Just bought a 30-06 and plan on sighting it in with 165gr's since that is the middle of the road weight. What I would like is advice on is which is the most universal type/weight of round for this caliber. It will be used for everything from varmint to hog and deer. I just don't want to have to buy different rounds for different things. Thanks for your input.

Nosler Trophy grade 150gr partitions.

That's what I use- Remington 165 gr corelok.

150 gr Corelokts

I like 150 also has well enough power for any game

Is it still legal to hunt with a 30-06?

I've shot a lot of deer with 150gr Core Locked and handlaoads s in the 30-06

150 gr spitzer

Whatever is rolling around in the floor of the truck seems to work just fine ;-)
Although...I recommend you try the cheap stuff first and see how your gun likes it. I've had really good success with the Federal "blue box" 150gr soft points. If you want to move up a notch then try the Federal "red box" Sierra GameKing 165 gr. Hornady's offerings worked well for me also but their ammo is getting hard to find. Ultimately you should let your rifle let you tell you which ammo it likes.

PS: Some rifles shoot better with a clean bore and others, like mine, shoot better fouled.

Every gun is different. Pick up four or five boxes of ammo in varying weights and test them out. You will quickly see which brand and weight ammo the rifle prefers. Sometimes its the cheap corelokts, sometimes its the expensive accubonds. You never really know until you shoot them all but once you do, your rifle will be sure to let you know which ones it likes best. Also, always shoot a few "just for fun" rounds after cleaning your rifle's barrel before you start measuring the accuracy of various rounds.

M2 Ball. Not so much for deer, but works great for everything else. God bless the CMP!!

Cant go wrong with the Remington 165 corelokt. Not too big, but plenty of knockdown. Corelokt is consistent and affordable compared to some of the higher end stuff.

I like the Seirra Game King 165gr BT. Or I guess I should say, my particular Remington rifle seems to love that round the most. It's taken a lot of game from coyotes to Elk with that round.

I don't think you can go wrong with Core Lokt. That being said I was advised to shoot Federal in my BLR and am satisfied with those results.

Since the OP limited his game to deer and hogs on the high end, I would load any of the standard cup-and-core 150 gr bullets. Even the 130 gr Hornady would be perfect; my elderly father has used that bullet exclusively for nigh on a half-century, without complaint.

But if you expand your horizon to bigger game, then one of the premium bullets--I'm thinking Nosler Partition--in either 165 or 180 persuasion would cover everything.

Nosler Partitions always expand, and they always penetrate....Bob Hagel.

Magnum, Must have magnum!

150gr Spitzer SP works for me and I can put Winchester or Remington in the same group at 100yd. Worked on everything I've shot at including Elk.

(Handload is 150gr spitzer SP over 52gr of 4064. FYI {disclaimer} - Do Not start off with this load....I worked up to it in .5gr then .2gr increments from 49.5. There are probably better powders out there now, but this works for me.)

Just to review some basics. The rate of twist in the rifling will usually determine what size bullet is most effective. I have been told that most 30-06 barrels are most accurate with a 165 grain bullet. The 165 is usually the weight used in "Match Grade" ammunition used in target shooting. The other thing is the boat tail bullet. The boat tail was designed to "buck the wind" or to maintain a higher speed at longer ranges but usually(Nothing etched in stone) a flat bottom engages the rifling better and is more accurate.
So....a one bullet for everything- I don't know if such is sold but maybe a 165 grain and then switch tips for what ever you hunt.
One thing you might consider is what is best for a long range shot- say on whitetail- that's where accuracy will be most needed- then if you switch to a longer/heavy bullet for close range hogs- a little loss in accuracy isn't that big a deal.

This is how I roll with the Federal "blue box" 150 gr. They have great on game performance at every distance I have shot them and very affordable and my Ruger loves them. I personally don't think you need to step up to the heavier bullet weights here in Texas however my Ruger is sighted in at 2.5-3" high at 100. When I run a 165 gr through it's about an 1.5" high and the 180 gr. are about zero. I feel confident grabbing any round and running it through.

P.S. I shot a couple of does this year with the Federal "red box" 165gr Sierra BTSP and blew some serious holes in them. A little much for my liking on does but would be what I wanted on that once in a lifetime buck

What reason did they give you? Are you allowed to hunt with a centerfire rifle in Ohio now? When I left you could only use rimfire and shotgun (slugs for deer) and the gun never had to be plugged for deer.

To the original ???, an old guy told me 180 gr soft tips for all rounders... They knock hogs over like a sledgehammer and take out these little Roe deer with little to no meat damage...

150 gr. is plenty for Texas Whitetail. Corelokt is abundant and affordable.

I have really been impressed with the 165 gr. Hornady SSTs since I started using them.

My 06 lives on 150gr ammo (does not seem to matter the configuration). Tried 165 and 180, but accuracy was not what I wanted.
As mentioned- try several brands / weights to see which combo YOUR RIFLE likes best, then use that.

That was my cartridge of choice until Hornady ammo disappeared from the shelves around here.

I normally shoot the 150 gr Federal ballistic tips but they were out and got 2 boxes of the 165 Federal Sierra Gameking and have worked great. Sighted in to 200 dead on. About $36 a box. 19 animals down and none lost in 2 months.