1 10" twist bullet suggestions

[wyobohunter]

Cart-30-06
Use-High Country Hunting (goats/sheep)
Want-highest b.c. + flattest compromise but cheap enough to shoot for fun as well. Looking to the thong range gurus to suggest a particular bullet. So far looking at the 165 and 180gr Hornady Interlock SST.

 

[j.chappell]

I am a Berger fan, I like the VLD's they kill like lightning.


http://www.bergerbullets.com/

 

[T. O'Heir]

Any bullet weight will do nicely. 1 in 10 is standard for the .30-06. Any good 165 will kill any game you care to hunt with no fuss. It's a great all round hunting bullet weight.

 

[mkg]

Another vote for the Berger VLD (168gr ?).

The 155 gr. Hornaday A-Max would be good also.

Mike

 

[Art Eatman]

My father killed probably 200 deer with his '06, using the 150-grain Hornady. Ranges to 500 yards (in front of witnesses) and body weights to 200 pounds, field-dressed.

I got one-shot kills at 350 yards with a 150-grain Remington Bronze Point, cross-body shot; and at 450 yards with a Sierra 150-grain SP (don't recall if it were a BT) via a frontal chest hit.

Art

 

[skinewmexico]

I was going to say the new non-VLD Berger 155. Great BC, thicker jacket.

 

[30Cal]

Don't expect much out of a VLD unless you load it almost up against the lands. With most factory barrels, this makes for cartridges that are way longer than the magazine.

AMax's seem to be a lot more tolerant and aren't nearly as expensive.

 

[taylorce1]

Hornady makes a great bullet and I wouldn't be afraid to use them on high country sheep and goats. Another bullet to consider is the Nosler Hunting BT and Accubond. These bullets have the same design, BC and SD in 165 and 180 grain bullets. You can use the BT for practice and shoot the Accubond for hunting as long as you get same POI out of your rifle.

 

[Buzzcook]

I've used the Hornady 150gr for about 30 years, it works fine.
Some people prefer a heavier bullet for longer range because they're less affected by wind.
The main thing imho is to work up an accurate load. You might find that you get more precise groups with one bullet weight than you will with another.

 

[j.chappell]

I've used Sierra 30cal 150gr. RN for years and they have worked fine but the OP was asking about 165gr-180gr high BC bullets so I posted the high BC bullets that I have used with great success.

I have been able to attain great accuracy with Berger VLD's within the constraints of magazine length.

Everyone has to choose what is going to work best for him in his situation. I use the following bullets in my 30cals for different shooting situations.

Sierra 150gr. RN
Hornady 165gr. SP
Berger 168gr. VLD
Sierra 180gr. RN
Nosler 180gr. Partition

 

[Slamfire]

A 1:10 twist 30-06 barrel will shoot a wide variety of bullets weights very well. I have shot 110's through 200 grain bullets and received excellent groups.

So I offer a different thought. Why not go lighter? I loaded a 130 Hornady Spire point just below 3200 fps, in a 24" barrel, and it was devasting to a spike buck.

You can push a 130 grain bullet in the 30-06 to a higher muzzle velocity than a 130 in a 270. At long range the slight ballistic advantage of the .270 gives it a slighter higher velocity. But not by much.

The 130 grain bullet in the 270 has been recognized as an excellent all around hunting round. So why not a 130 in the 30-06?

 

[j.chappell]

4 reasons to use a 277 130gr. over a 308 130gr. bullet, even when launched at their top velocities the 06 only betters the 270 by 100fps or so. To top it off it even loses that velocity edge before 200 yards just when you start to need it.

277 130gr. bullet

1. higher retained velocity
2. higher retained energy
3. higher ballistic coeficient
4. greater sectional density

All of this equates to greater killing power.

 

[Jimro]

Ballistic tips are usually a good place to start. Barnes X bullets and Sierra Game Kings are good as well. A high BC allows the bullet to retain energy/velocity at distance, but accuracy doesn't necessarily come from a high BC bullet launched at maximum velocity.

Jimro

 

[Art Eatman]

Some FWIW stuff that might or might not be useful:

I have found little difference at 100 yards for the points of impact among the Sierra boat-tails: 150-gr SP; 165-gr HP, and 180-gr SP. They all give me three-shot groups inside one MOA. I changed from 4064 to H414 for the 180s, and the last time out I got a three-shot group of 0.4 MOA.

At my 500-yard range, all those loads shoot right at one MOA or a tad better, and pretty much to the same POI. I guess that the higher velocity of the lighter bullets offsets the "carrying" of the heavier bullets, so the trajectories are pretty much the same.

Wby Mark V, .30-'06, 26" barrel, new in 1971. Simmons 44Mag 3x10x44, installed new in 1997. Other than the H414 load, I've used 4064 and these Sierras for some 30 years.