30% burn after the bullet leaves

Eventually this will work into reloading books but its deffinetlly worth looking into

Here are a couple of my fav '06 hunting loads. Both Barnes & Swift are VERY tough bullets. Good for bear, but still very accurate, and if you stick with 180g in a 30-06 you can push them fast enough to maintain a reasonable trajectory out to 200yds easy. Plus a 180 at 2700fps will knock the **** out of a deer. Just be careful not to ruin all the meat.

As always, shot placement is paramount.



I like Alliant powders, especially the Reloader line. Reloader 19 is pretty much the perfect powder for the 30-06. I burn a lot of R19. :rock:




Never use load data unknown to you without extreme caution.
These loads are not "mild". Start a few grains low and work up to them.
180g Barnes XBT over 59g of Reloader 19 and the primer of your choice, just NOT a magnum primer. 2700fps

180g Scirocco II over 56g of Reloader 19, primer of your choice, no magnums. 2700fps According to Sierra, this load can be pushed to 2800fps with 57.2g of R19, but I've found peak accuracy at 2700fps. I especially prefer this load.

SST Bullets
165grain Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: 30-06 SPRG :: 30-06 Springfield 165 gr SST® Superformance™

180grain Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: 30-06 SPRG :: 30-06 Springfield 180 gr SST® Superformance™

GMX Bullets
165grain Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: 30-06 SPRG :: 30-06 Springfield 165 gr GMX® Superformance™

I use 57 gr. IMR 4350 behind a 165 gr. Nosler partition - about 2800 fps at the muzzle. Very lethal for deer at 200+. Should be more than adequate for bear around here. Don't know if I'd use it for browns in AK tho.

This is what I use. It is a near maximum load and may not be suitable, or safe, for anyone else.

30-06? I have taken mule down with an old Savage bolt action 22 LR. Hit em where it matters (heart). Aside from that, with medium to long range shot on a 30-06, go with a bullet grain of at least 150 grain. Ammo tech has devieloped alot in the pat 10 years, and Hornady is at the top for "making the target". 168 grain and on up to 225 would not hurt this rifle for deer hunting. Provided you have a barrel length tween 18-24".

MindPilot said:

30-06? I have taken mule down with an old Savage bolt action 22 LR. Hit em where it matters (heart).

Click to expand...

Did Washington State change the rules to make .22LR a legal hunting caliber???

I always thought it had to be .24 caliber or greater.

^ you are correct

22lr deer

Thats the one that fish and game don't have A count on. Cause they can't count that high. Ha Ha Ha

I know other states allow .223 for deer season and would be kinda cool out be able to use the AR but back to question though. We use 165 gr for deer and I have 220 gr for elk and Bear. I just hate shooting the 220 with my 1903, kicks the crap out of me. But from what I have seen it handles the range pretty good out to 280 yards. I would say if you wanted 1 round that would handle both I would go with the 180 grain.

Are you going to come over and hunt with T? He just moved to town this past weekend and if so we can go up to the property. I have 2 6x6's on the grounds and plenty of cows. Got my first cow last year with my bow, pretty cool. Also have 4 bears and 1 cat floating around too.

All my odd sixes are zeroed at 200 yards.
If you want mid range performance, get a lever action in 30-30.

You are swatting flies with a sledge hammer.

A 150 Barns triple shock, with 50 gr of 4895, will be an over kill for any deer in the PNW.

Anything more and your arm is going to hate you.

If you shot my standard load though your Tika, you would hurt yourself.
But then my standard load will take down anything in North America