A mixed up day at the range

[OntarioHunter]

To the range today during the first snow of the year. I quickly checked three different 30-06 loads at 100 meters all with A4350 powder: 165 gr Partitions @ 55.5 gr powder; 190 gr Hornady cup & core @ 52 gr; and 165 gr Hornady Interlock @ 55.5 gr.

#1 is 190 gr
#2 is Partition
#3 is 165 gr Interlock after moving right two clicks
#4 is same 165 after moving back 2 clicks left
#5 is same 165 Hornady.

I only have a dozen Partitions and no hope of finding more so I didn't want to waste them. Interesting that the 190 gr was so close to the 165s. I'm sure they'll drop some at 200 yards but should be in an elk's boiler room. 165 Interlock are a bit on the light side for elk but just fine for deer. The 190 gr will have sufficentp thump. If I can again get some snow for tracking my shots should be less than 200 yards, typically less than a hundred yards. I'll take one box each of 190 and 165 to Montana. Should be good to go for anything under any conditions.

 

[Don Fischer]

I used 180's in my 30-06 for. I always though of 165's as great deer bullets in a 308 but should they would work in a 30-06 also. I take that view because I do shoot cup and core bullets. IMO I thint the 180gr bullet is about as good as in get's in a 30-06! In your shoes I'd stick with that 190gr bullet. Not enough velocity to blow uo the bullet but enough velocity and bullet weight to penetrate well.

 

[millerkiller77]

To the range today during the first snow of the year. I quickly checked three different 30-06 loads at 100 meters all with A4350 powder: 165 gr Partitions @ 55.5 gr powder; 190 gr Hornady cup & core @ 52 gr; and 165 gr Hornady Interlock @ 55.5 gr.

#1 is 190 gr
#2 is Partition
#3 is 165 gr Interlock after moving right two clicks
#4 is same 165 after moving back 2 clicks left
#5 is same 165 Hornady.

I only have a dozen Partitions and no hope of finding more so I didn't want to waste them. Interesting that the 190 gr was so close to the 165s. I'm sure they'll drop some at 200 yards but should be in an elk's boiler room. 165 Interlock are a bit on the light side for elk but just fine for deer. The 190 gr will have sufficentp thump. If I can again get some snow for tracking my shots should be less than 200 yards, typically less than a hundred yards. I'll take one box each of 190 and 165 to Montana. Should be good to go for anything under any conditions.

Ist that a wee bit spicy ?

 

[OntarioHunter]

I used 180's in my 30-06 for. I always though of 165's as great deer bullets in a 308 but should they would work in a 30-06 also. I take that view because I do shoot cup and core bullets. IMO I thint the 180gr bullet is about as good as in get's in a 30-06! In your shoes I'd stick with that 190gr bullet. Not enough velocity to blow uo the bullet but enough velocity and bullet weight to penetrate well.

If I could find 180 gr, I'd load them up. Can't be had in ammo or bullets. Those 190 gr bullets are about thirty years old. Hornady stopped making them long ago. Great for tracking moose up close and personal. I used a black sharpie to mark an X on base/primer of 165 Partitions. Red for 190 gr Hornady boattails. 165 Interlock are unmarked. For mule deer hunting I will probably use the Interlock 165 gr. Partitions drop em dead but can be kinda messy. Long shots at elk, if it happens and I have time to change up, I'll use the Partitions. I found a few more of them that were lost so now have seventeen. Partition bullets are golden right now. I had to pull the bullets on all the old loads. Had used Dad's antique Herters powder measure for those and it is inconsistent (understatement!). My new electronic scale is bulletproof. Also needed to toss some of the brass I loaded that was too tired. Embarrassing when my loads failed at the range in Africa due to split cases.

 

[std7mag]

When i had my 30-06, i used the 165gr Nosler Ballistic Tips.
25 yards to 300 yards, deer was right where i shot it.

Only caveat with those was to pay attention on how the deer was positioned in regards to the shooter.
At 125 yards, slight quartering away hit the offside shoulder.
Picked the deer up & threw it.
Could almost literally put your fist through the hole.
Never recovered any part of the bullet at any distance.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I typically hunt in snow. Tracking a wounded animal has never been a problem. I value meat retention more than bang-flop. The Partition 165 gr do some meat damage but at least on larger size animals there's often no exit. However, it's like a hand grenade goes off inside them. Tracker recovered Partition bullets from wildebeest and gemsbuck shot during my first trip to Africa. Both were shot broadside through the shoulder at fairly close range (100 yards for wildebeest and 12 yards on the fly for gemsbuck) and both recovered bullets were essentially identical: top half above the partition gone. It seems the advantage of Partitions vs hollow points is the bullet doesn't totally come apart after impact and has some propensity to stay on course. Perhaps a heavier 180 gr 30-06 Partition would not be as explosive? Might like to try them ... if Nosler ever starts producing components again.

 

[Don Fischer]

My 25-06 showed me what velocity does to bullet's and animals. 100gr bullets at over 3300fps took deer down like lighting. But God forbid you nicked something you might want to eat. Problem solved with 117gr bullet's at 3000fps. Much better meat retention but majority of deer walked off a few yards and layed down dead. I suspect the mono bullet's may be the best to elminate the problem as it seem's the whole bullet simply stays together. Bonded bullet's should work well also but are going to spray some lead going through, just not as much as non bonced cup and core. Best way I found around the meat loss is to use a heavier cup and core at lower velocity. Down side of monolithic and binded bullet's is cost. When I hunted a lot, I shot a lot and I shot with the loads I'd hunt with. Premium bullets get pretty expensive. I tried partition's years ago and found that the part in front of the partition always was missing and didn't care for that at all. Only was that can happen without finding a bullet is for it to blow up. Quicker kill but nasty meat!

 

[buffybr]

Back when my only centerfire rifle was my .30-06 I loaded 150 grain Hornady C&C bullets for deer and 189 gr Sierra C&C bullets for elk. Back then the deer and elk seasons were concurrent and some years I shot my elk with 150 gr bullets and other years with 180 gr bullets. I didn't seem to make much difference.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Of course, 180 gr 30-06 is not an into the next zipcode kinda bullet, but that's okay for tracking style hunting. Most shots are under 100 yards.

 

[Don Fischer]

If I could find 180 gr, I'd load them up. Can't be had in ammo or bullets. Those 190 gr bullets are about thirty years old. Hornady stopped making them long ago. Great for tracking moose up close and personal. I used a black sharpie to mark an X on base/primer of 165 Partitions. Red for 190 gr Hornady boattails. 165 Interlock are unmarked. For mule deer hunting I will probably use the Interlock 165 gr. Partitions drop em dead but can be kinda messy. Long shots at elk, if it happens and I have time to change up, I'll use the Partitions. I found a few more of them that were lost so now have seventeen. Partition bullets are golden right now. I had to pull the bullets on all the old loads. Had used Dad's antique Herters powder measure for those and it is inconsistent (understatement!). My new electronic scale is bulletproof. Also needed to toss some of the brass I loaded that was too tired. Embarrassing when my loads failed at the range in Africa due to split cases.

I'll never be able to hunt Africa and these days I suspect my weapon of choice would be my Nikon digital camera. But if I were going on a long trip somewhere to hunt, all my ammo would be reloads in once fired case's. Not to hard to adjust two miles from home but 2000 miles away it get a bit hard!

Have you tried the interlocks in Africa? I've used them since they were called spire points! Other than my old 7mm mag they were all I used for years only because in everything but that 7mm mag the were more accurate. I think back and the difference actually didn't amount to squat in a hunting rifle. I did some test's with Hornady spire points and Speer hot core's and the Hornady won out by something like a eight inch in accuracy, meaninless in hunting ammo but I was young then! The thing I discovered that I think now was most important was both spire point's and hot cores maintained about 85% ot their weight, dead draw. The real difference was the spire points shot loose in the jacket and I could turn the core with my finger's. The hot core stayed tight, could not budge it. Caught the bullet's in bundled newspaper at 100 yds. Used those Honady bullet's a lot of years and if I stayed on the heavy for caliber side, never once had one fail me! Used those hot cores only in that old 7mm mag and they also never failed me, 160gr hot cores. These days I don't hunt as much as I did back then and got three elk with my 6.5x06 and those spire points/interlocks. One shot each. But been thinking I am gonna go to hot core's in my 6.5x55 for deer next year. Just a brain fart that tells me they might be a bit better than the Hornady and no complaints on the Hornady. Be going with the 140gr hot core. For some reason Speer doesn't make a 130gr 6.5 bullet or I'd try it.

Good luck in africa, I envey you!

 

[OntarioHunter]

165 gr Hornady Interlock did well in Africa and Montana 2022 ... when I did my job. A bit messy but killed the animals quickly. I think if I stick with that style I'll bump up to 180 gr. Kills just as well, just not as much range which I don't need anyway. Not as much meat damage.