Heavy or light weight bullets?

Question

I have a 30-06 and I'm trying to decide what are the advantages of a light weight and heavy weight bullet. Which is best for accuracy and hunting at distances? Right now I'm using a 150 grain Federal power shok bullet. Any recommendations?

and the lower the price the better... yeah yeah, i know about the "you get what you pay for thing" but unfortunately, I can only afford the lower price ammo, but be free to recommend any other type of rounds. Oh, and I also have a Remington 710 if you were wondering.

Answer 1

Basically a heavy bullet will have better penetration on a target, but begins to fall at a close range. A light bullet will go farther in a straight line, but it won't have the same penetration. At the end of the day, I would say a lighter bullet is generally best for distance hunting and accuracy. As for rounds, I usually just use Winchester Super-X, and they have never done me wrong.

Answer 2

I also have a 30-06.... and the 2 different grains I can use by federal are 180 or 150....so the 150 would be good at farther distances because the bullet wont drop as much due to the weight when compared to the 180 grain. Now the 180 would be very good at closer ranges, like 200 meters or closer for hunting..... and better knock down power too.... I zeroed in my scope at 200 meters with the 180 grain..... so at 100 meters I aim a hair low and im good..... and if I want to go with 150 grain im still good.

Answer 3

You didn't say what you were hunting, so I will assume whitetail deer. The 150 grain is just about ideal, and your Federal is a good bullet. With that ammo and your M721, you can kill any whitetail that ever walked.
Elk, moose, grizzly, caribou, etc. will require more penetration, and therefore a larger (and tougher bullet), something in the range of 180-200 grains, and a "premium" bullet, like a Nosler or Barnes to penetrate the additional hide, muscle and bone structure necessary to reach the vitals of these larger animals.
Accuracy is not necessarily dependent on bullet weight, though a very light or very heavy for caliber bullet may not shoot well in your rifle.
A lighter bullet will have a higher muzzle velocity, and will therefore have a little less drop, though it will have more wind drift. A heavier bullet will arrive at a distant target with more energy, and will drift less in the wind. We're not talking a whole lot of difference, though. The difference in drop, for example between a 150 and a 180-grain bullet at 500 yards is about 3 inches.
150-180 grain bullets are the most popular and effective in the 30-06, with 165 being a good compromise.

Answer 4

30-06 150 grain is good general purpose for light to medium game- deer, small bear, hogs- to about 400-500 meters. 165 grain boat-tails have about same aim point and trajectory but retain a bit more energy 300+ meters , slightly higher hit target 300+ m . For big bear, elk, moose you need some extra penetration for longer range than 200m so the 180 grain is starting point, 200grain is better and the 220 round-nose for buffalo, moose, etc mid-range-200/400 Meter is old standard. What are you shooting at and what range? General purpose small to medium game- 150 grain is good choice, the 165+ grain extra range and retained energy can be useful. I loaded 150 grain in 8mm for deer round, used factory 130 grain .270 for deer also. 30-06 few times used 150 and 180 grain rounds- M1 and Remington 700. Heaviest game was deer and hog, didn't go after much else, did NRA target shooting and M1 functioned better with 170/180 grain bullet..

Answer 5

It depends on what you are hunting. The bullet you are using will work very well for deer at any reasonable range. The Palma Match ammunition in .30-06 and .308 has normally been loaded with a 155-grain boattail bullet, so that weight can certainly be accurate enough out to 1000 yards.

I would go with something heavier for moose or bear, especially bear.

Answer 6

Mark,

This is a question that can only be answered by asking your rifle.

Get a box of as many different bullet wieghts and brands of ammo that you can find and afford.

The go to a shooting range and see which load gives the best accuracy in your rifle.

Then go back and buy several boxes of ammo in that particular load, preferably from the same lot number.

Doc

Answer 7

when i use 3006 i use 150 gr but i usually only hunt white tail or turkeys and i shoot neck shot rite at the base if yo shoot a shoulder kock down power meens a larger grain

Answer 8

Best to use 180's or 220's.*