What would you use in a .30-06 for Elk? Definitely want something that will shoot accurately. Got a new 06 and gonna work up a load for Elk.

I think I have some 150 gr Hornady Interlocks already. Should I try them or would Y'all stay away from those for Elk?

I was thinking of ordering some Nosler Partitions.

180gr Nosler Partitions. Look at Shooter's Pro Shop. Got a great buy on blemished 6MM Partitions for the bride's little gun.

I have killed a bunch of elk with 180 Remington Core Lokt. That round has accounted for 16 Elk and the Winchester 168 Ballistic Silver Tip has accounted for 5. My dad's Remington 700 shoots the 180 Remington very well and has for years. My Sako 75 has always liked the 168 load. Best advise shoot what your gun likes and go a little heavy.

165gr or 180gr Nosler partition or Speer spitzer boat tail.

Id go with your thoughts and get some 165-180 grain partitions.

My grandfather ran Remington Bronze Points for many years when hunting elk. I have done a lot of shooting with the 165gr Accubond but have not been elk hunting yet.

I would go 165 grains as the lightest, and would prefer the 180 grain for elk. A good bonded bullet, or heavy standard lead bullet would be good. A Partition/A-frame is always good.

Shot bronze points for years in a 270 win. Never heard anyone else mention them.

I've taken one of my 7 elk with the 180 gr NPT....no fuss, no muss. I also took a mountain caribou in Canada's NWT with the same recipe. I've also used the 150 and 165 gr Partitions as well, but on other animals, not elk. They pretty much all work with boring efficiency.

After 65+ years, the Partition is still the gold standard in premium bullets. "They always expand and they always penetrate." Bob Hagel. Can you ask for more?

x2

I feel the same way

They are neat I shot a pig or two with them and saved the rest because they are neat.

I have an uncle who has boxes upon boxes of them 130 grain for a 270 and 150's in 30-06. Only bullets he will shoot.

I used a 180 Gr TTSX when I shot my elk couple years back, worked like a charm.

What I'm having a hard time understanding is why some are recommending a particular grain size when his rifle might not be able to shoot it accurately.

No way it's better to shoot a 180 grain bullet out of a gun the hurls it all over the place when it might give nice small cloverleafs with 165. It's a miniscule weight difference. My '06 sucks big time with anything other than 165 grain bullets.

I prefer the heavier bullets for game. I think they perform better, especially when you get to the bigger critters. My 270 has shot and grouped everything from 90-160 grain ammo without issue and my 300 wby has grouped everything from 125-220 without issue. I think most of the "my gun likes this weight etc." is from factory loadings not from the actual bullet weight. My 243 wouldn't group 95 grain federal fusion does that mean it must shoot lighter bullets? no it loves 100 grain sierras, just that particular load didn't jive with it, may be seating depth powder charge just the bullet etc. but it will stabilize a 100 grain so I highly doubt its the weight.

It's not the bullet that the rifle dislikes. It's the load used with that bullet, i.e. the powder and the powder charge used. I have taken numerous rifles that a customer shot a factory load with a certain bullet that shot bad. I'll work up a new load (my own powder and powder charge) with the same bullet and it shoot awesome. So, it's not the "bullet" itself, but the load used with that bullet. Sure, there are circumstances where a rifle just won't shoot a certain bullet due to lack of twist rate and such. But if the bullet is stable, I can get it to shoot well. Any '06 should be able to shoot up to 200 grain bullet just fine with the right load.

Size and twist rate was what I was referring to

Finding the right combination is expensive and sometimes tedious. It's a good thing some powders have a wide range of applications. I wish I could get 4064 to work with my '06 but luckily it works in my AR-15.

Almost all 30-06 are a 1:10 which will stabilize all but the heaviest 30 cal projectiles.

Both of my 06's love 180gr SGK and I like how they perform on paper, steel, and critters...

-ww

Ok so my Dad gave me a box of 180 gr Core Lokts so I'm gonna see how they group. If they group good I'll probably save some $$ and just use those. I do have a bunch of 150gr Hornady Interlocks that I'm gonna experiment with to see if I can get them shooting good enough to use on whitetail.

Next question is what powder would you start with? Primers? I have Accurate 4350, IMR 4064, 4831, and another one that I can't remember at the moment. I've also got about 3 pounds of H380. Do any of those sound good?

4350

Yup.

Been using Interlockts, ProHunters, Nosler BT's in 150 grains all with IMR 4350 for a LONG time. Accurate 4350 should work very well too. Currently loading and REALLY enjoying 165 grain Game Kings over a published charge of IMR 4350 in my T3 with a 1-11" twist.

Alright then. I'll try the 4350. If that works well that'll make life a little simpler since my .25-06 LOVES it.

As for Primers, I have Winchester Large Rifle and CCI 250s. Which would Y'all start with?

Go with the WLR primers.

WLR or CCI LR. Whichever you use for load development, stick with them.

I use CCI for everything except my .270 Win. loads, for those I use WLR.

Call me superstitious.