Bullet for Mule Deer and Antelope

[ARM]

I will be going on a Mule Deer and Antelope hunt this fall in Wyoming. (if I'm drawn for both). I am looking for advice on which bullet to use. I will be using a 30.06. I was looking into using a bonded bullet such as the 150 grain Accubond or 150 grain Scirocco or the 150 Hornady Interbond. Will the 150 grains be too light for mule deer? I also was told that the bonded bullets may not provide enough expansion on Antelope. I will be using factory ammunition. I do not have access to reloading equipment. I had decided on using the Remington Premier 150 grain Scirocco, but when I looked at them, the bullets were seated at different depths through out the box. So I decided against it. Now I'm back to square one. So any advice on bullets and factory ammunition would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[predator]

Accubond, baby. I shoot a .280 Rem with 140-grain Accu's, and have taken everything up to moose!

Expansion matters not when a piece o' lead goes through the boiler room......

Pred

 

[huntindude]

If I was shooting factory ammo I'd go with a 150 or 165 Hornady light magnum interbond load. the 150 will give you 3100 fps and that should do anything you need to do on deer and goats. the only reason Hornady interlock bullets aren't more popular is they're too cheap and I don't think most people think they're as high quality of bullet as they are. in the magnums I've found the SST's to be like the Ballistic tip Noslers, pretty explosive but in an '06 they might be ok.

 

[mtmuley]

Whoever told you that bonded bullets won't expand on antelope has not ever used a bonded bullet. I have taken four antelope with a 200 gr Accubond out of my .300 RUM at yardages from 200 to 696 yards. Use the load that shoots best in your rifle. mtmuley

 

[studpile]

For thin skinned game like deer and antelope, you might not really require the more expensive bonded bullets. It's a choice like anything else, but I'd even take a look at Sierras' line. They tend to lose thier jacket sometimes, but for accuracy, they are great..and cheap. 150 grains of lead is pleanty for goats and deer.

 

[ICMDEER]

150 grains is plenty in an 06. Any of the above bullets will work fine. The only thing I'd say is that I WOULD NOT use ballistic tip bullets on the deer. Those bullets are too fragile and they do not penetrate. As a Wyoming outfitter, I do not let any of our hunters use ballistic tip bullets for deer. We've had too many wrecks to allow them on deer any longer.

(And yes, I've even written to Nosler to let them know. The ballistic tip bullets are very accurate, but they are so frangible that they often disintegrate on impact.)

 

[ElkScout]

Interesting experience on mule deer with ballistic tips. I killed a 29" mule deer last year in CO with 180 grain accubonds. First shot was about 450 and it hit a bit low near the sternum and broke the off-hand leg. The animal went 600 yards and bedded down. When I was stalking him, I found his first bed and no blood.

When I relocated him, I followed it up with 3 more 180 grain accubonds, all 3 from 15 yards or so. Each shot went thru him after which he got up and ran, the first shot he was in his bed as I sneaked up from behind. The bullet entered above his hip and exited out his chest. Only a small hole. I had to hit him 2 more times and he still ran off to die about 80 yards down the hill. Four shots total. All completely passed through, but my guess is the accubond didn't expand fast enough at the speeds it was arriving. But the fact that there was no blood from the first shot at over 450 yards concerned me. Even having slowed up, it did not leave a big enough wound channel in the sternum or leg.

I was not that impressed with the accubonds but I don't have more experience than that. It could all be attributed to shot placement on the first and the fact that mule deer are just dang tough when they have holes in them at 15 yards.

Now w/ ballistic tips, I took a standing pronghorn at 175 yards. The bullet destroyed itself and the animal and that was all she wrote. It opened that antelope up. The shot was a bit back, but the insides were coming out of the hole it left. And four years ago I took a standing 5x5 bull at about 300 yards with a 180 grain ballistic tip. Broke the near shoulder, destroyed the heart and I found a small part of the base on the far hide. The bull went <10 yards. I was very happy with that.

So your mileage may vary as they say. I am and continue to be comfortable shooting ballistic tips although I still have several accubonds as well. All hand loads.

ElkScout

 

[cabinfever]

Killed a big buck last year in CO in excess of 500 yds with 180 grn accubond out of my 300 wm. Anchored the buck and left a 4 ft swath of blood. Looked like a blood bath.

Mike

 

[Hooked_on_Coues]

First time I can say I agree with huntdude.

Hornady light magnums are the most accurate factory ammo I have found. I quit loading for my '06 cause they shoot in half to 3quarters inch.

150's are great. hit em like a hurricane.

 

[JB48]

In the past 2 years my 300 WBY shooting 150 grn accubonds at 3490 has harvested 4 mule deer at ranges at,160, 300, 310, and 402 yards. It has also put to rest 2, 6X6 bulls one at 100 yards the other at just over 500 yards. I love the accubonds.

 

[ARM]

Thanks for the info. It sounds like accubonds or interbonds could be the way to go. Just need to find out what shoots the best out of the gun. I actually had the interbonds in my hands. But then I put them down as I hadn't done alot of research on them. They were cheaper as well. Thanks again.

 

[7]

LAST EDITED ON May-15-07 AT 07:32PM (MST)[p]I typically use Nosler Partitions in my 280 & 7 Mag. But my 06 likes the 150gr Core Lokt Ultras, they'll work fine. But like others have said, your rifle will decide which one it likes best.

 

[mmwb]

"Use the load that shoots best in your rifle"

That is about the best advice you can get. I hunt antelope, mule deer, and elk with the same cartridge out of my .06. Winchester XP2, 165g soft points. Really more than needed for the antelope and deer, but does the trick on all three and I like shooting the same for everything. This bullet has always expanded well on all game, stands up to the heavy bone of an elk, and what I've recovered always has been well mushroomed with no apparent loss of mass (my observation only).