Best out of box 30-06 ammo ??

[KTKT70]

Anybody use a good 30-06 round here in Cali. Looking for lead-free and ready to go right out of the box. Thank you

 

[JDH]

Ktkt70,

I tried the Hornady superperformance 150 gr GMX. They shot well out of my Remington mountain rifle.
They definitely kick a bit more.

 

[ltdann]

Winchester e-tips. Nosler up front, really good accuracy and knockdown

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Brnsvllyjohn]

Trying to get your gun to shoot a decent group with what others use can sometimes be difficult. I have a 30-06 that is very finicky. I have been struggling to find a lead-free factory load for it but may have one now. I shot on Friday and had a 3 shot group that was 1.2 inches at 100 yards. Best I have found so far. I will get more and shoot again but what worked on Friday was the Federal 165 gr Trophy Copper. The loads that did not work for me were Barnes, Hornady and Nosler non toxic loads in a variety of bullet weights. My son's 30-06 shoots most of the ones I could not with good results so I can pass those boxes on to him. The point I am trying to make is it may take a few boxes of factory loads to find one you can live with. Try what you like or what others recommend but don't be surprised if it takes a while to find the correct one for your gun. By the way my wife's gun will shoot almost any of the non toxic loads very well but it is not a 30-06.

The best scenario is if you have a buddy that will loan or sell you a few to go try that can save on having to purchase 5-6 different loads at $40- $50 per box to find one you like. My son has benefitted from my testing. LOL

 

[asaxon]

As you know, it can be very rifle specific. Some like mine seem to do fine with most everything Hornady Superformance 150gr GMX and Barnes Vortex 165gr and the earlier Federal with Barnes bullets 180gr as well. Any of those plus the Winchester etip as LTDan said are fine ammo. I haven't tried the new Federal all copper while the older Remington coppper is the only load I found that was not tight. On the other hand, some older rifles are very finickly.

Buy a box of two or three types, try them out with a real good solid rest and when you find the one you like in terms of grouping, buy a bunch so you don't have to change in case they modify the ammo (as Federal did when it stopped using Barnes bullets) and it is unlikely to go down in price in time as well. It isn't "milk" so it won't go off in the next decade... Have FUN!

According to Rick Patterson, Managing Director of SAAMI, “In fact as long as your ammunition is stored at normal room temperatures with low humidity, it can function reliably for decades.”

Read more: http://www.gunsandammo.com/ammo/how-to-store-ammo/#ixzz4EcXr1qPU
​

 

[KTKT70]

Thank you all. I know that I can't be told the magic round to use. Was thinking more of a starting point.

My gun is 40 years old give or take a few years. Remington 742 woodsmaster 30-06. Just had a complete breakdown and cleaning. New parts to replace any old or worn a out stuff. Should be good for years to come. Family gun that has taken many deer back in Texas, but new to me.

Thank you again for all the info. What's going to be the trick of sighting in the scope if the ammo can be so bad??

 

[JustGuy]

Lead - i have good luck with Winchester Power point 150 Gr
Lead free - win e-tip, and win 95/5 both 150 gr

Lead free Federal and Remington do not group well out of my gun

 

[Brnsvllyjohn]

When you go to the range use any ammo you have to get on target and adjust your scope so it is close if it isn't already sighted in and since it has been taken apart I suspect it could be way off. Once you are comfortably on paper then shoot some lead free ammo for a group and don't worry about it not being near the center. It might be but it might not be. What you are looking for is a decent 3-5 shot group. I tend to shoot more 3 shot groups now than 5. Once you decide that the ammo can shoot a decent group then fine tune your scope for that load. I have seen too many guys adjusting the scopes before they even know if the load they are trying will group decently. Changing the adjustments constantly makes it harder to decide if the overall group was decent. When I shot my 3 shot group on Friday I was only looking for how they shot as a group not if they were dead center or where I would want that gun zeroed to. Your gun is most likely not a 1" gun and I have owned three 742s and one would shoot 2" groups pretty consistently so not terrible either. Only you can decide how far you will shoot and what group size you can live with but 2-3 inches might be all that gun can do. Since it has been in the family for years I doubt you will be in a hurry to replace it (I know I would not) and it is perfectly capable of harvesting animals for years to come. My finicky 30-06 is an older bolt gun that I will not get rid of I just have to work with it to find something it likes. Killed my first deer with it and intend to keep it.

 

[KTKT70]

Wow. Thanks for all the good news. I have until November to get this thing really going. Maybe take it out for a deer also but tiring to get ready for a birthday hunt/camp out. I would like to find someone that wants to spend time at the range. Tehachapi or Bakersfield would be close for me. Both have a good range to use.

Thanks agian for the help.

 

[New Hunter]

Hi KTKT70,

I have always been shooting .30-06, and the best ammo I found so far is Barnes Vor-TX 180gr Tipped TSX. This ammo shoot flat straight out of the box. I have no problem hitting a 2" bullseye at 100,200,300, and 400 yards with this ammo

 

[eoats]

Barnes Vortex 165gr or 180gr was getting me the smallest group size until I tried a box of the
Hornady Superperformance GMX 165gr.

Very happy now that I can shoot sub MOA from my Vanguard.

As mentioned, the point of impact will vary from ammo to ammo. The Hornady hits more than 2" higher at 200 yards than the Barnes.

 

[OPAH]

Hornady superperformance 150 gr GMX worked OK out of my Browning but not so well out of My SILs Rim 700?
Found reloaded 165 Grain Boat tail, Minimum powder load worked best with the 700

 

[KTKT70]

All good info. I just found out my friend has everything to make a custom load for my gun. He also has his own private shooting range set up out to 5oo yards. I wont need that far but good to have it available.

 

[jerryt]

My rifles shoot the expenisvie stuff like crap. They all love the cheapest ammo available. I can shoot te cheap stuff in a quarter all day. My 10-22's are the only finiky shooting guns I own. The bullets either need to be copper or brass coated. If they are straidht lead abou every third shot is way off.

 

[KTKT70]

Nice. Maybe I will get lucky and my old guy will like the cheap stuff. Thanks for the heads up. I will be trying a few out of the box rounds soon. Also asked a friend at church about hunting rounds and he is going to help me do a work up for custom stuff. Should be a little work but worth it in the end.