Posted: 8/14/2023 8:55:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: C-4][Edited]
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The hunting situation is as follows: 1) Open field with no obstructions (branches, etc) 2) Good rest from inside an 8 X 16’ wood deer blind 2) Distance between 20 to max 180 yards 3) White-tail buck dressed weight between 145 to 200 lbs 4) Aiming point is right behind the shoulder for a double lung shot, but if angled it may hit opposite shoulder 
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"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, give it Narcan." ~ AverageJoe365
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Originally Posted By KILLERB6: The Sierras for me…well, for me to shoot the deer with. That’s what I recommended, and what he used last year. He shot a 170 lb dressed buck, double lung, and it ran about 80 yards in the field and then another 30 into the woods with the Federal Sierra GameKing 165gr. He complained there wasn’t enough blood coming out the other side and he wanted a better “blood trail”. I use the same ammo but 308. |
"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, give it Narcan." ~ AverageJoe365
“Imagine if the Great Depression and Mad Max had a baby.” ~ KingRat
“Imagine if the Great Depression and Mad Max had a baby.” ~ KingRat
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What most everyone said. (any load) Never been overly impressed with green/yellow Rem ammo but 30/06 at less than 200 yds is essentially overkill on a whitetail .Remington and Winchester loads are Wal mart discount stuff, the Federal with the game kings are truly premium ammo (that might have been bought at wal mart also) but can't believe it will make much difference You are going to have different point of impact with all those different bullet weights , make sure you zero each load. Game kings have never failed me , start with them . Don't overthink this . Find someone (in your hometown section?) to do some trading with so you wind up with 2 or 3 boxes of the same exact stuff and can practice ,zero and hunt with all the same stuff |
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Originally Posted By C-4: That’s what I recommended, and what he used last year. He shot a 170 lb dressed buck, double lung, and it ran about 80 yards in the field and then another 30 into the woods with the Federal Sierra GameKing 165gr. He complained there wasn’t enough blood coming out the other side and he wanted a better “blood trail”. I use the same ammo but 308. It happens. No rhyme or reason. I remember hitting a dead on perfect behind the shoulder shot on a 120lb doe, no more than 50yds, with a 220gr nobler partition out of a 300 WSM. Blood trail looked like a horror movie. She still ran nearly 100' to the thickest briar patch in the world. She just didn't know she was dead yet I suppose. I've had good results with powerpoint if you can't get the game kings. |
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Originally Posted By RifleDisciple: Any of them. But if I had those 4 boxes in front of my, I would grab the Sierra GK. Good accurate bullet. yep |
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I’ve killed a cow elk with a 165gr PowerPoint and a whitetail buck with a 165gr green/yellow box. Both within 100 yards, so easy shots. But both drt. ETA: side note, the best 3 round 100 yard group I’ve ever fired was with a beat up pre64 model 70 in 30.06 with PowerPoints. |
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| There's no wrong answer there. I'd probably chose the 165gr Core Lokt because that's what I've used the most, but the game king is the more purpose designed bullet. |
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| My Dad, Uncles, and myself have killed dump trucks full of U.P. sized deer with 180 Coreloks. If they shoot well out of your gun I'd probably go with that since it's what I know. Any of those are more than suitable for whitetail though. |
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Considering he has less confidence in the 165gr Sierra Gameking now I would recommend he goes up to the 180gr Corelokt. It won't make any difference but confidence is important. The active ingredient will have the same effect....but the color of the pill can matter.  |
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Ah meh blah. …. Here’s something not in the OP’s mix: I’ve killed a bunch of deer with Remington 220grn ‘06 Corelokts. Bang!/flop best describes it. Or … Attached File |
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As you see by the results shown here almost everyone says any of those loads will be fine. With 30/06 you will after all have plenty of power , many might say overkill. I also have never been disappointed with any sierra bullet used for its intended use (game kings for hunting , match kings for target), that is what I would try first. Grab a couple of boxes , check your zero and group size. Pay attention to the zero of the first shot out of a cold barrel and go with whatever works best for piece of mind. 1 1/2 inch group with one load or 2 1/4 inch with another counts for something when shooting paper targets at 300 yds but doesn't count for squat with a 150+yd shot at a deer. Likely might count for confidence , use whatever seems to shoot best for you. |
| I've used Core-Lokt and Win Silver Tip for years, mostly the Remington. The 165s will certainly drop a deer but I always carry the 180gr rounds in case I come across a nice bear. |
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165 grain Winchesters. Actually, The last 15 deer I've shot were with 150 Gr Nosler Ballistic tips or 165 Powerpoints. Very, very rarely do they take more than 5 steps. Shoot them all and see which your gun prefers. Then use that.....confidently as all of them will posthole a deer. |
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I've used 150g Remington Core Lokt for over 20 years and I've never lost a deer. All of my shots were double lung and they all dropped on the spot. Actually I take that back. Hit one a little far back in the liver (walking at an angle) and it ran about 20 yards. Easy blood trail though. With a 30-06 ammo selection does not really matter that much. Especially Sub 300 yards. Shoot whichever groups best out of your rifle. Assuming you aren't trying for anything fancy and aim for the center of the lungs broadside. You should never lose a deer. Originally Posted By Oldgold: Nosler Partition 150 grain. I don’t trust factory loads. Why don't you trust factory loads? Unless you're shooting long range I really don't think ammo selection is that important out of a 30-06. Any generic hunting round does the trick. I know a lot of guys like to nerd out over hunting ammo. But in my experience. And the experience of my father. (So we're talking 60+ years of whitetails with a 30-06). Any hunting ammo does the trick. We typically used 150g core lokts because it was readily available. Cheap. And our rifles shot them well. I've talked to guys that have lost deer with a 6.5 and .243. Very seasoned/experienced hunters...Maybe with calibers like that ammo selection becomes significantly more important. But 06's hit hard. |