30-06 cartridge choices

I am a newbie hunter, I have a Springfield 110 30-06 which I have used to take only two animals with so far,I hunt moose in eastern Canada (Newfoundland) I also plan to hunt black bear.I would like any advice on the choice of cartridge, size, weight,even manufacturer if that is not stepping on any toes, the average distance to shoot in the areas that I hunt would be anywhere from 150 yds. to 250 yds. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Ed

I have 4 30-06 rifles. In both my 30-06 rifles (Sako and Browning) that I use for serious hunting I use Nosler bullets. 180 gr partitions are the best for heavier animals like moose, caribou and bear. In my TCR I use 150 gr Noslers and in my Garand I use 150 gr Speers. If I were you I would use the Federal Premium factory loads. They are a bit more expensive, but they have better bullets than the standard ammo.

Ben Parry Winnipeg, Manitoba

'Men who work in the shadows should not seek the public spotlight, because the light that illuminates can also burn.' Yves Lavigne

Ed, my default factory load in .30'06 is the Federal Premium 180 grain Nosler Partition. I've used 150 grain factory and 220 grain handloads on game as well, but when I don't have time to handload I double check the zero with the Premium 180's and get into the field. I presume the Partitions are performing appropriately as the game always gives up and I have yet to recover a bullet. We have also tested the Federal High Energy loads with Nosler Partition and Trophy Bonded Bear Claws; we got the added velocity they promised, but the accuracy was indifferent in the two Remington M700's used. Your mileage may vary. Good hunting! Michael

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Ed, The easiest and most economical solution.....buy Remington ammo. Get the 180 grain PSP (pointed soft point). Or better yet, but a bit more expensive, Federal 165 grain partition. Stick with the same ammo for both moose and bear. Dan

On the 30-06 cartridges I have had a lot of success with the hornady 180 gr. Seems to have a pretty good expansion rate.

This is just my opinion folks, but last year was my first year for hunting. Only rifle I could afford at the time was a used Winchester 670 30-06 ( cheaper version of the '70?) I worked with Winchester, Remington, and Federal 165 grains I was able to purchase at my local Wally World. The best performer were the Federal CLassic 165 grain Sierra Pro Hunter Softpoints. I was able to keep it at 1.5' from a solid sandbag rest. A very knowledgable benchrest shooter friend of mine floated the barrel, and set the trigger at an even 3lbs, and my best group with that ammo is three shots in .575'! The norm go in at .75' for 3 shots no prob. The winchester and Remingtons all ran 1.2-1.5 ' best groups. The Federals were the cheapest of the bunch, at $12.95 a box, so I bought another 4 boxes, since I will never reload for this carbine. JUST MY OPINION! This is just what worked the best for me.

Ken Baker Wichita Falls Texas

Check out the Federal Premium loaded with 165 grain bullet. Check out the ballistic tables clear across the board and compare with other loads, made a believer ut of me.

distance it will travel, use a higher grain bullet,like 180 grain bullet.

I have to somewhat agree. The Federal Classic (gray box) 150gr pointed soft points shoot great in my Remington 7600. I've tried Winchesters and Remingtons and neither can match the performance of the cheap Federals.

My rifle seems to prefer 165 gr spitzer boat tails that I reload in Federal cases...the Federal came out with the Premium line and there was my exact load. Chronograph didn't know the difference between mine or theirs. Less than 15 fps change. I use this on deer and suppose it would get the job done on the black bear around here. Moose is another question though. Especially at those ranges.

you could try the 180 Nosler partition it has good expansion and will drive through an animal leaving a good blood trail Good Luck Sam