165gr vs 180gr Partition

[nosler06]

So I’m curious what some of you think about the benefits and drawbacks of either the 165gr and 180gr Nosler Partitions with respects to the 30-06? I have currently been shooting the 180gr for many years in my two Winchester Model 70s. I have only ever shot some 156gr Sierra Boattails with having the bullet basically fall apart making a softball sized exit wound at 170yds. I got rid of them after that and used the 180gr Partitions with great results. I just wondered if other knew what the 165grs would shoot like and the stopping factor because really they are only 15grs lighter. Hit me with your thoughts. Cheers and thank you in advance. Mark.

 

[jimbires]

I'm guessing you should be able to find both of these bullets in the bullet test section . the guys usually have pictures ,retained weight , amount of penetration , and expanded diameter . from my experience the Partition behaves like a Partition, regardless of the weight . if you are hunting deer sized game either one will work just fine . if you're hunting bigger game I'd probably lean towards the 180 grain , but feel the 165 would work well too . the 165 will allow a faster velocity , and a little less recoil . with this choice, I don't think you can go wrong .

 

[salmonchaser]

The 165 Partition was probably developed as the do all bullet. 150 gr partitions were great for deer, devastating terminal ballistics and generally exiting on the far side. In my limited experience they left a little to be desired on elk, particularly if you hit bone on the way in.
180s on elk were similar to 150s on deer. The 165 was the obvious compromise. Dad always told us boys compromise won’t get you a wife like your mother so we didn’t. When it came to hunting we loaded 150s for deer and 180s for elk.
I’m still running the same set up, with the same rifle, 60 years later. In case of my rifle, windage does not change from load to load, I simple add a couple of clicks to elevation when going to the 180s.
For many years when life got in the way and I had to compromise with many things to find time to shoot and hunt I thought of working up a load with 165grains. It just never felt right.

 

[truck driver]

I got tired of throwing away meat that was blood shot when using light (150gr) bullets on deer so when the 165gr bullets came out I tried them and never looked back. I felt the 180gr was a bit over kill for our eastern white tails and the 165gr seemed perfect. I have never had one go farther then 25yds after being hit with a 165gr Partition.
Dad used a 150gr WW silver tip that would blow a large hole in them and 180gr Rem Core locs for heavy brush thickets claiming they would cut through the brush; I can't back that claim up since I never tried to do it, but I did carry my 257 Roberts when I knew I would be hunting in thick cover since I knew if I could see a hole in it to shoot through the flat shooting Roberts was accurate enough to squeeze through and hit my target.
Once shot a buck though the nose with the Roberts hiding behind an old growth popular tree since that was the only shot he gave me since the vitals was hidden behind the tree, the shot was well over 100yds. Found a red Christmas light bulb on my lunch box at work the next day with a note to put Rudolph's nose back in.

 

[JD338]

Both the 165 and 180 gr PT are solid all around choices. They both will expand well even on deer sized game. It all comes down to impact velocity.
Push a 180 gr at 150 gr speeds and you will have similar tissue destruction on lighter framed game.

JD338

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Back in 1986 went to CO to hunt elk and mule deer with my 30-06 loaded with 165PT. Got a muley, no elk. Shot a few whitetails with the same load, did great. For whatever reason, something to do with reloading and trying different bullets just got away from using them. Wouldn't hesitate to use again though. Dan.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

I have shot mule deer and elk with both 165 and 180 grain Partitions. The 165 grain AccuBond outshoots both of them and performs just as well in my .30-06 so thats my go-to bullet.

I have taken Mule Deer, Aoudad and Elk with the 165 grain AccuBond.

 

[SJB358]

Flip a coin. You’d have to shoot a pile of stuff to see any difference.

 

[RL338]

At realistic hunting distances both would serve you well. The one that shoots the best would be the one I would use.

 

[badaxeriverman]

Imo you don’t need a Partition for any deer on the planet! I tried the same rotten Sierras out of my 30-06 in 150 grain. They go in and they don’t come out and deer run without blood trails for a good 60 plus yards. A 180 grain version in anything is going to do you good for deer. I’ve used 180 grain core lock hand loaded for decades as my go to projectile in 30-06. The 180 grain ballistic tip is awesome too. Acquired about 1250 of the Sierra round knows 180 grains and tried those out of my 300 rum and they put a nice big hole in and out of deer at close range. I’m sure they’ll do great at lower 06’ velocities. I have a box of a 1000 .312 core locts in PSP 180 grain. I might have to get a .309 sizer and run them through and try them when I run out of my core locts in .308. I tell you just to switch to 180 grain version anything and call it a day no need for premiums on deer. I’ve used the 200 grain Partition out of my 300 RUM on black bear, that sure makes a wall up! Seirras under a 180 grain in .308 are way fragile and don’t exit. I wouldn’t have tried those 180 grain version round noses, but I acquired so many of them I had to put them to use. I’m glad I did because they work great.

Anyways, if you want to use the 165s partitions I’m sure they’ll penetrate just as deep as a 180…and exit on any thin skinned game with an 06’. I just wouldn’t spend all that money on them unless I’m shooting, moose, grizzly, or elk lengthwise.

 

[Salchi Papa]

The Sierra bullets are somewhat known for being thinner jacket and explosive on impact but they do kill very nicely and rather quick. I think if you go with either weight bullet and stay with Partitions or Hornady interlocks even Speer hotcor or grand slams you’ll see better performance with less meat damage. I can send a 165gr at 3000fps from my tikka 30.06 but I usually load them to 2900fps cause I’m deer where I hunt I’m not shooting very far. I think just better performing bullet will matter more than grain weight

 

[PJGunner]

I have shot mule deer and elk with both 165 and 180 grain Partitions. The 165 grain AccuBond outshoots both of them and performs just as well in my .30-06 so thats my go-to bullet.

I have taken Mule Deer, Aoudad and Elk with the 165 grain AccuBond.

My experience with Nosler bullets is very very thin. One deer with a 180 gr. protected point that I considered a failure. One deer with a 140 gr. 7MM Ballistic tip that was lost and one elk with a 30 caliber 165 gr. AccuBond in 30-06. None of the bullets were recovered.

The 180 gr. load was used on the biggest bodied mule deer I ever shot. One hairy old timer that had been sneaking into a rancher's alafala field fot years. I had to shoot it three times with that bullet. One creased the top of the heart but did not break through and open the organ. Shot #2 was through both lungs and shot #3 broke its neck. After opening it up I saw how the bullet out a groove in the top of the heart but did not break through the muscle. Shot #2 just poked a pencil sized hole though both lungs and #3 broke the neck, I set what was left of that box of ammo to one side and didn't shoot at until several years later I'd finally gotten a chronograph. MV was a tad over 2600 FPS.

Load #2 was with the early on Ballistic tips that were rather fragile. Nosler later made them with a stouter jacket but I've never used any of them

Load #3 was on a cow elk from my 30-06. The 165 gr. AccuBond bullet hit in the short ribs and ended up I think in the jellied mess of the left lung. The elk went about 30 yards and expired. I never found the bullet and there was no exit. Probably was in the mess that was that left lung. The reason for the 165 gr. bullet is the rifle has an oddball slow twist rate barrel that has been difficult to measure. It was supposed to be 1 in 12" but apparently must be slower. The heavist bullet I have gotten to shoot accurately was the 165 gr. AB.
Paul B.

 

[badaxeriverman]

The current style .308 180 grain ballictic tip will put deer down so fast out of my 30-06 i think i missed them a few times

 

[Guy Miner]

J. Y. Jones wrote a large and detailed book about hunting every North American big game species. Every species of moose, bear, elk, deer etc... I forget how many species he took and it was over quite a period of time, maybe 20 years or so I'd guess.

He used one rifle, a 30-06 Remington 700. For the most part he used one bullet, the 165 grain Nosler Partition. He bumped up to the 200 grain Nosler Partition for his big Alaskan brown bear, and I believe the giant Yukon moose as well. He had no complaints about the Partitions and took a lot of game with them.

The book is well worth reading, it's available online: J. Y. Jones, One Man, One Rifle, One Land. I treasure my copy.

I've not a thing against the 180's from the 30-06, but somewhat prefer the 165's for most of my hunting. Most of which is for mule deer or black bear anyway. Not a lot of bullet is needed. I did use the 200 grain Nosler Partitions for an Alaskan grizzly and a wolf. The big bullet opens up easily and penetrates well. I like that load a lot and have kept the components on hand should I ever want a heavy Partition 30-06 load again. Interestingly the 165's can approach or even hit 3,000 fps with today's powders...

As others have said, it's hard to go wrong with either the 165's or the 180's.

Regards, Guy

 

[Hunter26]

You can't go wrong with either. Do you a need a premium bullet for deer? No, but that little bit extra insurance always feels good and the extra price you pay is a fraction of what you spend on other hunting equipment. I've never used 180gr bullets out of my 30-06 but I mostly hunt whitetails and occasionally hogs. I use 150gr bullets 95% of the time, either a Partition, AccuBond or Interbond and love their performance. I've killed a few and seen a few deer/hogs killed with 165gr Partitions and Accubonds and they've also done great. I just prefer the extra speed of the 150's for what I hunt around here.

 

[badaxeriverman]

My average rifle shot in the Deer woods is normally within archery range so I like the 180s to make sure they hold together and get an exit every time. I guess if I lived out west and I could shoot a country mile or two I’d want something flatter. A 150 yards is a super long shot for me. Fifteen to 45 yards is an average shot. I can’t see further or I wouldn’t have a clear shot if I tried to shoot any farther. I’d rather have a big chunk of lead that can clear the deer from one side to the other If for some reason I have an extreme angled shot.

 

[diverdown]

The Sierra bullets are somewhat known for being thinner jacket and explosive on impact but they do kill very nicely and rather quick. I think if you go with either weight bullet and stay with Partitions or Hornady interlocks even Speer hotcor or grand slams you’ll see better performance with less meat damage. I can send a 165gr at 3000fps from my tikka 30.06 but I usually load them to 2900fps cause I’m deer where I hunt I’m not shooting very far. I think just better performing bullet will matter more than grain weight.

J. Y. Jones wrote a large and detailed book about hunting every North American big game species. Every species of moose, bear, elk, deer etc... I forget how many species he took and it was over quite a period of time, maybe 20 years or so I'd guess.

He used one rifle, a 30-06 Remington 700. For the most part he used one bullet, the 165 grain Nosler Partition. He bumped up to the 200 grain Nosler Partition for his big Alaskan brown bear, and I believe the giant Yukon moose as well. He had no complaints about the Partitions and took a lot of game with them.

The book is well worth reading, it's available online: J. Y. Jones, One Man, One Rifle, One Land. I treasure my copy.

I've not a thing against the 180's from the 30-06, but somewhat prefer the 165's for most of my hunting. Most of which is for mule deer or black bear anyway. Not a lot of bullet is needed. I did use the 200 grain Nosler Partitions for an Alaskan grizzly and a wolf. The big bullet opens up easily and penetrates well. I like that load a lot and have kept the components on hand should I ever want a heavy Partition 30-06 load again. Interestingly the 165's can approach or even hit 3,000 fps with today's powders...

As others have said, it's hard to go wrong with either the 165's or the 180's.

Regards, Guy

Actually for the many years I've deer hunted my 30.06 and 165 Sierra Gamekings have taken the majority. Never had a problem with that bullet and the deer never travelled very far.

 

[TackDriver284]

I dont own a 30-06, but a 165 grain will do for most deer sized game, a step up to 180 grains is suitable for heavier game.

 

[badaxeriverman]

To me it just all depends on the particular bullet brand and the bullet construction. I know when I was a kid my dad used to buy boxes of Remington core locks for my 30-06 and it was whatever was on the shelf at the time. Whether it be 150, 165, or 180 grain ammo they all downed deer in their tracks and exited every time . I was a high shoulder shooter when I was a kid or center mass front shoulder, and every bullet always exited. I’m sure a 150 grain Partition would through a deer lengthwise and keep going with a 30-06. I personally know a 150 grain core loct will.

 

[preacher]

I prefer the Sierra 150 Pro Hunter for deer out of the old warhorse. The 150 SBT and Speer 150 BT are a bit soft for my use. I find the Pro Hunters to be pretty tough and cheap enough to shoot alot. As a do it al, I have almost always loaded the Barnes 165x, then later the 168 TTSX over H4350. I have had great accuracy with the Nosler 200 and the Sierra 200 SBT from the '06 and the '06 Ackley Improved. Years ago I tried to load the Nosler 220 PT from that Mod 70 rebarreled Classic Featherweight. I had to seat the bullet deep. I also had to use a compressed load to get any speed. My seating dies left a big ring indent on its soft nose. I was afraid it hurt the jacket integrity and dropped it in that rifle. I like the Mod 700 LA for any cartridge I like to load seated out farther.