Just bought a Tikka T3 Lite 30-06. Want to know what ammo people suggest. I will be white tail hunting up in Fannin County. Would like to keep kick down but want a proper grain bullet. Let me know what you think.

You could consider Remington MANAGED RECOIL, but the bullet is only 125gr. That would be fine for most whitetail in your area.

Try some rem corelocks and winchester pp's to start. If they dont shoot well then try something else.

matt

I think any quality ammo with a 150gr bullet will do the job.

Every one has their opinion on the subject but here my thoughts.


Buy 2-3 boxes of Winchester powerpoint 150gr. or Federal powershok to practice and sight your gun in with and dont get me wrong they are good cheap ammo for hunting white tail. But I would practice with this $20 a box stuff then switch over to a 150gr. partition when deer season comes.(make sure and resight in your rifle every time you change ammo)

with the cost of hunting why not spend that little extra for ammo, there are plenty of other places you can go cheap.

Heres good ammo for hogs and practice that you can get for $16.00 a box at WALMART!

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=251821

And any of the following would be a good Whitetail round
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=371661

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=935203

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=423108

150 grain bullets are nice if your guns shoots them but i have one 3006 that hates 150 grain bullets, all groups frm the 150's are around 2",, moved up to 180 grain bullets and groups now submoa. i also seem to have some less meat damage with the heavier bullet.. just my 2 cnts..

If you're recoil sensitive, then the 30-06 is not the caliber to purchase. Trade it for a .243 or a 7mm-08.

Go out and buy a 150grn, 165gr, or 168gr bullet.

I guarantee you when you have a deer in your sights, you will not feel the recoil when you pull the trigger. The only time you'll feel it is when you are at the range sighting it in.

Buy sparingly until you find what ammo your gun likes. Consecutively numbered guns may shoot vastly different with the same ammo.

We prefer 165gr 308's, but two of our 308's prefer 150's much better. The best one, shoots one hole groups consistently with 165 gr Federal Sierra Game Kings; and about and inch and a half with 150 Soft points or 147 FMJ's...

why buy a 30-06 then load it with managed recoil?

thats like buying a diesel truck then governing it to only 2000 rpms.


especially in a lite rifle, 06's kick a little bit.

i like the 150 or 165 grain bullet, but like others said, its about what your gun likes

My 12 year old shoots my 30-06 with the hornady light mags with no problem and he is very small for his age. I think about 70 lbs.

Here is the test I did for my Savage 30-06. My conclusion most ammo was good in my gun and some ammo terrible not even safe.

As important as your grouping and cold shot accuracy is what the bullet does after impact.

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1989474/Re_30_06_Ammo_Test

After this test I did shoot a 175 pound 9-point with the selected Remington Premier AccuTip 165 GR. I was very happy with the result, Deer didn't take a single step after being shot.

Like some others have already said, each rifle likes different ammo so some experimenting is necessary. As far as recoil goes, there may be some other calibers that would better suit you.

IMHO recoil is only a problem at the range for a 30-06. After a few dozen 30-06 shots most mortal men are hurting and flinching a little. I was thinking about low recoil and redoing my stock. Instead I bought a lead sled for the range so not only do I get accurate sighting, I also don’t kill myself developing a bad flinch. In the field on an animal I have NEVER had a 30-06 make a noticeable kick, might as well been shooting a rubber band gun.

150 partitions

Thanks for the help. As far as kick, I made it sound as if I didn't like the kick. I am 5'11 and 245lbs and built, kick isnt a problem, just was thinking comfort is all. I have taken deer with 30-06's, .243's, and others, and agree with a deer in your sights you dont feel recoil

I've shot virtually all brands in various weights. IMHO the latest Hornady product is the best "Hornady Superformance" approx. 200-250 fps faster with no added recoil in most popular calibers. 150 grain in my .308 is super accurate. It cost more but it's worth it. Good Luck

If you are average adult sized male with no physical limitations, you really shouldn't be concerned with the felt recoil from .30-06. Being as big as you are that would be the last thing I'd worry about.

If I'm not mistaken Tikka T3 Lite has a built-in pad on the stock. I've never shot that particular rifle so I wouldn't know but I have similarly made rifles, (T/C Icon & Venture, Marlin XL7) that I spend all day at the range expending 4-5 boxes of ammo during off season. I load 150-165 gr bullets depending on the rifle.

You can also get a slip on pad if the factory pad is not enough.

OAL is your culprit here.

sactoller, that may be true but these were factory loads.. remington core loks and winchester white box, and federal grey/blue.. wanted a factory round for this gun should i ever need to go to wal mart for ammo.

I shoot Remington CoreLocks in 150 gr. They get the job done. And they don't break the bank.

i don't like the bullets but they are accurate outta most guns.


we have a ranch rifle, remington 700 bdl 06' thats loaded with 150 grain core lokts.....its 9 for 9 this year

x2

I dont like the bullets and have seen some poor performance, but they do seem to shoot well in almost every gun I have tried them in and they are better than the ultra cheap/ military surp. ammo

Rem. Core-Lokt's have NEVER FAILED ME. They are inexpensive, effective, and ubiquitous. I have shot literally dozens of animals with this ammo, in several different calibers, and have always had good results. You still have to do your job, as always. Federal blue box is about the same. I don't have as much experience on animals with this ammo, but my R25 really loves it! Instead of MOA, maybe we hunters should think MOVA: "Minute of Vital Area."
The old "paper plate is good enough" theory doesn't work for me, but, if you can hit a grapefruit at any reasonable range with your rig, then go for it.
Good Hunting.

150 is plenty of weight, it possible to take cartridge selection to any level. Out to 300 yards a quality factory load is affordable and accuracy acheivable with some simple solid range work. Take a couple of three factory brands out to the range, be consistant, and your gun will show you what it likes.

X2