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Forum Index > Rifles general discussion > a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06

a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06

28 Nov 2024
@ 12:57 pm (GMT)

francesco

shooting exclusively european wild boar at 20-150m.
avg weight: 80-110kg

bad luck with SST - insufficient penetration.
good enough corelokt SP 180gt, geco sp 170gt, rws evolution 184gr

any better choices for reducing dead runs?

Replies

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04 Dec 2024
@ 07:28 am (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
Ok, lets try to summerize this a bit.

Not taking shot placement into account:

Based on your past posts / emails, the 165gr SST produced the fastest kills but you are having some issues with penetration on the largest boars / shoulder shields.

Good energy transfer but lacking construction.

The other loads are giving adequate penetration, but energy transfer is limited, resulting in dead runs.

This leaves only two options in the .30-06:

1. Increase bullet weight (for penetration) while maintaining rapid SST like expansion. You would need to hand load to achieve this.

2. Use a premium bullet (stout), but increase velocity substantially in order to enhance hydraulic action and nervous trauma.

There might still be some compromises though. The 170gr Tip Strike jacket is much thicker than the SST but with a fast expanding tip.

But for what you are wanting, you might need some form of substantial change. That or focus on breaking the front shoulder joint or neck / head shooting.

OK, hope that helps to clarify things a little bit.


04 Dec 2024
@ 09:35 pm (GMT)

[email protected]

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
as most recent shots, I got a strong debilitating effect with 180gr PowerMax and DK.
At least at 100-150m, good penetration and quick incapacitation with "full shoulder shot" (not forward not back of it: into the bone,concussion dislocating vertebrae and shrapneling vitals with bone shard.
Dk has also front fragmentation while powermax has high weight retention with exit site.

Head shot...is always difficult to have absolute precision and on big boars the issue is a shot into mandible or soft tissues as neck and head are large and mobile
08 Dec 2024
@ 09:54 am (GMT)

[email protected]

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
probably not a "non premium" but RWS evolution 184gr has revealed as a very good cartridge for big boars.
Exit wound, great expansion, good trajectory for a 184gr/round nose bullet.
29 Dec 2024
@ 05:00 pm (GMT)

Craig Sanford

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
No wild boar in my neck of the woods but the Remington 220 grain core lokt has long been a popular .30-06 load among bear hunters in my area. I’ve known of some guides who even use it for backup on grizzlies and, although most would opt for a more powerful cartridge, this load in the .30-06 is proven sufficient. Expansion and penetration seem pretty consistent and effective with this load; the real drawback being the limited range. It’s definitely not a premium ammo, although current prices may cause confusion in that regard. I should think this would work really well for your situation up to 150 yards. I am happy to pay a few dollars more for ammo with Nosler Partition or Trophy Bonded bullets.
29 Dec 2024
@ 11:29 pm (GMT)

Magnus Hansson

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
Must be some tough boars, I’ve shot 150gr SST over 50 boars ..found 1 bullet in the hide off-side. Tried the 165’s for two years as a tip from Nathan ..not revovered one bullet. Maybe a few % more runs with the 165, but violent wounding and death within 30m. But for me every pig doesn’t reach 100kg.
Cheers

308
20”
V0. 830msek
30 Dec 2024
@ 01:46 am (GMT)

[email protected]

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
my "bodycount" is of 432 wild boars..about.
(not counting delayed retrieval of prey or wounds or such)

Avg. weight of boars brought home is 120-135kg.
I shoot selectively mature males and because of ASF emergency most have to be given to local Authorities without butchering for risk of worsening epidemics...so only some of them have been subject of "autopsy".

Most of my experience is with .30-06 and 9.3x62...with some taken with 300wm, 338wm, 308w, 8x68S.
I have good experience with any decent bullets (from cheap corelokt to hon sows and young "striped/reds") but old full grown boars are a totally different prey.
If shooting in the chest "angled" so to avoid shoulder bones and pads (ideally last ribs going forwards to exit close to shoulder , no surprises.
BUT when a soft bullet, fast or slow, hits this anatomic structures...if the boar is not close enough (20-30m) for a strong hydro shock to happen.. or a fast backup shot, problematic retrieval are the rule: thickets, swamps, streams, mud, rocks, slopes...and worse, at night (usually hunt after sunset, with thermals, they run from torches and avoid to show up during the day)

So I use no more SST on big "keilers". In no caliber.
There is extreme need for a tough, fast enough (not mandatory a magnum imho) bullet...even budget powermax or on the opposite cost, a premium like terminal ascent or oryx.

Your experience is complimentary to mine: if shooting soft tissues or heads/necks only, opposite needs: use soft cup-core or ballistic tips to expand even on long metres.
30 Dec 2024
@ 03:53 am (GMT)

Magnus Hansson

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
Well that’s some crazy numbers I must say. As Nathan mentioned the tipstrike might be something, I know people who use it with great success here in Sweden on close range moose when you don’t want exits of risk for the dogs who are often close by.
30 Dec 2024
@ 04:08 am (GMT)

[email protected]

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
RWS evolution 184gr 30-06
Norma Oryx 232 9.3x62 (vulkan is a bit...random effect)
Rws dk 225 9.3
Nosler Partition and accubond no less than 165g

All this ammo give reasonable balanced expansion vs penetration.

Interlocks, sst, ballistic tips and such need to hit neck or brain or there is risk on insufficient penetration into shoulder pads and big shoulder bones on large animals at more than 100-150yds.

This is just my personal experience I gathered as kind of a "warden" (in italy we have specialized shooters for reducing population or agricultural issues or epidemics, all year round under military indications), not the Holy Grail.
Probably Nathan as a real PH and much smarter than me could prove me wrong
Im here to learn no to teach
30 Dec 2024
@ 04:16 am (GMT)

[email protected]

Re: a "non-premium" ammo for .30-06
Anyways, just bought tipstrike 170 for .308w
Let's give it a try!
but how is it on medium distances? 150-200m?
It is suggested for close shots..
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