Favorite .30-06 deer load?

You can tell all the deer you want....they can't out run this load. ;D

Rifle - 24" Parker Hale 1200
Bullet - Sierra 150 grain Boat Tail
Powder - IMR 4064 52 grains
Brass - R-P
Primer - CCI standard rifle

Most deer just wave a white flag when they see me with this rifle. :

For years I used IMR 4350 exclusively,now I use H4350 and I find no difference in "my" rifles:

59 gr 150 Nosler Ballistic tip
58 gr 168 Nosler Partition/Barnes TSX/Sierra Prohunter/Speer Boattail
57 gr Any 180
55-56 gr Sierra 200BT
I use Federal or CCI match primers

I use a full case of R22 with the Nosler 200 Partition and a magnum primer for elk/big hogs,etc

The one that kills the deer. My favorite powders are H4350 for bullets 165 gr and heavier, and IMR-4064 for bullets 150 gr and lighter. I use primarily Nosler Ballistic Tips up to 180 gr, then if I have to go 180 gr or heavier, I'm shooting something big and I go with a Nosler Partition.

165gr. Core lokt, Win brass, and max dose of H4350. (59gr,)
Winchester LR primers

I use 58gn of IMR 4350 under a 165gn Nosler Partition in Winchester brass with Winchester lrp. It chronied out at 2830fps. In my Remington 700 it is an extremely accurate round making an honest three shot, one hole group at 100 yards from a good rest.

Sierra SPBT @ 180 grains in front of a load of IMR4350 with a standard CCI LR primer.

For deer: 150 gameking,Imr-4350,cci-200 with rem. brass
For elk : 165 partition, Imr-4350,cci-200 with rem. brass

I use IMR4064 also. 51.5 grs, Remington 150 CL and CCI std LRP. This has been my go to gun/load for 20+ years.

Papalote

WW Brass
CCI 200
180gr Nosler Ballistic Tip
59.0grs H4831
.005" off the lands
2737fps average
.5-.75 accuracy

Minute of water bottle out to 620yds if I am not wired up on coffee. I have fired 10 3 shot [email protected] and none have been over .77", low was .511".

From what I am reading, my H4350 load is slightly under what has been posted, and my IMR-4064 load is slightly over. Individual guns vary in what they like, that's why you have to do your own testing. The 4350 powders are pretty hard to beat in the 30-06.

Aye, Mr. Halwg, I agree about individual testing. But I was curious about what other folks' guns like, as well as what different hunting bullets were often favorites, and in what bullet weights.

My favorite load is:
Sierra 150 grain Soft Point
51.5 grains Imr 4064
Rem Cases
Federal LR Primers
Seated 10 thousandths off the lands

I am a bit surprised, so far, at the numbers of 165 and 180 grain loads I see. I just always figured a 150 was ideal, but our deer are small and plentiful. Some guns may like 180s better in all fairness. Some areas have much larger deer than ours too. A doe here is 90-110 lbs live weight. A buck will run 125-175 live weight.

Mr. Papalote's load and mine are about the same, and I got mine from the Sierra manual, though it proved true in my gun. I'm surprised, and yet not, to see Remmy CL bullets. Most folks want to go 'premium' these days, but to be honest, most any ole expanding .308 tip is going to cause ole mossy horns a bad day.

Most folks want to go 'premium' these days, but to be honest, most any ole expanding .308 tip is going to cause ole mossy horns a bad day.

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You are absolutely correct....all the standard bullets from Sierra, Hornady, Speer, Remington and Winchester work fine on deer. Place any 150-180gr bullet in the right spot and the freezer is full.

I am using 180 grain Hornaday with H4831. I have also used H380 with good results. Those are my big game loads that can be used up to Moose and Elk. Should work for deer as well.

janott said:

Sierra SPBT @ 180 grains in front of a load of IMR4350 with a standard CCI LR primer.

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Looked it up and I'm loading 54.2 grains, not sure what the velocity is because I did not chronograph my 30-06 but the book says about 2666FPS so up here at my elevation It's surly at 2700. Nothing to sneer at, that same bullet Molly coated in my 300WM, magnum primer and a much larger dose of the same powder is traveling at 3017FPS. Accuracy is very good with both rifles.

My favorite deer load is a classic '06 load.

57grains of IMR4350
165grain bullet of your choice [I like the Hornady SST]
CCI200 primer

I get 2750-2800fps and groups average under .75" from my Marlin XL-7.

DMSBandit
How did you find my load? that's the exact load my Browning Abolt likes....and 3/4" groups. I didn't chrono though. ;D
Winchester Brass

It puts 'em down too.

Just got back from the range today and I finaly got to test out my new load for the 30-06. It's 60 grain of w760. Federal case. Federal 210m primer. Barnes TTSX 150 grian bullet. Average velocity of 3027. It's a 1/2 moa load at 100 yards. All three holes touching. I'm really happy with this load. ;D

For me, in my CZ-550 on whitetail, it is hard to beat 56.0 gr of H-414 under a 165 gr bullet. It will shoot 3/4 MOA out to 250 yards (so far, haven't benched it past that range yet), and generates 2,850 fps from the muzzle.