30-06 Accubond Factory Ammo

[roberteifert12]

Hey All,
Just purchased a T3X in '06 and a VX5-HD to be my "do it all" rifle. Though it will be primarily used on Whitetail and Hogs here in the south.

Given the total lack of reasonably priced ammo available, i want to get some opinions (whereas i would normally test several different rounds).

Ive got factory loadings of the Accubond in 150gn and 165gn from federal premium and nosler trophy grade. Assuming no measurable accuracy difference between the two, my thought is that the 150gns would be better suited for whitetail as the higher velocities will lead to better expansion on the relatively thin-skinned deer. Though the difference is probably minimal.

Feel free to weigh in with yalls experience/ opinions.

 

[24on48hunting]

I don’t think you will see much of a difference in performance from either round and the deer won’t know the difference either. The difference in knockdown and trajectory won’t be much either.
If it were me and I had to choose between the two loads, I would go with whichever load the rifle shoots better.

 

[Rich M]

That Tikka should shoot decent w about any ammo.

When i shoot 3006, I shoot 150 cup and core bullets on whitetails.
Sierra Pro Hunters at 2900 fps are my favorite reload; Federal Blue Box my favorite factory load.

They kill pigs too - I used to hunt hogs but did so primarily with a bow. I still can't understand why all these folks say you need a cannon to kill a pig. Buddy of mine shot a 600 pounder with a 243. I shoot em with a 357 magnum rifle.

IMO use "regular" ammo until you start shooting long range or elk or larger critters.

 

[roberteifert12]

That Tikka should shoot decent w about any ammo.

When i shoot 3006, I shoot 150 cup and core bullets on whitetails.
Sierra Pro Hunters at 2900 fps are my favorite reload; Federal Blue Box my favorite factory load.

They kill pigs too - I used to hunt hogs but did so primarily with a bow. I still can't understand why all these folks say you need a cannon to kill a pig. Buddy of mine shot a 600 pounder with a 243. I shoot em with a 357 magnum rifle.

IMO use "regular" ammo until you start shooting long range or elk or larger critters.

Have had really good luck for the most part with 150gn cup & core out of my 308. Some bad experiences with poor penetration/ over expansion are leading me toward a bonded bullet in the new '06. (actually going to try out the monolithic ttsx in my 308 on some hogs soon as well). Thinking if these accubonds group well, this'll be the main round i use for most all hunting ill ever do and i can get my custom dial ordered for the leupy.

 

[24on48hunting]

Have had really good luck for the most part with 150gn cup & core out of my 308. Some bad experiences with poor penetration/ over expansion are leading me toward a bonded bullet in the new '06. (actually going to try out the monolithic ttsx in my 308 on some hogs soon as well). Thinking if these accubonds group well, this'll be the main round i use for most all hunting ill ever do and i can get my custom dial ordered for the leupy.

You’ll be pleased with the performance of the Barnes monolithics.
I shoot Barnes TSX or TTSX out of a majority of my rifles, for deer and pigs alike.
I really like the 150 grain TTSX in my 30/06, the 130 gr TTSX in my .308, and finally the 110 Tac-Tx or 130 gr TSX in my .300 Blackout. My kids and I have killed a pile of deer and pigs with Barnes monolithics. My avatar buck was killed with a .300 Blk loaded with Barnes ammo.
My Daughter started out with a .223 loaded with Barnes Vor-Tx 55 gr TSX and she killed all of them with a single shot, most of which were dropped in their tracks.

 

[roberteifert12]

You’ll be pleased with the performance of the Barnes monolithics.
I shoot Barnes TSX or TTSX out of a majority of my rifles, for deer and pigs alike.
I really like the 150 grain TTSX in my 30/06, the 130 gr TTSX in my .308, and finally the 110 Tac-Tx or 130 gr TSX in my .300 Blackout. My kids and I have killed a pile of deer and pigs with Barnes monolithics. My avatar buck was killed with a .300 Blk loaded with Barnes ammo.
My Daughter started out with a .223 loaded with Barnes Vor-Tx 55 gr TSX and she killed all of them with a single shot, most of which were dropped in their tracks.

I've heard lighter for caliber works well with them. I think the 150s out of the '06 would be a great round. Any issues with pencil-holing? I found a couple boxes of 168gns in 308 and i want to get some hands on experience with em

 

[24on48hunting]

I've heard lighter for caliber works well with them. I think the 150s out of the '06 would be a great round. Any issues with pencil-holing? I found a couple boxes of 168gns in 308 and i want to get some hands on experience with em

I shot 168 grain TSX’s out of my Sako 308 and they did quite well on several deer. I have since dropped down to the 130’s so I can get more hop out of it. I’ve had no issues with pencil holes in deer or pigs. They’ve always expanded and done their job at the ranges that are typically encountered in the Georgia woods.
I’ve shot a few deer with my 30/06, loaded with the 150 gr TTSX’s and have had good results as well. I was on a Georgia Barrier Island hunt in 2017 (Ossabaw Island) and shot a 5.5 year old 7 point with the 30/06. These deer are quite small, given their environment. That buck, @ 5.5 years old, field dressed 56# and the expansion I got from the 150 gr TTSX in 30/06 was unreal.

 

[PNWRiflemanX]

Hey All,
Just purchased a T3X in '06 and a VX5-HD to be my "do it all" rifle. Though it will be primarily used on Whitetail and Hogs here in the south.

Given the total lack of reasonably priced ammo available, i want to get some opinions (whereas i would normally test several different rounds).

Ive got factory loadings of the Accubond in 150gn and 165gn from federal premium and nosler trophy grade. Assuming no measurable accuracy difference between the two, my thought is that the 150gns would be better suited for whitetail as the higher velocities will lead to better expansion on the relatively thin-skinned deer. Though the difference is probably minimal.

Feel free to weigh in with yalls experience/ opinions.

I hunt Roosevelt elk, blacktail deer, and buy a tag for bear and cougar and I just use 180gr bullets. I have 2 30-06 that like everything in 180gr I've shot and I've shot most factory stuff. My Abolt is my primary rifle it's like a close relitive and shoots the factory Accubond 180 gr Trophy Grade well but have only hunted a yr with this ammo. I did shoot a deer last year with the Accubond in the back of the neck at 100yd drt so no report on performance (inconspicuous hole thru neck likely cause of death but could of been covid related). Out of my guns the 165gr shoot like the 180gr but the 150gr shoot quite different than both in a couple factory rds I've played with. Personally I'd just make my choice between 150gr and 180gr. I go 180gr for power and balistics at distance if needed. Meat damage... what ever some say this some say that personally had better luck on damage with 180gr but to many variables there for me to care or really know for sure if that 15 to 30 gr cost me a mid night snack. But I'd feel real good about any of your equipment and ammo choices you have down. I'd use the 165gr trophy grade personally on everything till it's gone if it shoots well out of your rifle. 30-06 is the best everybody knows it!!

 

[mauserfan]

I handload 180 Accubonds in my .30-06 for whitetails and they are very good. I am a shoulder shooter and they almost always break both shoulders on a 240# Whitetail.

 

[turbobrick]

I shot my first deer, a forkie muley about the size of a whitetail, with Nosler Trophy 160AB. It worked great, and that is my favorite factory -06 load still.

 

[Little Joe]

For deer sized game, premium bullets are more important for smaller caliber rifles such as the 223/243. When you get into the larger calibers such as the 308/270… you don’t need premium ammunition. Corelokt, Power Points… have stood the test of time. All work very well with loyal followers for many decades. More than capable for deer and pigs, with half the price tag of some premium ammunition. If you are going to move up in size, game like elk, then I would recommend moving to premium bullets.

For deer, I shot many with an 06 with several different bullet types and bullet weights from 125 grains to 180 grains. Used ammunition from multiple different manufacturers. Hunted from up north to the deep south. None of the deer ever knew the difference. All the bullets were very effective. My experience with pigs is limited, but expect the results to be much the same. A lot of people hunt pigs effectively with a 223.

 

[Yardvark]

I know that I am late to the party on this thread. Have shot .30-06 for 38 years with 150 gn Core-Lokt on WT in PA and never been disappointed on performance and always marveled at the exit holes. Only disappointments have been due to me, not the load. Of course, here most of our shooting is out to maybe 125,, 150 at most. Not shooting the 06 anymore due to rotator cuff issues, but passing along about 5 boxes to the nephews until ammo is back on the shelves.
No experience with pigs, but I don't expect they will be too picky. From a physics standpoint don't see them bouncing off of them.

I see a lot of over thinking on here. I think that getting proficient with the rifle in the right situations counts for a lot more. Good choice for a do anything rifle. Same thinking I had way back when.

 

[ArcherAdam]

Fellow PA hunter here too and love the 150 psp corelokts. Superb round for factory out of my m77 skeleton. I then jumped to 165s (accubond handloads from my uncle) and like those too. My rifle would shoot both rounds less the 1 moa if doing my part. Ironically I could not find 165s last year however found 180s. Well...after 30 years with this rifle i finally found the load! I should have tried heavier earlier in life. Darn near same hole accuracy.

Back on track...I am an accubond fan however I have not shot any factory varieties. I would not hesitate to go to a 180 to see accuracy. If your gun likes them, it is less stress for planning a hunt for something bigger in the future.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Packin_packout]

T3 30-06 using 165 & 180's accubond's w/o issue on deer ( bunch of texas white tail & a few montana muley's ), several elk, bear and a boatload of hogs. Nothing stayed up right long enough to complain about a difference in performance. Have not done the 150's but I don't expect much difference for anything in the south. Whichever you zero'd with use them until you run out then re-zero w/ the next one.

Always good holes on the exit side and on the three or four that did not leave exit holes that I recovered from a trip to africa or from a few times of dropping elk between 400 & 500 yds they expanded solidly and always ended up on the far side after breaking both shoulders on elk.

A lot better than some of the other bullets I had tried earlier to say the least. Hope that helps.

 

[Dlgies]

Sounds like an excellent setup! If I could only pick one load, I would shoot the 180 Partition or Hot-Cor. They don’t leave a bunch of blood shot meat on deer and aren’t too stout for them. They work well on the tougher stuff, too. Took a big cow elk and a deer this year and results on both were excellent. If you’ll never hunt elk or bear, I woul buy the 165 Partition or Hot-Cor and never look back.
The 150 Accubond is an excellent load for deer to 400 yards but can cause a lot of damage up close (at high velocity). The 165 Accubond is an excellent do-all load. If shooting deer past 250 yards, with the 165, I would put it into the front shoulder to ensure rapid and adequate expansion.